• Acquisition of epidemiological information and biological material [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Proportion of colorectal cancer incidence attributable to mutations in known predisposing genes (e.g., MLH1 and MSH2) [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Exploration of mutations at other loci that may predispose to endometrial cancer [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

OBJECTIVES:

• To obtain epidemiological information and biological material on a population based series of colorectal cancer cases.
• To define the proportion of colorectal cancer incidence attributable to mutations in known predisposing genes such as MLH1 and MSH2.
• To establish whether mutations at other loci may predispose to colorectal cancer, by comparing the frequency of alteration candidate genes in colorectal cancer patients with the corresponding frequency in cancer-free controls identified through the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) study.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

Patients complete an epidemiological questionnaire. The questionnaire also requests identifying information about the patient's first-degree relatives.

Blood samples are collected from patients. DNA is extracted from these blood samples, from samples collected from cancer-free control participants in MREC-SEARCH-CONTROL, and from additional controls through the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) study (a population-based study of diet and health based in Norfolk, East Anglia). DNA samples are analyzed for polymorphisms of low penetrance cancer susceptibility genes.

In addition to the colorectal cancer patients recruited for this study, patients with breast, ovarian, prostate, colorectal, bladder, kidney, pancreatic, brain, and esophageal cancer, malignant melanoma, and lymphoma cancer are recruited for the following related clinical trials: MREC-SEARCH-BREAST, MREC-SEARCH-OVARIAN, MREC-SEARCH-PROSTATE, MREC-SEARCH-ENDOMETRIAL, and MREC-SEARCH-CANCER.