European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
EPIC is a multi-centre prospective cohort based on healthy, middle-aged subjects who agree, following an active invitation, to participate in the study and to have their health status followed-up for the rest of their lives. The study is based in ten European countries and includes populations characterized by large variations in dietary habits and cancer risk.
The EPIC study aims to investigate the relationships between diet, nutritional status, lifestyle and environmental factors, and the incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases.
Overview
- Acronym
- EPIC
- Website
- EPIC
- Investigators
-
- Contacts
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General Design
- Study design
- Cohort
- Start - End Year
- 1992 -
- General Information on Follow Up (profile, frequency)
-
After their initial enrolment, cohort members were contacted at regular intervals every 3–5 years (depending on the country or centre) to obtain information on various aspects of lifestyle, which may change over time. Information on lifestyle exposures during follow-up was centralized at IARC in 2014. Follow-up of study participants for disease end-points, vital status, and causes of death started in the mid-1990s based on a combination of methods including health insurance records, cancer and pathology registries, mortality registries or active follow-up and death-record collection.
- Recruitment Target
-
- Individuals
- Number of Participants
- 521,468
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 387,889
- Supplementary information about number of participants
-
The following biospecimens are currently (October 2014) available from the EPIC study:
- Plasma: 381 042 participants
- Serum: 342 012 participants
- Buffy coat: 352 300 participants
- Erythrocyte: 363 999 participants
Access
Availability of data and biosamples
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Other |
|
Marker Paper
Riboli E, Kaaks R. The EPIC Project: rationale and study design. European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Int J Epidemiol. 1997;26 Suppl 1:S6-14.
PUBMED 9126529Timeline
Population
EPIC - Population
The population consists of men and women from ten countries (United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Sweden, Denmark and Norway), with the exception of France where only women who are members of the health insurance plan for school teachers were included. The lower age limit was set at 35 years for women and at 40 years for men. The upper age limit was set between 60 and 74, depending on the centre.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
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35
- Maximum age
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74
- Countries
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- France
- Italy
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- Netherlands
- Greece
- Germany
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Norway
Sources of Recruitment
- General Population
-
- Selected sample
- Specific Population
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- Members of an association
- Supplementary Information
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In study centres where it was possible to base follow-up mainly on population cancer registries, the main target was the general population, or subgroups of the general population such as women attending breast cancer screening facilities or blood donors, whereas in other centres where cancer registries provide incomplete coverage, special group were targeted (members of health insurance plans, civil servants).
Sample Size
- Number of Participants
- 521,468
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 387,890
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Data sources | Data sources - Biosamples | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | EPIC - Baseline |
|
|
1992 | 2000 |
| 1 | EPIC - Follow-up 1 |
|
1996 | 1998 | |
| 2 | EPIC - Follow-up 2 |
|
1999 | 2001 | |
| 3 | EPIC - Follow-up 3 |
|
2002 | 2004 | |
| 4 | EPIC - Follow-up 4 |
|
2005 | 2007 | |
| 5 | EPIC - Follow-up 5 |
|
2008 | 2010 | |
| 6 | EPIC - Follow-up 6 |
|
2011 | 2013 | |
| 7 | EPIC - Follow-up 7 |
|
2014 | 2016 |
Participating Studies
| Acronym | Name | Study design | Countries |
|---|
Harmonization Initiatives Included
| Acronym | Name |
|---|
Datasets
| Name | Data Collection Events | Variables |
|---|
Areas of Information Collected
- Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
- Death
- Lifestyle and behaviours
- Physical measures and assessments
- Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
- Laboratory measures
- Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
- Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
- Diseases
- Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
- Symptoms and signs
- Preschool, school and work life
- Medication and supplements
- Social environment and relationships
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Physical environment
- Health and community care services utilization
- Administrative information
Variables Content Summary
Areas of Information Collected
No Areas of Information Collected
No Scales Collected
Areas of Information Collected per per Population and Data Collection Event
No Areas of Information Collected
No Scales Collected
Networks
| Acronym | Name | Harmonization Initiatives | Individual Studies |
|---|
Last Update: 2020-02-05T11:07:35.045