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Norwegian Women and Cancer Study postgenome cohort [NOWAC] Download as PDF

GENERAL INFORMATION

Name Norwegian Women and Cancer Study postgenome cohort
Acronym NOWAC
Last update 01/21/2010

Affiliation

Principal investigator

Eiliv Lund (Dr)
Institute of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tromsø

Contact

NOWAC information
University of Tromsø, Norway
Phone: +47 77 64 4816
Email: nowac@ism.uit.noMail

Website

Funding agencies

  • The Norwegian Research Council (NRC)
  • The Norwegian Cancer Society (NCS)
  • NCI: National Cancer Institute
  • University of Tromso

BACKGROUND

With the description of the genome in 2000 we decided to create a prospective study with a biobank that could hold biological material for a globolomic analysis i.e. of the genome (SNPs), the transcriptome (mRNA, miRNA), proteome and metabolom, in addition to lifestyle information obtained by questionnaire. Women in the cohort are then actively followed up for five years in order to obtain tumor tissue biopsies from the breast for expression profiling and concomitant blood samples in cases and cohort controls.

OBJECTIVES

The three objectives are:
I. Study the potentials of transcriptomics in peripheral blood cells in relation to diagnosis of cancer among women in the postgenome cohort;
II. Study the interactions between genetic disposition and lifestyle on expression profiles in peripheral blood, and the potentials of expression profiles in the etiological research on cancer;
III. Develop NOWAC as a human model for systems biology.

METHODS

Legend Yes No Unknown

General design

Study design Cohort
Type of participants Individuals
Target or final number of participants 172000
  The headline number of participants is approximately 173,000. For the cohort study 50, 000 is the number approached in the first year.
Target or final number of DNA 63000

Participant selection / Characteristics of the population

Selection criteria

Yes Gender Women
Yes Age Minimun: 48 years    Maximun: 63 years
Yes Country of residence Norway

Supplementary informations

To be born 1926-1965

Recruitment procedures

During the years 1991-2006 altogether 172 000 women randomly selected in the Norwegian female population have returned a questionnaire to the Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway. The response rate was about 57%. 50 000 women born 1943-57 returned a blood sample.

Data Sources

  Cross-sectional Repeated/continuous
Yes Questionnaires to participants/respondents No Yes
No Direct physical measures
Yes Biological samples No No
No Medical paper
No Electronic databases
No Genealogical records  

Collection procedures

The women were mailed an invitation with a photo-booklet of all oral contraceptives (Kumle et al. 2002) or hormonal replacement therapy brands (Bakken et al. 2001) and a questionnaire, 4 or 8 pages. All women have been sampled randomly from the Norwegian Central Person Register which contains information on all Norwegian inhabitants including a unique birth number consisting of the date of birth and five additional numbers giving a unique combination (Lunde et al. 1980).

Follow up procedures

No information available

Baseline principal variables of interest

Health information

  • Yes Diseases history - ICD-10 All conditions
  • Yes Medication intake
  • Yes Familial disease history
  • No Early life
  • Yes Women's health
  • Yes Quality of life

Physical / Biochemical measures

No Body structure measures Yes Biochemical measures
No Body function measures  

Sociodemographic Characteristics

Yes Birth location No Parents birth location
No Ethnicity/Race Yes Gender
Yes Marital status Yes Date of birth

Socioeconomic Characteristics

Yes Education level Yes Income
Yes Working status  

Life habits / Behaviours

Yes Physical activity Yes Smoking / Tobacco Use
Yes Nutrition Yes Alcohol intake

Physical environment

Yes Passive smoking No Mobile phone use

Sample management

Biological samples

Yes Blood No Buccal cells
No Cord blood Yes Tissues (breast tissue)
No Saliva No Urine

Biological samples format

  Fresh Frozen Dried (paper) Other Specification
Blood No Yes No No
Tissues No Yes   No Yes (breast tissue as follow up)

Genome-Wide Association (GWA) analyses

  • No No genome-wide association analysis

GOVERNANCE

Legend Yes No

Allow access to data or samples to external researchers

Yes Data (questionnaire-derived, measured…)
Unknown Biological samples

STATUS

Current status

Phase Start End
Preparation phase/Pilot -- --
Recruitment / initial data collection 1991 2006
Follow-up of participants 1991 2037

Supplementary informations

57% were willing to participate in the baseline; In 1998-2002, second mailing brought 81% of answers; In spring 2004, third mailing brought 75% for the first wave and before the first remainder.

Current number of participants recruited 172000 in date of 01/01/2010
Current number of collected DNA samples 61000 in date of 01/01/2010

AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS

  Document type Availability
1 General study protocol Eiliv.lund@ism.uit.noMail
2 Specific protocols/procedures (data collection, samples management, etc.) Eiliv.lund@ism.uit.noMail
3 Questionnaires
4 Physical and cognitive measures
5 DNA processing
6 IT
7 Ethics
8 Consent forms Eiliv.lund@ism.uit.noMail
9 Pamphlet / project description Eiliv.lund@ism.uit.noMail
10 Governance / ethics documentation Eiliv.lund@ism.uit.noMail
11 Other

PUBLICATIONS AND RELEVANT DOCUMENTATION

Publication url

http://uit.no/kk/Publications/External

COMMENT

This is a research driven projects with no resources for handling external collaborations. All external collaborators have to pay the real cost usually as mutual funded grants


General Information

Name Kvinner , livsstils og helse. Kvinner og kreft- Women life"style" and Health. Women and Cancer
Last update 11/10/2009
Phase Recruitment
Year interval 1991 to 2006

Questionnaire owner

  • Eiliv lund

Contact

Eiliv Lund (Dr)
Institute of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tromsø
Tromso 9037
Email: Eiliv.lund@ism.uit.noMail

Utilization conditions

none

Information on validity

The food frequency questionnaire has been validated twice against 24-h recall by telephone. The major questionnaire has been tested for reliability through a test-retest study. Several of the major exposure variables have been recently or are underway compared to biological measurements in plasma; free fatty acids, D-vitamin, organic pollutants, hormone levels, menopausal status and cosmetics.The external validity has been checked against national register data.

Methods

Legend Yes No

Respondent

  • Yes Participant
  • No Proxy

Administration environment

  • No Over the phone
  • No Hospital, clinic, university or recruitment center
  • Yes Respondent / Proxy residence

Administration mode

  • Yes Auto administered
  • No Auto administrated with face to face validation by trained personnel
  • No Administrated by trained personel / Physician

Administration format

  • Yes Paper questionnaire
  • No Computerized

Administration language

  • Norwegian
  • English

Documents

Available Format

  • Adapted questionnaireWeb page
  • NowacPDF

NOTICE: HTML document format may differ slightly from the actual questionnaire. Please refer to the original PDF document for exact reproduction.

Comment

List of available documents related to the validation or specific utilizations of the questionnaire:

Lund E, Gram IT. The impact of design on response rates and exposure estimates from postal questionnaires. A population based randomized trial of 5.000 Norwegian women aged 35-49 years. Scand J Soc Med 1998; 26; 154-60.
Lund E, Kumle M, Braaten T, Hjartåker A, Bakken K, Eggen E, Gram IT. External validity in a population based national prospective study – the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study. Cancer Causes Control 2003; 14; 1001-8.
Hjartåker A, Andersen LF, Lund E. Comparison of diet measures from a food-frequency questionnaire with measures from repeated 24-hour dietary recalls. The Norwegian Women and Cancer Study. Public Health Nutrition 2007;10:1094-1103
Lund E, Dumeaux V, Braaten T, Hjartåker A, Engeset D, Skeie G, Kumle M.
Cohort profile: The Norwegian Women and Cancer Study--NOWAC--Kvinner og kreft. Int J Epidemiol. 2008 Feb;37(1):36-41.
Veierød MB, Parr CL, Lund E, Hjartåker A. Reproducibility of self-reported melanoma risk factors in a large cohort study of Norwegian women. Melanoma Res. 2008 Feb;18(1):1-9.
Dumeaux V, Børresen-Dale AL, Frantzen JO, Kumle M, Kristensen VN, Lund E.
Gene expression analyses in breast cancer epidemiology: the Norwegian Women and Cancer postgenome cohort study. Breast Cancer Res. 2008 Feb 5;10(1):R13

General Information

Name Kvinner , livsstils og helse. Kvinner og kreft- Women life"style" and Health. Women and Cancer
Number of Question Blocks 49

Questionnaire and Question Block List

Click on the View block to see the block of questions related to a domain or a group of domains.
Block 1 View block
  • Sociodemographic Characteristics / Residence / Residential History
Block 2 View block
  • Socioeconomic Characteristics / Income
Block 3 View block
  • Body structures / Anthropometric structures / Anthropometric measures
Block 4 View block
  • Socioeconomic Characteristics / Education level / Subject education level
Block 5 View block
  • Health Information / Medical Health Intervention (C239) / Physical/Physiological Therapeutic Interventions / Therapeutic Interventions on the Genitourinary System
  • Health Information / Women's health / Menopause
  • Health Information / Women's health / Menstruation
Block 6 View block
  • Health Information / Reproductive history / Number of children
  • Health Information / Women's health / Breast feeding
Block 7 View block
  • Health Information / Medication Intake (ATC/DDD) / Genito urinary system and sex hormones (G)
Block 9 View block
  • Health Information / Medical Health Intervention (C239) / Obstetrical and Fetal Interventions / Termination of Pregnancy
  • Health Information / Reproductive history / Parity/Gravidity
Block 10 View block
  • Health Information / Individual Disease history / Diseases of the circulatory system
  • Health Information / Individual Disease history / Diseases of the nervous system
  • Health Information / Individual Disease history / Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases
  • Health Information / Individual Disease history / Neoplasms
Block 11 View block
  • Health Information / Perception of health/quality of life
Block 12 View block
  • Health Information / Individual Disease history / Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
Block 13 View block
  • Health Information / Medication Intake (ATC/DDD) / Cardiovascular system (C)
Block 14 View block
  • Health Information / Medication Intake (ATC/DDD) / Alimentary tract and metabolism (A)
  • Health Information / Medication Intake (ATC/DDD) / Blood and blood forming organs (B)
  • Health Information / Medication Intake (ATC/DDD) / Cardiovascular system (C)
  • Health Information / Medication Intake (ATC/DDD) / Genito urinary system and sex hormones (G)
  • Health Information / Medication Intake (ATC/DDD) / Musculo-skeletal system (M)
  • Health Information / Medication Intake (ATC/DDD) / Nervous system (N)
Block 15 View block
  • Health Information / Medical Health Intervention (C239) / Diagnostic Imaging Interventions / Diagnostic Imaging Interventions on the Skin, Subcutaneous Tissue, and Breast
  • Health Information / Medical Health Intervention (C239) / Diagnostic Interventions / Diagnostic Interventions on the Genitourinary System
Block 16 View block
  • Health Information / Familial Disease History (ICD10*) / Neoplasms
Block 17 View block
  • Body structures / Anthropometric structures / Anthropometric measures / Height
Block 18 View block
  • Body structures / Anthropometric structures / Anthropometric measures / Weight
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Weight related behaviours
Block 19 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Tobacco use
Block 20 View block
  • Physical Environment / Environmental exposures / Chemical environmental exposures / Passive Smoke Exposure
Block 21 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Physical activity / Activities/Exercise and Frequency
Block 22 View block
  • Sociodemographic Characteristics / Household Status / Subjet Household Status
Block 23 View block
  • Sociodemographic Characteristics / Household Status / Structure of the Household
Block 24 View block
  • Socioeconomic Characteristics / Income
Block 25 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Beverages (other than water or alcohol)
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Fat Intake
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Milk products
Block 26 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Beverages (other than water or alcohol)
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Caffeine
Block 27 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Milk products
Block 28 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Cereals, Bread, Starches
Block 29 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Cereals, Bread, Starches
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Fat Intake
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Meat, Eggs, Fish and Alternatives
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Milk products
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Sweets, Baked goods
Block 30 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Cereals, Bread, Starches
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Meat, Eggs, Fish and Alternatives
Block 31 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Cereals, Bread, Starches
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Fat Intake
Block 32 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Cereals, Bread, Starches
Block 33 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Vegetables and Fruits
Block 34 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Fat Intake
Block 35 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Fat Intake
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Meat, Eggs, Fish and Alternatives
Block 36 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Meat, Eggs, Fish and Alternatives
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Nutritional Behaviours and Perception of Nutritional Habits
Block 37 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Fat Intake
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Meat, Eggs, Fish and Alternatives
Block 38 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Milk products
Block 39 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Sweets, Baked goods
Block 40 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Salt and Food Supplement
Block 41 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Alcohol use
Block 42 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Nutritional Behaviours and Perception of Nutritional Habits
  • Physical Environment / Environmental exposures / Physical environmental exposures / Radiation (ionizing and non ionizing)
Block 43 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Nutritional Behaviours and Perception of Nutritional Habits
Block 44 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Beverages (other than water or alcohol)
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Meat, Eggs, Fish and Alternatives
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Milk products
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Food intake and Frequency / Vegetables and Fruits
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Nutrition / Nutritional Behaviours and Perception of Nutritional Habits
Block 45 View block
  • Body structures / Skin
  • Physical Environment / Environmental exposures / Physical environmental exposures / Radiation (ionizing and non ionizing)
Block 46 View block
  • Body structures / Eye
Block 47 View block
  • Body structures / Hair
Block 48 View block
  • Body structures / Skin
  • Physical Environment / Environmental exposures / Physical environmental exposures / Radiation (ionizing and non ionizing)
Block 49 View block
  • Life Habits/Behaviours / Travel History and Habits
  • Physical Environment / Environmental exposures / Physical environmental exposures / Radiation (ionizing and non ionizing)
Block 50 View block
  • Physical Environment / Environmental exposures / Physical environmental exposures / Radiation (ionizing and non ionizing)
© 2005 Public Population Project in Genomics.
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