Approved research

Identifying environmental and genetic risk factors for endometrial cancer subtypes

Lay summary

The aims of this proposal are to examine: (a) the association of risk factors such as obesity, reproductive and lifestyle factors (diet, physical activity, smoking, exogenous hormone use, etc.) and other medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome) with risk of incident endometrial cancer; (b) the extent to which these associations are influenced by circulating levels of sex hormones, IGF-I and other biomarkers (eg CRP); (c) the association of candidate genes with both established risk factors and incident disease; (d) the extent to which these associations differ by histological sub-type. This study aims to increase our understanding of the extent to which lifestyle and certain genetic factors influence the risk of endometrial cancer and whether these associations are mediated by hormonal factors. This work will help us to understand better the causes of endometrial cancer in women and may inform the future design of effective public health policies aimed at endometrial cancer prevention. The aims of this proposal are to examine: (a) the association of risk factors such as obesity, reproductive and lifestyle factors (diet, physical activity, smoking, exogenous hormone use, etc.) and other medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome) with risk of incident endometrial cancer; (b) the extent to which these associations are influenced by circulating levels of sex hormones, IGF-I and other biomarkers (such as CRP); (c) the association of genetic factors with both established risk factors and with incident disease; (d) the extent to which these associations differ by histological sub-type. We would like to request data on all women in the cohort (approx. 273,000).