GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CANCER IN UTAH GENEALOGIES

这项研究旨在了解癌症的基本原因

This research seeks to understand fundamental causes of cancer in a defined population in which both genetic and environmental factors will be examined. The computerized genealogy of the 1.3 million Utah Mormons and the records of the Utah Cancer Registry provide the basis for analysis of cancer occurrence in relatives. This population is stable, cooperative, and genetically similar to other populations of Northern European origin. The continued development and refinement of the linking of records within the genealogy and between the genealogy, cancer registry and death certificates is essential for the use of these resources for population based analysis. Another goal of the research is the improvement of the database system for access to and analysis of records. Clusters of relatives with cancer will be identified from the genealogy and auxiliary records. All cancer clusters with three or more relatives affected at the same site will be examined for the types of cancers which occur together. Some pedigrees, in which a large number of related people are found to have had cancer, will be examined for linkage between a gene causing cancer and cellular oncogenes. If tight linkage to oncogenes is excluded, a general linkage study will be performed which will analyze genetic models and gene penetrance. Cases of cancer occurring within families will be compared to those with no family history, and environmental factors known to be associated with cancer will be compared. In the process of analysis, the tools for analysis of pedigrees, occurrence of diseases in relatives, and measurement of the large population database will continue to be developed. The results will allow an assessment of the importance of genes in causing and a model for the study of other diseases caused by both genetic and environmental factos.