Dr M.P. Weijenberg
Dept of Epidemiology, Nutrition Toxicology Research Institute (NUTRIM)
University of Maastricht
Maastricht, The Netherlands
Project title
Body weight and height, weight change, energy restriction in childhood and physical activity as determinants of colorectal cancer: the role of (epi)genetic instability (2007/54)
Scientific abstract
The importance of body weight and height, weight at age 20, energy restriction during childhood and physical activity for the risk of colorectal cancer and cancer of specific sub-sites of the large bowel is not well defined. Colorectal cancer is probably the best characterised cancer in terms of underlying molecular aberrations. Currently three phenotypes are distinguished with increasing evidence for aetiologic heterogeneity: chromosomal (CIN), microsatellite (MIN) and epigenetic (CIMP: CpG Island Methylator Phenotype) instability.
The study will investigate self-reported body weight and height, body mass index, weight at age 20, energy restriction during childhood and physical activity in relation to the risk of proximal and distal colon, rectosigmoid and rectal cancer within the ongoing Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer (NLCS). Associations will also be studied separately for tumours with specific instability phenotypes. The NLCS was initiated in 1986 among 120852 men and women aged 55-69 years. After 16.3 years of follow-up, 3360 incident colorectal cancer cases are expected. Molecular analyses will be performed to determine the CIN, MIN and CIMP phenotypes. Adjusted rate ratios will be estimated using Cox proportional hazards survival analysis adapted to the case cohort design.
Project plain language abstract
The importance of body weight and height, weight at age 20, energy restriction during childhood and physical activity for the risk of colorectal cancer and cancer of specific sub-sites of the large bowel is not well defined. Colorectal cancer is probably the best characterized cancer in terms of underlying genetic changes. Currently three types of instability are distinguished in colorectal cancer with increasing evidence for different associations with risk factors: chromosomal (CIN), microsatellite (MIN) and epigenetic (CIMP) instability. Our objective is to investigate self-reported body weight and height, body mass index, weight at age 20, energy restriction during childhood and physical activity in relation to the risk of proximal and distal colon, rectosigmoid and rectal cancer within the ongoing Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer (NLCS). Associations will also be studied separately for tumours with specific types of instability. The NLCS was initiated in 1986 among 120852 men and women aged 55-69 years and after 16.3 years of follow-up, 3360 incident colorectal cancer cases are expected. DNA was successfully isolated from paraffin embedded tumour material of 734 colorectal cancer cases available after 7.3 years of follow-up, excluding the first 2.3 years. Molecular analyses will be performed to determine CIN, MIN and CIMP. Adjusted rate ratios will be estimated using survival analysis adapted to the case cohort design.
| Institution and location | Degree | Year | Scientific Field |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural University Wageningen, The Netherlands | MSc | 1992 | Human Nutrition |
| Agricultural University Wageningen, The Netherlands | MSc | 1993 | Epidemiology |
| Agricultural University Wageningen, The Netherlands | PhD | 1996 | Epidemiology |
| 1996 - present | Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University Maastricht, |
| 1996 - 1997 | Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Leuven University, Belgium |
| 1992 - 1996 | Scientist, National Institute of Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands |
Research interests
Molecular epidemiology of colorectal cancer, specifically the role of diet, diet-gene interactions and (epi)genetics.
