The Cancer Genetics Network

The Prostate Cancer Gene Discovery study was a retrospective study looking at an existing cohort of individuals with early-onset prostate cancer, which worked to collect additional blood specimens and to expand the information collected on the families of the individuals, to help identify additional genetic risks for prostate cancer.

The Modifiers of Penetrance in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers study examined whether various exposures to hormonal factors, genes involved in hormone metabolism, carcinogen metabolis, or DNA repair, modified the risk of cancer in women with known BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

The Validation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Carrier Probability Models study used women enrolled in the CGN Core to compare five statistical models. The models were developed by different researchers to estimate the chance a woman is a BRCA1 or BRCA2 carrier based on her family history, as well as the individual risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

The Risk of Ovarian Cancer study investigated whether periodic testing of the blood for CA125, a chemical that is elevated in women who have advanced ovarian cancer, can help detect the cancer early. The study enrolled women who were at a high risk for ovarian cancer, due either to known genetic mutations or to family history, and tested them for CA125 levels every three months.

The Recruitment of Probands and Family Members study was a randomized trial which looked at the effectiveness of different kinds of enrollment incentives among diverse populations.

The Colon Cancer Sibling Pair study used sibling pairs in which only one sibling had colon cancer to try and find additional genetic components of colon cancer. Families with known genetic markers for colon cancer were excluded.

The Breast Cancer Screening study was a pilot study looking at using ultrasound and MRI to improve the diagnostic outcomes of mammograms in women with a high risk for breast cancer.

The Genetic and Environmental Modifiers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 study looked at women who had a verified BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation to try and identify additional genetic or environmental interactions that could modify the risk assigned to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

The Family Health Promotion Project was a randomized trial which evaluated a telephone intervention for improve colonoscopy screening rates. It used motivational interviewing to attempt to improve compliance with screening, and also to study what barriers existed preventing high-risk individuals from having colonoscopies.

The CGN ran four minority recruitment studies to expand CGN Core recruitment in minority populations. Each study was targeted at a different minority population, and variously looked at the effectiveness of different targeted recruitment materials and methods.

The Physician Risk Counseling, Emotional Health and Preventative Behaviours study looked at the psycho-behavioural impact of cancer risk information on participants with a family history of cancer.