Background:
The New South Wales (NSW) Cancer, Lifestyle and Evaluation of Risk Study (CLEAR) is a Cancer Council NSW initiative that commenced in 2006. It is an ongoing case-control study that collects lifestyle and demographic information and biospecimens, for release as an open resource for cancer researchers.
Aim:
To provide ongoing data on the relative importance of known and emerging exposures and their relationships to leading and emerging cancer types.
Methods:
CLEAR participants are recruited from i) hospitals, ii) cancer related databases, and iii) self-referral in response to widespread promotion. Eligible cases are NSW residents aged 18 years and above, registered and enrolled within 18 months of diagnosis of their first primary cancer. Controls are cancer-free partners of cases. Study participation, entails completion of a questionnaire and providing an optional blood sample. Self-reported cancer status is verified via annual record linkage with the NSW Central Cancer Registry.
Results:
CLEAR has recruited 10,750 participants (8,517cases, 2,233 controls: 20% response rate). Participants are 54% female (n=5845) and 46% male (n=4905), with a median age of 61.6 years (cases) and 61.3 years (controls). The most common self-reported cancers were cancers of the breast (n=2186), prostate (n=1390), colorectum (n=1049), melanoma (n=944 and lung (n=311). Data will be presented on the frequency of incident cancers diagnosed since enrolment, with a corresponding positive predictive value for each verified cancer type. We found increased lung cancer risk in current smokers in both men (OR 31.72, 95%CI: 14.87-67.65) and women (OR 20.89, 95%CI: 12.02-36.30), after adjusting for age, SES and migrant status; these results were similar to the Million Women’s Study1. Details of other analyses will also be discussed.
Conclusions:
CLEAR is a valuable resource for researchers and has the potential to significantly advance our knowledge in the occurrence and outcome of various cancers.