EPIC Centres

SPAIN

  Background | Follow-up | Scientists | Funding  | Activities 

Background

The EPIC study is being conducted in five Spanish regions: Asturias, the Basque Country, Navarra, Murcia, and Andalucía (Granada). The coordinating centre is in Barcelona. Recruitment began in 1992—1993, and it was finished in 1996. The cohort in Spain consists of 41 438 participants with interviews on diet, and 39 880 participants with blood samples available.

 
Males
Females
Number of participants
Percentage of EPIC cohort
Asturias
3083
5459
8542
1.64%
Granada
1796
6083
7879
1.51%
Murcia
2685
5831
8516
1.63%
Navarra
3908
4176
8084
1.55%
San Sebastian
4158
4259
8417
1.61%
Spain
15 630
25 808
41 438
7.95%

Follow-up

Follow-up consists of a computerized version of a follow-up questionnaire. In 1996—1999, 40 755 participants were interviewed by phone, using this computerized method. Follow-up for the identification of cancer cases is done every 4 years. It is based on a computerized record linkage programme that links EPIC files with the population cancer registries of Asturias, Basque Country, Granada, Murcia, and Navarra. Other sources of information (hospital discharge databases, pathology reports) are also being used. The main source of mortality data is the National Mortality Registry of the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Other regional sources are used, and in some centres letters to the members of the Spanish cohort are being sent each year to update the vital status. By December 2007 (record linkage done in 2010), 3476 new cases of cancer had been diagnosed and 1972 participants had died.

Scientists

BARCELONA (coordinating centre)

Principal Investigator

Dr Carlos A. González
Unit of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer
Cancer Epidemiology Research Program
Catalan Institute of Oncology
Barcelona, Spain
Dr Antonio Agudo
Unit of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer
Cancer Epidemiology Research Program
Catalan Institute of Oncology
Barcelona, Spain
Eric J. Duell
Unit of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer
Cancer Epidemiology Research Program
Catalan Institute of Oncology
Barcelona, Spain
Núria Sala
Molecular Biology Laboratory
Catalan Institute of Oncology
Barcelona, Spain
Paula Jakszyn
Unit of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer
Cancer Epidemiology Research Program
Catalan Institute of Oncology
Barcelona, Spain
Genevieve Buckland
Unit of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer
Cancer Epidemiology Research Program
Catalan Institute of Oncology
Barcelona, Spain

ASTURIAS

Principal Investigator

Dr J. Ramón Quirós
Dirección General de Salud Pública
Consejería de Sanidad del Principado de Asturias
Oviedo, Spain


GRANADA

Principal Investigator

Dr Maria José Sánchez
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública
CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Granada, Spain
Dr Esther Molina Montes
Postdoctoral Researcher
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública
CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Granada, Spain
Dr Emilio Sánchez-Cantalejo
Professor
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública
CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Granada, Spain
Dr Manuel Arroyo Morales
Lecturer
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Granada, Spain

MURCIA

Principal Investigator

Carmen Navarro, MD, MSc, PhD
Department of Epidemiology
Consejería de Sanidad y Política Social
CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Universidad de Murcia
Murcia, Spain
Maria José Tormo, MD, MPH, PhD
Department of Epidemiology
Consejería de Sanidad y Política Social
CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Universidad de Murcia
Murcia, Spain
Maria-Dolores Chirlaque, MD, MPH
Department of Epidemiology
Consejería de Sanidad y Política Social
CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Murcia, Spain
Lluís Cirera, MD, MSc, PhD
Department of Epidemiology
Consejería de Sanidad y Política Social
CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Murcia, Spain
Diana Gavrila, MD, MPH
Department of Epidemiology
Consejería de Sanidad y Política Social
CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Murcia, Spain
José-María Huerta, PhD
Department of Epidemiology
Consejería de Sanidad y Política Social
CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública
Murcia, Spain

NAVARRA

Principal Investigator

Dr Aurelio Barricarte
Instituto de Salud Pública
Gobierno de Navarra
Pamplona, Spain
Dr Eva Ardanaz
Instituto de Salud Pública
Gobierno de Navarra
Pamplona, Spain
Dr Concha Moreno
Instituto de Salud Pública
Gobierno de Navarra
Pamplona, Spain

SAN SEBASTIAN

Principal Investigator

Dr Miren Dorronsoro
Subdirección de Salud Pública de Gipuzkoa
Gobierno Vasco
San Sebastian, Spain
Dr Pilar Amiano
Subdirección de Salud Pública de Gipuzkoa
Gobierno Vasco
San Sebastian, Spain
Dr Nerea Larrañaga
Subdirección de Salud Pública de Gipuzkoa
Gobierno Vasco
San Sebastian, Spain
Dr Jone Miren Altzibar
Dirección Territorial de Sanidad
Gobierno Vasco
San Sebastian, Spain
Dr Larraitz Arriola 
Subdirección de Salud Pública de Gipuzkoa
Gobierno Vasco
San Sebastian, Spain

Funding

Financial support is provided by:
  • Health Research Fund (FIS) of the Spanish Ministry of Health including (RD06/0020/0091) National Network on Cancer and CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP) from the Institute of Health Carlos III and AGAUR 2009SGR939.
  • The participating regional governments and institutions.

Research Activities

  • Coordination of the Eur-Gast Project: environmental factors, Helicobacter pylori infection, genetic susceptibility, and gastric cancer risk in the European population.
  • Coordination of the Pancreatic Working Group.
  • Studies of factors associated with some neurological diseases.
  • Studies of the dietary carcinogens polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heterocyclic amines (HAs), and N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), genetic susceptibility to acrylamide, and cancer risk.
  • Studies of risk factors (environmental and genetic) associated with myocardial infarction.
  • Study of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors in the etiology of excessive alcohol intake in the EPIC-Spain cohort.
  • Studies of iron and endogenous formation of nitrosamines and cancer risk.
  • Studies of factors associated with stroke.
  • Studies of flavonoid intake.
  • Studies of Mediterranean dietary patterns and olive oil intake.