Spain

Background

The EPIC study is being conducted in five Spanish regions: Asturias, the Basque Country (Gipuzkoa), Navarra, Murcia, and Andalucía (Granada). Granada and Murcia are the co-coordinating centres of EPIC-Spain. Recruitment began in 1992–1993, and it was finished in 1996. The cohort in Spain consists of 41 437 participants with interviews on diet and 39 880 participants with blood samples available.

Follow-up

Follow-up consists of a computerized version of a follow-up questionnaire. In 1996–1999, 40 756 participants were interviewed by phone using this computerized method. Follow-up for the identification of cancer cases is done periodically (approximately every 4 years). It is based on a computerized record linkage programme that links EPIC files with the population cancer registries of Asturias, the Basque Country, Granada, Murcia, and Navarra. Other sources of information (hospital discharge databases, pathology reports) are also used. The main source of mortality data is the National Mortality Registry of the National Institute of Statistics (INE), and other regional sources are used. By December 2015, 5795 new cases of cancer had been diagnosed and 3683 participants had died.


Scientists

Barcelona

Unit of Nutrition and Cancer
Cancer Epidemiology Research Program
Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO)
and Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL)
L’Hospitalet de Llobregat
Barcelona, Spain

Asturias

Granada (Co-coordinating centre)

Andalusian School of Public Health
CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP)
Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.
Granada, Spain

Murcia (Co-coordinating centre)

Department of Epidemiology, Murcia Regional Health Council, IMIB-Arrixaca
Murcia, Spain

Navarra

Instituto de Salud Pública y Laboral de Navarra
Gobierno de Navarra
Pamplona, Spain

San Sebastián-Gipuzkoa

Subdirección de Salud Pública y Adicciones de Gipuzkoa
Instituto de Investigación BioGipuzkoa
Gobierno Vasco, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain

 

Funding

Financial support is provided by:

  • Health Research Fund (FIS) - Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
  • Regional Governments of Andalucía, Asturias, Basque Country, Murcia and Navarra
  • Catalan Institute of Oncology – ICO

 

Research Activities

  • Food bioactive, dietary polyphenols and the risk of cancer and obesity. Scientific bases for future dietary recommendations
  • Chrono-nutrition and chrono-type and their relationship with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome in Spain
  • Effect of exposure to bisphenol A on human health (cancer and ischaemic coronary heart disease) in Spain
  • The influence of dietary patterns and physical activity in endometrial cancer: an opportunity for obesity-related cancer prevention
  • The role of lifestyle factors (body weight, dietary patterns, and physical activity) on the prognosis of breast cancer
  • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related lifestyle and quality of life in the elderly and older adults in Spain
  • EPIC-Spain Dementia cohort: prospective study of Mediterranean diet, nutritional and lifestyle factors associated with dementia incidence
  • Co-exposure to heavy metals and metalloids, associated genetic susceptibility, and cancer risk in Spain
  • Mediterranean diet and other dietary patterns and risk of Alzheimer disease and dementia in Granada, Spain
  • The first genome-wide association study (GWAS) on coronary artery disease to personalize cardiovascular prevention in Spain