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 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.
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
Andalusian School of Public Health
CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP)
Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.
Granada, Spain
Department of Epidemiology, Murcia Regional Health Council, IMIB-Arrixaca
Murcia, Spain
Instituto de Salud Pública y Laboral de Navarra
Gobierno de Navarra
Pamplona, Spain
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
Financial support is provided by: