MCC-SPAIN: Multi-case Control Cancer Study in Spain

In 2008, the CIBERESP, within the Cross-sectional Action in Cancer framework, provided the resources to start up a population-based multi-case control study (MCC-SPAIN) to investigate the influence of environmental factors and their interaction with genetic factors in common tumours or tumours with peculiar epidemiological characteristics in our country, for which the environmental factors involved were not sufficiently known.

The chosen tumours are:

Colorectal cancer, due to its frequency in both sexes
Breast cancer, due to the aetiological hypotheses about endocrine disruption
Gastroesophageal cancer, due to its characteristic geographic pattern and the suggested environmental hypotheses
Prostate cancer, due to its frequency and hormonal nature and the aetiological hypotheses about endocrine disruption

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) has recently been added to the study.

The study involves collecting data through an interview and collecting various biological samples. Population controls are chosen from lists of primary care centres and interviews are conducted in these centres.

The MCC-Spain study was also granted FIS funding for the years 2009-2011.

See presentation (Spanish)

mccspain.org

Organisation

The MCC-Spain study is coordinated by Manolis Kogevinas (CREAL), Marina Pollán (ISCIII) and a steering committee that includes representatives of all CIBERESP nodes that collect cases and controls for the study. CREAL is the MCC-Spain coordinating centre working directly with ISCII (Madrid). The study is organised in work groups, including water pollutants, occupation, endocrine disruptors, medication, clinical/tumour markers, infections, screening and genetics.

Objectives

The general objective of the study is to assess environmental and genetic factors associated with colorectal, breast, stomach/oesophageal and prostate cancers.

The specific objectives are to:

Assess the risk of cancer of each tumour location in connection with environmental exposures including drinking water pollutants (arsenic, nitrates, chromium, chlorination by-products), hormone disruptors and other persistent organic pollutants.
Assess the risk of cancers in relation to statin and painkiller use.
Assess the risk of breast and prostate cancers in connection with hormonal factors, infections and permanent phenotypes related to environmental exposures in early stages of life.
Validate the evaluation of exposure to environmental chemical agents by means of exposure models using exposure biomarkers, individual information and environmental exposure measurements.
Assess, in a first phase, a limited series of genes in relation both to major effects and to their interaction with environmental factors.
Store enough material biological for future use GWAS (genome wide association studies) studies and others.

Research Groups

Researchers from the CIBERESP in 11 Spanish regions (Catalonia, Madrid, Asturias, Navarre, Basque Country, Murcia, Cantabria, Andalusia, Valencia, Castilla y Leon) are participating in the study. Up until March 2010 information and biological samples were obtained from about 1600 population controls, 1200 colon and rectum cases, 750 cases of breast cancer, 450 cases of prostate cancer, 150 cases of stomach cancer, and cases of leukaemia also started to be collected.

Centre de Recerca en Epidemiologia Ambiental (CREAL) - Barcelona: Manolis Kogevinas (PI), Gemma Castaño Vinyals, Judith Cirac, Cristina Villanueva, Cecilia Persavento, Estela Carrasco, Yasmin Sabaté, Lourdes Arjona, Glòria Carrasco, Michelle Mendez, Kyriaki Papantoniou, Nadia Espejo.
Centro Nacional de Epidemiología - Instituto de Salud Carlos III - Madrid: Marina Pollán (PI), Nuria Aragonés, Beatriz Pérez-Gómez, Virginia Lope Carvajal, Elena Boldo, Maria Ángeles Sierra, Ángel González, Gonzalo López-Abente, Pablo Fernández Navarro, Javier García, Esther Garcia-Esquinas.
Hospital del Mar-Institut Municipal d’Investigació Mèdica - Barcelona: Maria Sala, Cris Murta, Francesc Macià, Loli Perea, Xavier Castells.
Institut Català d’Oncologia - L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
Unidad de Infecciones y Cáncer: Silvia de Sanjosé, Delphine Casabonne, Yolanda Benavente, Maria Teresa Alonso, Laura Costas, Claudia Robles.
Unidad de Biomarcadores y Susceptibilidad - Programa de prevención: Victor Moreno, Marta Crous, Elisabet Guinó, Isabel Padrol, Mireia Garcia, Ainara Expósito.
Servicio de Epidemiología - Consejería de Sanidad - Murcia: Carmen Navarro, Concepción López-Rojo, Maria Dolores Chirlaque, Enrique Pellicer, Ana Jerónimo, Mª Carmen Hernández.
Servicio Navarro de Salud - Instituto de Salud Pública de Navarra: Eva Ardanaz, Maria Ederra, Milagros García López, Aurelio Barricarte Gurrea, Nieves Ascunce, Conchi Moreno, Carmen Ezponda, Mª Eugenia Pérez de Rada, Estefanía Toledo, Ana Barcos, Nerea Egüés, Antonia Martínez, Leire Martínez Goñi, Conchita de Miguel, Marcela Guevara Eslava.
Subdirección de Salud Pública de Gipuzkoa: Jone M Altzibar, Miren Dorronsoro, Ander Gómez, Usoa Garin, Maria Jesús Michelena, Cristina Saraqueta, Nerea Larrañaga, Itziar Zaldua, Pilar Amiano.
Universidad de Oviedo - Asturias: Adonina Tardón, Manuel Rivas, Avelino Menéndez Crispín, María José Fernández, Arturo Garcia Álvarez, Mª Felicitas Lopez Cima.
Parc Salut Mar - Barcelona: Miquel Porta, Paloma Quesada.
Hospital Universitario San Cecilio - Granada: Nicolás Olea, Marieta Fernández.
Hospital Ramón y Cajal - Madrid: Rosa del Campo, Rafael Cantón, Beatriz Romero, Mario Rodríguez, Fernando Baquero.
Universidad de Granada: José Juan Jiménez Moleón, Aurora Bueno, Rocío Olmedo Requena, María del Carmen Olvera Porcel, María Fernández Prada, Paloma García Martín, Sergio Merino Salas.
Centro Superior de Investigación en Salud Pública (CSISP) - Valencia: Rosana Peiró, Juan Clofent, Jorge Aparicio, Ana Santaballa, Mercedes Andres, David Ramos, Jose Vicente Solanas, Monica Ripoll, Vicent Villanueva, Alicia Márquez y Dolores Salas.

Groups from other institutions:

Escuela Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud - Universidad de León: Vicente Martín Sánchez, Antonio José Molina, Tania Fernández.
Universidad de Huelva: Juan Alguacil, Javier Caballero, Rocío Capelo Álvarez, Ana María Jiménez, Amara García, Macarena Prieto, Encarnación Marín, Jessica Félix, Laura Davis, Ángela Zumel, Rosa Galisteo Garrido, Susana Domínguez Pérez, Marian Díaz Santos, Esperanza Ramos Sánchez, Nela de la Corte Sánchez
Universidad de Cantabria: Javier Llorca, Inés Gómez Acebo, Trinidad Dierssen Sotos, Pilar González Echezarreta, Paula Picón, Almudena de la Pedraja Pavón
Centro Nacional Sanidad Ambiental - Madrid: Argelia Castaño, Jose Antonio Jiménez Guerrero
Sistema de Información Nacional de Agua de Consumo (SINAC) - Madrid: Margarita Palau