The Cancer Genetics Network: recruitment results and pilot studies.
OBJECTIVE
The National Cancer Institute established the Cancer Genetics Network (CGN) to support collaborative investigations into the genetic basis of cancer susceptibility, explore mechanisms to integrate this new knowledge into medical practice, and identify ways of addressing the associated psychosocial, ethical, legal, and public health issues.


METHODS
The CGN has developed the complex infrastructure required to support the projects, including the establishment of guidelines and policies, uniform methods, standard questionnaires to be used by all of the centers, and a standard format for submission of data to the Informatics Center. Cancer patients and their family members have been invited to enroll and be included in a pool of potential study participants. The Information Technology Group is responsible for support of the design, implementation, and maintenance of the multicenter Network-wide research protocols.


RESULTS
As of January 2004, the CGN contained data on 23,995 probands (participants) and 425,798 family members. As a resource for cancer genetic studies, the CGN has a large number of probands and first-degree relatives with and without cancer and with multiple ethnicities. Different study designs can be used including case-control, case-case, and family studies.


CONCLUSIONS
The unique resources of the CGN are available for studies on cancer genetic susceptibility, translational research, and behavioral research. The CGN is now at a point where approved collaborators may have access to enrolled patients and their families for special studies, as well as to the clinical, environmental and family cancer history data banked in the Informatics Center.
Anton-Culver
Hoda
H
Epidemiology Division, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, 92697-7550, USA. hantoncu@uci.edu
Ziogas
Argyrios
A
Bowen
Deborah
D
Finkelstein
Dianne
D
Griffin
Constance
C
Hanson
James
J
Isaacs
Claudine
C
Kasten-Sportes
Carol
C
Mineau
Geraldine
G
Nadkarni
Prakash
P
Rimer
Barbara
B
Schildkraut
Joellen
J
Strong
Louise
L
Weber
Barbara
B
Winn
Deborah
D
Hiatt
Robert
R
Nayfield
Susan
S
D005260:Female; D033142:Genetic Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006078:Government Programs / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014481:United States