Epidemiology Cohorts in Shanghai and Singapore

Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS)
Shanghai Cohort Study (SCS)

Etiologic and protective roles of environmental exposures and genetic factors, and their interaction in the development of cancers.

Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS) and Shanghai Cohort Study (SCS) are two population-based prospective cohort studies of more than 80,000 middle-aged men and women with available biospecimens collected at baseline and under surveillance for more than 25 years.

Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS)

The Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS) is a population-based prospective epidemiology cohort study in late 1990’s. Approximately 63,000 middle-aged and older Chinese men and women living in Singapore were recruited into the study during 1993 through 1998.  The primary goal of this longitudinal cohort study is to elucidate the role of diet and its interaction with genetic and genomic factors in the causation of cancer and other chronic diseases. At recruitment, each study subject was interviewed in person by a trained interviewer using a structured questionnaire that emphasized current diet assessed via a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. In addition to survey data, blood and urine samples were collected from all consented subjects. This cohort has been followed for site-specific cancer incidence and cause-specific mortality. The resources of this study have been used for multiple projects that investigate and assess the role of dietary and other lifestyle factors, genetic and other biomarkers for the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. The SCHS, funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, is jointly conducted by scientists at University of Pittsburgh and National University of Singapore.

Scientific collaborations are welcome and encouraged (see information for Researchers)

Shanghai Cohort Study (SCS)

The Shanghai Cohort Study (SCS) is a residential cohort of 18,244 men in Shanghai, China, assembled during 1986-89 when subjects were between the ages of 45 and 64 years. In addition to survey data, blood and urine samples were collected from all study participants for research use. This was the first population-based prospective cohort of cancer epidemiology cohort with blood and urine samples in Asia. The study captured some of unique environmental exposures and traditional lifestyles that no longer exist in China after rapid economic development and lifestyle change took place beginning in early 1990’s. The primary goal of this study is to investigate the role of environmental and diet-related exposures quantified by biological markers in the causation of cancer. The study provided resources for the landmark study that provided first direct evidence in support of aflatoxin as human hepatocarcingen.  The Shanghai Cohort Study, funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, is jointly conducted by scientists at University of Pittsburgh and the Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China.

Scientific collaborations are welcome and encouraged (see information for Researchers)