The multiethnic cohort study: Exploring genes, lifestyle and cancer risk

The search for the causes of cancer and means of cancer prevention has entered a new era as recent developments allow correlation of environmental and behavioural exposures, genetic variation and patient outcomes. The Multiethnic Cohort Study was designed to take advantage of these advances to prospectively explore the roles of lifestyle and genetic susceptibility in the occurrence of cancer. The ethnic diversity of the cohort in this study provides a wide range of dietary exposures and genetic variation, thereby providing a unique dimension to this research.