Continuation of DCPP (PLCO-286/PLCO-287)
Principal Investigator
Name
Stephanie Smith-Warner
Degrees
PhD
Institution
Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Position Title
Senior Lecturer
Email
swarner@hsph.harvard.edu
About this CDAS Project
Study
PLCO
(Learn more about this study)
Project ID
PLCO-2042
Initial CDAS Request Approval
Apr 27, 2026
Title
Continuation of DCPP (PLCO-286/PLCO-287)
Summary
This proposal focuses on evaluating the relationships between dietary, anthropometric, and other lifestyle factors and cancers of interest, cardiovascular disease, mortality, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer (DCPP). Exposure and covariate definitions will be standardized across studies in analyses. Evaluation of these associations has substantial public health significance. Identifying ways to prevent the occurrence of these outcomes through lifestyle factors such as diet represents an important public health strategy. The project only includes prospective studies because case-control studies (which have been commonly conducted to examine associations between lifestyle factors and risk of various diseases) are more susceptible to recall and selection bias than prospective cohort studies. The increased statistical power gained from combining data from the multiple cohort studies enables the examination of associations within population subgroups (such as older age groups, smokers, individuals with overweight/obesity, non-users of supplements) which may potentially identify high risk groups, across tumor subtypes (such as by stage and grade), across cause-specific mortality outcomes, as well as investigation of less common outcomes. These analyses should contribute to identifying lifestyle behaviors for preventing these diseases.
This proposal also focuses on evaluating the relationships between alcohol use and risk of cancer in the Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer (DCPP). The project only includes prospective studies because case-control studies (which have been commonly conducted to examine associations between lifestyle factors and risk of various diseases) are more susceptible to recall and selection bias than prospective cohort studies.
Aims
Alcohol and cancer project (PPAC)
1. To conduct a pooled analysis of 36 studies of the role of alcohol use and risk of cancer sites for which the evidence is suggestive or limited. Hypothesis: Alcohol consumption, even when moderate, is associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer (both advanced and localized) and pancreatic cancer, and with a lower risk of kidney and thyroid cancer, and NHL.
2. To evaluate the associations between alcohol consumption and cancers of the prostate, pancreas, kidney and UADT in non-smokers. Hypothesis: Alcohol consumption is weakly associated with the risk of these cancers, once the role of tobacco smoking has been removed.
3. To evaluate associations of lifetime alcohol use (assessed in 7 studies) with risk of advanced and localized prostate, pancreatic, kidney, and thyroid cancer, and NHL. Hypothesis: Alcohol use at different ages together with alcohol exposure throughout life are important drivers on the way alcohol affects the risk of specific cancers.
4. To evaluate specific patterns of alcohol use, including binge drinking (assessed in 11 studies), in relation to risk of advanced and localized prostate, pancreas, kidney, and thyroid cancer, and NHL. Hypothesis: Specific patterns of alcohol drinking involving excessive alcohol use, binge drinking, and type of alcoholic beverages are important determinants of the alcohol and cancer relationship.
This project is a continuation of the following studies previously approved in STARS:
• Glioma Cancer 2011-0252 https://biometry.nci.nih.gov/cdas/approved-projects/324/
• Breast Cancer 2009-0002 https://biometry.nci.nih.gov/cdas/approved-projects/247/
• Advanced Prostate Cancer 2008-048 https://biometry.nci.nih.gov/cdas/approved-projects/223/
• Pancreatic Cancer 2007-0019 https://biometry.nci.nih.gov/cdas/approved-projects/182/
• Colon Cancer EEMS Addendum 2007-00220 connected to https://biometry.nci.nih.gov/cdas/approved-projects/392/
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) 2011-0245 https://biometry.nci.nih.gov/cdas/approved-projects/318/
Other approved projects include:
• Meat and fat consumption and non Hodgkin lymphoma (the non Hodgkin lymphoma data were received as part of the alcohol and cancer)
• Lifestyle factors and mortality
• Meat substitution and cardiovascular disease
• Lifestyle factors and stomach cancer
• Lifestyle factors and bladder cancer
• Lifestyle factors and esophageal cancer (the esophageal cancer data were received for the alcohol and cancer project)
• Lifestyle factors and neuroendocrine tumors
• Population attributable fraction of breast, colorectal kidney, pancreatic, prostate, and upper aero digestive tract cancer. This project uses outcome data collected for the alcohol and cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer projects.
• The colon cancer project has been extended to include colorectal cancer.
The aims for some previously approved projects have been extended from the initial submission.
Collaborators
Stephanie Smith-Warner Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Sherry Yaun Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Tao Hou Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Anali Castellanos Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Emily Riseberg Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Yiyang Yue Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Alan Espinosa Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health