Biospecimen Results Datasets
Many laboratory studies using PLCO biospecimens have been conducted and are continually ongoing through the EEMS program. For most of these studies, a set of cases was selected and matched to a comparable group of controls, but some studies consist exclusively of cases or controls. Their biospecimens were then assayed for various analyte measures. Once an investigator has published his or her findings, the results become part of the overall PLCO database and are available to other investigators for secondary research use.
Individual Studies
Please note, for each of these studies markers were measured independently using various platforms as referenced in their corresponding publications. The publications can be found by clicking on the study ID for each project. Please use caution when pooling data across different case-control studies.
For some such published studies, these lab results and corresponding population selection data can be found on this site and descriptions of their population, analyte measurements and publications can be found and requested here. This list will grow as additional studies are published and prepared for download.
For each dataset, a Data Dictionary that describes the data is publicly available. In order to obtain the actual data in SAS or CSV format, you must begin a data-only request. Data will be delivered once the project is approved and data transfer agreements are completed.
Multi-Study Packages
Additionally, a few sets of analytes from various studies have been grouped together and can be requested as a package.
Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS)
Every eligible PLCO participant has been genotyped using whole genome high-density genotyping arrays (e.g. Illumina GSA). These participants comprise PLCO's "Total GWAS Set." These genetic data may be requested through the database of the Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP) website. The GWAS explorer website is an interactive resource to obtain summary statistics of GWAS results for many cancer types and risk factors.
Other High-Throughput Studies
Some laboratory studies yielded a considerable amount of high through-put data. Examples of such studies include whole genome sequencing, exome sequencing, tumor sequencing, epigenome-wide association (EWAS), serum metabolomics and oral microbiome. The results from these studies are not currently available through CDAS, but the data are accessible through other sources. More information on how to access these datasets can be found here:
PLCO covariate data and study-specific linkage data can be requested by submitting a Data-Only project.