National cohort study of cancer in twins v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
National cohort study of mortality and cancer incidence in twins of patients with cancer
IRAS ID
305075
Contact name
Michael Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Institute of Cancer Research
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
50 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study has already been running, with ethics and CAG approval, for 25 years. In order to transfer this study to a new Chief Investigator, with no other changes, we have been asked to complete this form, to produce IRAS registration needed for the transfer.
This is a long-term cohort study, following up on a large scale risks of cancer and of mortality in twins of people with cancer at young ages in England and Wales. It was set up in the 1990s based on matching records from the Office of Population Census and Surveys (now Office for National Statistics and Public Health England).
Twins studies have unique potential to investigate both genetic and environmental /behavioural and prenatal aspects of disease aetiology, as well as to provide data to test hypothesised models of carcinogenesis. Such studies have made only a small contribution to investigation of cancer aetiology, however, reflecting the great difficulty of identifying large enough numbers of twins with cancer for site-specific analyses. In England and Wales there is potential to conduct an exceptionally large study, based on a catchment population of >50 million and all births over many decades. We therefore inaugurated a national study of cancer in twins which has now been running for over 20 years and has contributed unique data on cancer risks in twins. The likely risks of cancer in close members of their family is a major concern for cancer patients.
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0237
Date of REC Opinion
6 Apr 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion