Study Description

Study aims

The WA Bowel Cancer Study (WABOHS) aims to identify the environmental and genetic risk factors for colorectal cancer that correspond to different sections of the colon and rectum.

Who is carrying out the study?

This is a statewide research project being carried out in Western Australia, by researchers at The University of Western Australia.

Who is funding the study?

The study is funded by The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The NHMRC is a national government organisation that provides funding for health and medical research and advice on all health aspects and health care delivery in Australia. 

Who will be involved in the study?

The study will be involving 2000 participants between the ages of 40-79 years, from across Western Australia between June 2005 and December 2007.

There will be two groups of people that we will be collecting information from:

• Case group: 1000 participants with bowel cancer
  
• Comparison group: 1000 participants without bowel cancer

What type of information will we be looking at?

The study will be collecting information from 1000 people with colorectal cancer and 1000 people without colorectal cancer.

This information collected will be used to compare various risk factors such as:
    •    Diet
    •    Lifestyle
    •    Occupation
    •    Genetics 

We expect to find that some factors are more common in people with cancer in the upper parts of the bowel, while other factors are more common in people with cancer in the lower parts of the bowel.

This kind of information can be used to clarify surrounding risk factors and design programs to prevent bowel cancer in the future.

How will the information be collected?

All study participants will be sent the following:

1.   A questionnaire (in 3 parts) that asks about their:
          •    Lifestyle
          •    Diet
          •    Meat Intake (Please Note: As of 28/02/07 we no longer send out the Meat Intake section)

2.   A cheek swab kit (otherwise known as a FTA Kit)

Participants will be asked to collect a tiny sample of cells from inside their mouth by twirling a soft swab on the inside of each cheek and pressing the swab firmly onto the cheek swab card (FTA card). Taking cheek samples is completely painless and has no side effects.

In order for us collect the information, it is very important that once participants have completed the questionnaires and their cheek swab card (FTA card), that they send all items back to us in the reply-paid envelope.

What will the information be used for?

Once the information from the questionnaires and cheek swab cards has been analysed, the overall results will be used to provide:

1.   Information to clinicians, so that they can give advice to patients; and

2.   Information to health professionals involved in cancer prevention programs, so they can prevent more people developing cancer of the bowel

In addition, a summary report of the overall results will be available (on request) to all interested participants.