
International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium (I4C)
Synopsis
The International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium (I4C) is an innovative alliance that possibly provides the greatest opportunity for finding a preventable cause of childhood cancer. I4C aims to examine associations between environmental exposures and the incidence of childhood cancers by pooling prospective population data from one million pregnant mothers and their babies. Around the world, several large infant/child prospective studies have been launched to examine environmental and biological determinants of common diseases. However, the rarity of virtually all forms of childhood cancer prevent even large cohort studies from examining the possible relationship of common exposures with common types of childhood cancer due to inadequate sample size.
The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute has had a major role in the study concept and planning for I4C, and is functioning as the I4C International Data Coordinating Centre. Data are being pooled and analysed to examine environmental and genetic factors that differ between those children who get cancer and those who don’t. I4C brings together international multidisciplinary teams to collaborate on this investigation and currently spans five continents with research teams from 15 countries.
As of June 2016, the I4C International Data Coordinating Centre houses data on:
- 381,860 mothers and babies, including
- 671 cases of childhood cancer (198 leukaemia), from
- 6 cohorts contributing data to the pooled analysis
- ALSPAC
- CPP
- DNBC (10% sample)
- JPS
- MoBa (10% sample)
- TIHS
Summary
Study name | International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium |
Study abbreviation | I4C |
Current principal investigator/s |
|
Current project manager | Gabriella Tikellis |
Cohort representative (study contact) | Gabriella Tikellis |
Postal address | Gabriella Tikellis, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia |
gabriella.tikellis@mcri.edu.au | |
Primary Institution | The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI); The George Institute for Global Health |
Collaborating Institution/s | National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)), USA
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Denmark Statens Serum Institut, Denmark School of Public Health, Hadassah Medical Organization, Israel Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway Centre for Child and Adolescent Health School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, UK International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Spain China CDC, China National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan |
Major funding sources |
National Children’s Study National Institutes of Health (NIH) (National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)) Children’s Cancer Foundation International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Rotary Club of North Brighton Tour de Cure Philanthropic donations to Murdoch Childrens Research Institute |
Study website | https://www.mcri.edu.au/research/projects/international-childhood-cancer-cohort-consortium-i4c |
Key reference | Brown, R.C., Dwyer, T., Kasten, C., Krotoski, D., Li, Z., Linet, M.S., Olsen, J., Scheidt, P. and Winn, D.M.; International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium (I4C). (2007). Cohort profile: the International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium (I4C). International Journal of Epidemiology 36(4): 724-30 |
Are data available outside study team? | Yes, contact Gabriella Tikellis for enquiries |
Study focus | To examine associations between environmental exposures and the incidence of childhood cancers by pooling prospective population data from one million pregnant mothers and their babies |
Sampling frame | Large population-based longitudinal birth cohorts of greater than 2000 participants with environmental measures in domains of interest for childhood cancers and the possibility of following children for childhood cancer. |
Year commenced | September 2005 for I4C, with individual cohort recruitment dates |
Commencement sample | As of June 2016: 380,000 mother and child pairs |
Intergenerational? | NA |
Imaging | NA |
Linkage | DNBC, MoBA and ALSPAC cohorts have data linkage |
Biosamples? | Yes, available in some studies: cord blood, newborn screening (Guthrie) cards, saliva, venous blood |
Waves
Wave | Year | Age (mean, range) | Eligible sample |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Varied between individual studies |