This project aims to use the UK Biobank to conduct a comprehensive multi-omics analysis of the risk factors affecting cancer and cancer-related diseases. Which lifestyle, environmental, and socioeconomic determinants, as well as genetic factors, increase the risk of developing cancer and cancer-related diseases? And consequently, can reliable biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic intervention be discovered?
Cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cancer patients often bear a high burden of comorbid (multimorbid) conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cachexia, and mental health disorders. These comorbidities not only significantly reduce patients’ quality of life but also complicate clinical management and adversely affect patient survival prognosis. The development of cancer and its related comorbidities is a complex process driven by the intricate interplay between genetic susceptibility, molecular processes, modifiable lifestyle, environmental exposures, and socioeconomic factors. Therefore, there is an urgent need to utilize large-scale, prospective cohort resources with deep phenotyping and multi-omics data to multidimensionally investigate the complex determinants of the development and progression of cancer and its related diseases.
The UK Biobank, with its large-scale population cohort, multi-omics data, detailed lifestyle and environmental data, and long-term follow-up through linkage to health records, is uniquely positioned to support a comprehensive, pan-disease investigation of the determinants of cancer and related health outcomes. This project, through the joint analysis of multiple data types, will help explore the potential mechanisms underlying the development of cancer and its related diseases and is of great significance for improving the health of all humankind by exploring its pathogenic risk factors.