Human epidemiological and disease studies, and animal model analyses have shown the relevance of proper immune system function in preventing cancer development. For example, immunosuppressed individuals have increased risk of suffering for cancer. However, it remains unclear if a systemic decrease or relative low counts of blood immune cells are associated with cancer initiation. In addition, it is not fully understood if inherited genetics influence both of these features, and how to define a “immune dysfunction” score that could be useful for disease prevention. To answer these fundamental questions, we request personal, life-style, genetic, clinical and haematology data from UK Biobank participants diagnosed of breast, colorectal, lung or prostate cancer, and of healthy control individuals. The study aims to determine if a newly defined immune system dysfunction measure is associated with aging and increased cancer risk. The results of this study may have important implications for cancer prevention and risk estimation.
