Research Background:
Cancer-including breast, lung, colorectal, prostate, and hematological malignancies-remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. These diseases share overlapping biological mechanisms such as genomic instability, epigenetic dysregulation, chronic inflammation, metabolic reprogramming, and immune evasion. Genetic susceptibility, molecular perturbations, environmental exposures, and behavioral factors (e.g., diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, sleep) all influence cancer initiation, progression, and prognosis. Distinct subtypes of cancer (e.g., hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer, EGFR-driven lung cancer) exhibit unique yet intersecting pathways, particularly in the context of aging, endocrine regulation, and immune surveillance.
Aims and Objectives:
1.Identify genetic variants and multi-omics biomarkers associated with cancer onset, progression, and survival outcomes.
2.Integrate genomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and imaging data to uncover key biological pathways and population-level heterogeneity.
3.Evaluate the causal impact of modifiable lifestyle and environmental factors.
4.Investigate multimorbidity patterns and shared molecular mechanisms linking cancer with other chronic conditions.
Scientific Rationale:
Cancer interacts biologically and clinically with systemic health-e.g., metabolic dysfunction and obesity drive tumorigenesis, while cardiovascular and cognitive issues are common in survivors. Benign/premalignant conditions share hormonal and inflammatory pathways with cancer. UK Biobank’s rich multi-omics, imaging, biomarker, lifestyle, environmental, and longitudinal data enable integrated analyses to build predictive models, pinpoint modifiable pathways, and validate causal links-advancing early risk stratification, personalized prevention, and integrated cancer control for better population health.
