Cancer research at the division Julius Center has a strong focus on the aetiology and early diagnosis (screening) of hormone dependant cancer, predominantly in women. With approximately 30,000 new cases a year in Dutch women, cancer is a serious health threat. In 2008 for the first time cancer death was the most important cause of death. Cancers occur at many sites, each with different risk profiles. Although over the past decades many risk (and preventive) factors were identified still known causes of cancer explain barely 30% of all cases encountered. An explanation for this rather low percentage may be sought in the fact that environmental and hormonal factors are predominantly studied without consideration to genetic predisposition. Genome Wide Association Studies (GWA-Studies) in 2007 and 2008 have identified several new susceptibility genes, each conferring only a slight increase in cancer risk. Cancer etiological research within the division Julius Center strongly focuses on the interaction between genes, hormones and lifestyle habits in relation to cancer occurrence. For the study of genetic determinants or gene-environmental interactions, the Julius Center has access to biological material originating from two large-scale on-going population-based cohorts, DOM and EPIC-NL, which is a merger of the two Dutch cohorts (Prospect-EPIC and Morgen-EPIC) participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). more...

Cancer research at the Julius Center is centered around five topics: 
• Aetiology of breast cancer
• Screening and (early) diagnosis of breast cancer
• Rehabilitation in breast cancer patients

Research co-ordinator: Prof. P.H.M. Peeters, MD, PhD

to research database cancer epidemiology
to websites of research projects cancer epidemiology