Family Study of Head and Neck Cancers in Taiwan

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare tumor among Caucasians which occurs with high incidence among individuals of Chinese descent. The disease is believed to have a multifactorial etiology with genetic, viral, and other environmental factors being involved. Little is known, however, about the genetic component of this disease.

We have recently completed subject recruitment for a case-control study of NPC in Taiwan. Using information obtained from the NPC cases recruited into this NCI-sponsored case-control study as well as from a parallel cross-sectional study conducted by our Taiwanese collaborators, we have been able to identify 120-150 families with multiple family members affected with NPC.

The purpose of the study described herein is to determine the role of inherited genetic factors in the etiology of NPC and to examine the effect of these genetic susceptibility factors on risk associated with environmental exposures.

Families will initially be contacted via the proband who previously participated in our case-control and cross-sectional studies. Subsequently, informative family members will be asked to visit the study clinic to participate in the study. A family history questionnaire will be administered to the proband from each of the families selected for study. In addition, a risk factor questionnaire will be administered to all participating family members, and 30-40 ml of blood and an oral sample will be obtained from each study participant. Additional study components include medical record review to verify the diagnosis of NPC, retrieval of tumor tissue blocks as a source of DNA for study, and clinical exams on a sample of unaffected individuals to exclude the possibility of prevalent, undetected disease among family members.

Oral and laryngeal cancer families will also be recruited in a manner similar to that described for NPC families, in an attempt to elucidate genetic factors linked to the development of these two cancers....

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Key information

Conditions

Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms DNA Virus Infections Epstein-Barr Virus Infections Head and Neck Neoplasms Herpesviridae Infections Herpesvirus 4, Human Infections Nasopharyngeal Diseases Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases Otorhinolaryngologic Neoplasms Pharyngeal Diseases Pharyngeal Neoplasms Stomatognathic Diseases Tumor Virus Infections Virus Diseases

Age range

18 year–99 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

National Taiwan University College of Medicine

Taipei, Taiwan, China

About this study

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare tumor among Caucasians that occurs with high incidence among individuals of Chinese descent. The disease is believed to have a multifactorial etiology with genetic, viral, and other environmental factors being involved. Little is known, however, about the genetic component of this disease.

We previously completed a case-control study of NPC in Taiwan. Using information obtained from the NPC cases recruited into this NCI-sponsored case-control study and parallel sources, we have been able to identify 250 families with multiple family members affected with NPC.

Families will initially be contacted via an affected proband. Subsequently, informative family members will be asked to visit the study clinic to participate in the study. A family history questionnaire will be administered to the proband and other affected family members from each of the families selected for study. In addition, a risk factor questionnaire will be administered to all participating family members, and 30-40 ml of blood and an oral sample will be obtained from each study participant. Additional study components include medical record review to verify the diagnosis of NPC, retrieval of tumor tissue blocks as a source of DNA for study, and clinical exams on a sample of unaffected individuals to exclude the possibility of prevalent, undetected disease among family members.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

Subjects with head and neck cancer who are participants in the case-control study of NPC or the parallel studies of head and neck cancers conducted by the Taiwanese.

Subjects who report one or more first degree family members affected with NPC, oral cancer, or laryngeal cancer.

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Time frame: Ongoing

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Nih

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 1995
Primary completion: 2020
Study completion: 2020
First posted: Jun 21, 2006
Registry last updated: Dec 11, 2020

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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