An Introduction to the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS)
Cancer is the leading cause of death among Americans aged 40-79. African-Americans experience higher rates of many types of cancer than other Americans for reasons that remain unknown. This is because the diseases disproportionately affecting minorities have been studied in populations that under-represent those minorities. These are important gaps in population-based cancer research, and Vanderbilt University, Meharry Medical College, and the International Epidemiology Institute have teamed up to fill these gaps.
The Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS), funded by the National Cancer Institute, will recruit about 60,000 African-American and 30,000 non-African-American residents of the southern United States in two different ways: in person at community health centers, and through a mailing to a random selection of southern residents. After completing an interview about health and lifestyle, and donating a blood, mouth cell, and/or urine sample, this group of 90,000 will be followed over time, hopefully for decades. Health outcomes will be monitored in two ways: through repeat surveys by phone and mail, and use of state cancer registries and the National Death Index to check the status of the study group.
The SCCS holds the promise of explaining disparities in common and rare cancers and, through the information gained, help in preventing cancer occurrence for all people. Risk factors for other common and serious diseases (e.g. heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension) will be studied as well. The differences in health outcomes in the South compared to the rest of the nation, and in urban versus rural areas, will also be investigated.
