Aetiological Epidemiology Unit

Team Leader: Professor Anthony Swerdlow

Location: Sir Richard Doll Building, Sutton

Section: Section of Epidemiology

The Aetiological Epidemiology Team work on a range of issues where epidemiological methods can help to understand the causes of cancer. Several studies are investigating the aetiology of specific malignancies and several investigating the long-term risks of cancer in people who have had particular diseases and/or received potentially carcinogenic treatments. The studies include case-control studies and several large cohort studies. A major focus of investigation, in collaboration with geneticists in The Institute, is the investigation of the joint effects of genetic and environmental factors. This work exploits opportunities at the interface between the new molecular genetics and epidemiology to find out how causal behaviours and exposures may affect cancer risks in people differently according to their inherited predispositions.