Men's long-term cancer and lifestyle health program

Cancer Epidemiology Cohort in Male Health Professionals

NIH-funded research Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health · NIH-11140451

This program follows men over decades to understand how lifestyle, medications, and biological samples relate to cancer risk.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionHarvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Boston, United States)
Project IDNIH-11140451 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This effort tracks a large group of U.S. male health professionals with regular two-year updates on diet, exercise, smoking, weight, medications, and other factors. Many participants have provided biological samples including DNA, blood, stool, toenails, and tumor tissue for thousands of cancer cases. Follow-up is very high and includes links to medical records and mortality data to capture cancer diagnoses over time. If you were eligible, participation would typically involve questionnaires and possibly providing biospecimens to help identify modifiable risks and biomarkers.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are U.S. men, especially middle-aged or older adults, who can provide ongoing health information and, when requested, biological samples.

Not a fit: Women, much younger people, or anyone unwilling to provide long-term follow-up or biospecimens would not be eligible and likely would not benefit directly from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help prevent cancer or improve early detection by identifying modifiable risk factors and useful biomarkers.

How similar studies have performed: Other long-term cohorts, such as the Nurses' Health Study, have successfully linked lifestyle factors and biomarkers to cancer risk and generated many influential findings.

Where this research is happening

Boston, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.