What Is the Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3)?

As a prospective cohort study, CPS-3 follows the same group of participants for many years. With 300,000 participants from all over the US, the CPS-3 cohort is geographically and racially/ethnically diverse.

What Do We Collect?

We collect Lifestyle, Behavioral, Health, and Environmental data from surveys. Participants receive follow-up surveys every 3 years for the next 20+ years that are distributed online and by mail and offered in English and Spanish.

Why Do We Send Follow-Up Surveys?

• To collect updated information so we can observe how changes over time affect health outcomes, like a cancer diagnoses or death (from cancer or other diseases).
• To ask new, relevant, and contemporary questions on topics like e-cigarettes, marijuana, health disparities, and cancer survivorship.

Biospecimens

Blood Samples

• Provided by 99% of participants at enrollment
• Used to investigate genetic, epigenetic, and metabolomic markers associated with cancer risk and examine interactions with various lifestyle and environmental exposures.

Tumor Tissue Samples

• Collected from medical providers with the consent of participants who develop certain types of cancer
• Used to explore genetic and molecular tumor sub-types and their association with cancer risk, prognosis, and survival

Biometric Data

Objectively measured using a variety of tools and devices, we use biometric data to validate or supplement participant-reported information.

Physical Activity and Sedentary Time

Data is collected from activity monitors worn by up to 20,000 CPS-3 participants, making this study the largest of its kind in the United States

Waist Circumference

Additional Participant Information

By securely linking participant information with state and national data sources, we have the capability of identifying additional data to advance our research.

This data includes cancer diagnoses from state cancer registries and mortality and cause of death from the National Death Index.

Through a secure participant portal, we are continuing to explore and add more types of data collection tools. All data are stored securely to safeguard privacy.

How We Validate Our Data

We compared self-reported physical activity and diet information with objective measures from activity trackers, blood and urine in 1,500 participants.