The MEC study examines diet and lifestyle risk factors of five different ethnic groups in order to identify why they have different risks of developing cancer. The cohort will be followed over time for the incidence of cancer, as well as other chronic diseases.

The study is being conducted by University of Hawaiʻi (UH) Cancer Center in collaboration with University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine.  Dr. Loic Le Marchand and Dr. Lynne Wilkens are the principal investigators at UH and Dr. Christopher Haiman is the principal investigator at USC.

The study is funded by National Cancer Institute (NCI), a federal agency that is responsible for most of the nation's cancer research programs. NCI is an institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

We wanted to reach most adults living in the two areas where the study was being conducted. Since most adults have a driver's license, Driver's License files were the main source used to recruit participants residing in the state of Hawaiʻi and the L.A. metropolitan area of California. People who were between the age of 45 and 75 in 1993 and who were thought to belong to the five different ethnic groups we were funded to study (Caucasians, Japanese, Native Hawaiians, African Americans and Latinos) were selected.

Yes, as long as you were a resident of Hawaiʻi or California when you entered the study between 1993 and 1996, you will always remain a study member. However, no new participants are being recruited now that the original cohort has been established.

Every 5-10 years, we re-contact participants. We have already mailed out four questionnaires in addition to the very first (baseline) questionnaire to get updated information on diets and other information such as vitamin usage, medication history and physical activity. It is necessary to have updated information from our participants in order to continue our important research.

The Multiethnic Bulletin, an annual fall newsletter, is mailed to all of our participants to keep them informed of the study's activities and findings.

You are a very important member of the original cohort who started this study. Each and every member of this valuable group's input is needed. We cannot ask anyone else to take your place; only the original group of people who started the study can help us.

These specimens can be used for many kinds of research. Primarily, they complement the dietary information from the questionnaires by enabling us to examine the relation of dietary components measured in blood and urine to the risk of cancer. They are also used to study the interaction between genetic susceptibility (an inherited tendency to react more strongly to particular exposures) and diet in relation to the causation of cancer. The ultimate goal is to identify ways to prevent cancer.

You are still a participant in the study even if you refuse to provide a blood or urine specimen. Completing our questionnaires is a major contribution itself.

We hope it is gratifying to know that your contribution to our research will benefit people now and in the future by bringing us closer to understanding the causes and means for prevention of cancer.

You will receive the Multiethnic Bulletin every year which is a newsletter for study participants. We will bring you up to date on the study's activities and research findings. You may also take a look at papers written by our investigators on our Publications page.

Information learned from the research that could be of possible medical benefit will be provided to you through our annual newsletter, the Multiethnic Bulletin. We will generally not be releasing the results of any individual research tests to participants as they are not confirmed measures of health, such as you receive from your doctor.