Golestan Case-Control Study (GCCS)

This study was conducted to evaluate environmental and genetic risk factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Golestan Province, Iran. Atrak Clinic, a referral clinic for upper gastrointestinal diseases, was established in Golestan Province by physicians from the Digestive Diseases Research Institute of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and this Clinic serves as the field center for this study. All patients referred to the Clinic routinely undergo upper endoscopy and biopsy for evaluation and diagnosis. Patients who have histologically confirmed ESCC and consent to join the study have been enrolled as cases. Two control groups have also been enrolled in this study, one selected from the neighborhoods of case subjects (primary controls) and one from the patients referred to Atrak Clinic who do not have cancer (secondary controls). Both the cases and the controls were interviewed and underwent collection of biological specimens including blood, hair and nails. After a 3 1/2 year accrual period (2003-2007) 300 cases, 571 neighborhood controls and 300 Atrak Clinic controls were successfully enrolled and are currently being analyzed.