Re-contacting participants for inclusion in the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP): Findings from three case-control studies of lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Since January 2008, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has required that all investigators who receive NIH support submit de-identified high-throughput genomic data to the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP). The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of re-consenting participants from three inactive studies, conducted from 2000 through 2009, to submit their data to dbGaP. METHODS: Participants were those enrolled in one of three prior population-based case-control studies of lung cancer who had given a DNA sample. Consent to release de-identified data to dbGaP took place via mailed forms and follow-up phone calls. Chi-squared tests were used to examine differences in re-contact and consent proportions between groups. RESULTS: A total of 2,471 participants were initially eligible for re-contact. Six hundred and thirty-eight participants were found to be deceased (n = 627) or did not give permission to re-contact (n = 11). Of the 1,833 remaining participants, 42.3% provided written consent, 37.0% could not be located, 13.7% verbally agreed to have their data released but never returned written consent, 5.3% refused, and 1.6% were too ill at the time of contact. There were significant differences in ability to locate participants by age, race, gender, and case-control status; however, once located, there were no differences in re-consent rates. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that while most previous study participants agreed to release data, a small proportion are opposed to submitting their data to dbGaP. In addition, it demonstrates the difficulty studies based on existing samples may have in locating inactive participants for re-consent.