Colorectal Cancer Study of Austria (CORSA): A Population-Based Multicenter Study

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The Colorectal cancer Study of Austria (CORSA), an ongoing multicenter prospective case‒control study, was initiated to discover prognostic as well as diagnostic biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) risk prediction mainly based on OMICS research, such as genomics, metabolomics, and metagenomics centered at the Institute of Cancer Research at the Medical University of Vienna; recruitment for CORSA started in 2003. Until now, we have generated genomics data, untargeted and targeted metabolomics data, folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism data, and leukocyte telomere length data using the CORSA biobank. The generated data, the collection of biological samples (genomic DNA, plasma, fecal samples) and the comprehensive CORSA database represents a valuable resource for ongoing and future national and international cooperation projects on CRC research. ABSTRACT: The Colorectal cancer Study of Austria (CORSA) is comprised more than 13,500 newly diagnosed colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, patients with high- and low-risk adenomas as well as population-based controls. The recruitment for the CORSA biobank is performed in close cooperation with the invited two-stage CRC screening project “Burgenland PREvention trial of colorectal Disease with ImmunologiCal Testing” (B-PREDICT). Annually, more than 150,000 inhabitants of the Austrian federal state Burgenland aged between 40 and 80 are invited to participate using FIT-tests as an initial screening. FIT-positive tested participants are offered a diagnostic colonoscopy and are asked to take part in CORSA, sign a written informed consent, complete questionnaires concerning dietary and lifestyle habits and provide an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) blood sample as well as a stool sample. Additional CRC cases have been recruited at four hospitals in Vienna and a hospital in lower Austria. A major strength of CORSA is the population-based controls who are FIT-positive and colonoscopy-confirmed to be free of polyps and/or CRC.