The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Europe) is a long-term, large-scale collaborative project that studies different populations from countries across Europe to investigate the relationships between diet, nutrition, lifestyle, and environmental factors, and the incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases. It is one of the largest cohort studies in the world, with more than half a million participants recruited across 10 countries in western Europe. EPIC-Europe was launched in the 1990s and has been going on for more than 30 years.
EPIC-Europe is a prospective study, in which data are collected at recruitment, before participants develop disease. This information, combined with follow-up over the years, enables researchers to gain unique insights into why some participants become ill and others do not. EPIC-Europe provides a unique look at how cancers at different anatomical sites can develop and how they may be identified earlier, when the chances of longer-term survival and potentially curative treatments are likely to be highest.
The evidence produced by the EPIC-Europe study equips governments and public health officials with the knowledge they need to implement actions geared toward the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases. Findings are made widely available to the public, providing vital information about healthy dietary and lifestyle modifications that people can make in their daily habits to prevent cancer and other diseases.