Student research project
Supervisor(s): Associate Professor Erin Howden and Dr Kate Bolam
The focus of this project is to investigate the associations between lifestyle factors, such as cardiorespiratory fitness and obesity, and cancer incidence and mortality drawing upon data from an existing large database.
Project summary
The number of new cases of cancer is predicted to increase dramatically in the coming years. Therefore, it is vital that we turn our focus to identifying important factors that are associated with reducing a person’s risk of developing cancer. There is strong evidence that people with higher levels of physical activity are less likely to develop certain cancers, however fewer studies have investigated the role of cardiorespiratory fitness in reducing cancer risk. Additionally, we as yet, don’t know the how a person’s body mass index can influence these relationships between fitness and cancer risk. The findings of such studies have the potential to drive important shifts in our understanding of how lifestyle can reduce cancer risk. Current evidence often combines data from different cancer type together, however analysing the data for each specific cancer type allows for more targeted recommendations, which are more likely to create impact.
The aim of this project is to investigate the relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness and cancer incidence (being diagnosed with cancer) and cancer mortality (dying from the cancer). Additionally, we will examine which other important health factors, such as body mass index or waist circumference, influence these relationships. The data for this project has already been collected by the UK Biobank, and while the main focus of the project has been decided, there is room for the student to adapt the research question to align best with their interests. We encourage the student to get in touch with us to discuss the study, potential project ideas, and how we can best work together. This study will be an international collaboration.
This project is suitable for a PhD student and will involve the application of epidemiology techniques.