Brussels, 07 Jun 2005

A new Network of Excellence was launched at the end of May to assess the cancer risks associated with environmental and nutritional factors, as well as individual susceptibility. The network will be known as ECNIS (environmental cancer, nutrition and individual susceptibility).

Despite considerable progress in diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the number of deaths caused by the disease continues to increase worldwide. For example, cancer rates in children in Europe have increased by almost one per cent every year since the 1970s.

A number of factors have been blamed for this increase, including smoking, diet sunbathing and alcohol. More difficult to avoid are environmental factors, in terms of occupation and lifestyle, which most believe to be responsible for the vast majority of human cancers.

Research suggests that the risk resulting from exposure to carcinogens varies substantially according to the age at which a person is exposed. Exposure at early life stages, including during the prenatal stage, is suspected of contributing to the risk. But evidence suggests that the genetic variation inherent in humans significantly modifies individual reactions to carcinogenic exposures.

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ECNIS will establish an internationally competitive network of European research centres. It will bring together 24 institutions, including three small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), representing over 100 established researchers and a number of students.

The aim is to overcome the current fragmentation of activities and to enhance the quality and relevance of research on environment, nutrition and cancer risk as modulated by diet and genetic disposition. The participants in the network come from a variety of backgrounds, including epidemiology, chemical analysis, genetics, molecular biology, nutrition, exposure assessment, risk assessment, and analytical techniques.

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ECNIS will not only conduct research, but will also provide support and advice to regulators, industry and the general public.

For further information, please visit:

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