The French E3N Prospective Cohort Study

NCT03285230 | Unknown DMC

• 1 other identifier: C 95-01
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 100,000
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The French E3N cohort was initiated in 1990 to investigate the risk factors associated with cancer and other major non-communicable diseases in women. The participants were insured through a national health system that primarily covered teachers, and were enrolled from 1990 after returning baseline self-administered questionnaires and providing informed consent. The cohort comprised nearly 100 000 women with baseline ages ranging from 40 to 65 years. Follow-up questionnaires were sent approximately every 2-3 years after the baseline and addressed general and lifestyle characteristics together with medical events (cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression, fractures and asthma, among others). The follow-up questionnaire response rate remained stable at approximately 80%. A biological material bank was generated and included blood samples collected from 25 000 women and saliva samples from an additional 47 000 women. Ageing among the E3N cohort provided the opportunity to investigate factors related to agerelated diseases and conditions as well as disease survival.

Conditions

Breast Cancer; Colo-rectal Cancer; Parkinson Disease; Asthma; Diabetes; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Melanoma; Endometriosis; Thyroid Cancer; Hypertension; Endometrial Cancer; Crohn Disease; Depression; Cardiovascular Diseases

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (17)

• Anthropometric measurements

  Height, weight, hip circumference and waist circumference

  From 1990 until now

• Educational level

  1990

• Professional activity

  Insee categories

  1992 and 2005

• Age at cessation of activity

  From 2005 until now

• Menstrual factors

  Age at menarche, length of menstrual cycle

  From 1990 to 2002

• Reproductive history

  Number of pregnancies, age at each pregnancy, durations and outcomes of pregnancies, breastfeeding, infertility

  From 1990 to 1992

• Menopause

  Age, type

  1990, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2005

• Hormonal Treatments

  Menopausal Hormonal Treatments (MHT), oral contraceptives

  From 1992 to 2008

• Tobacco consumption

  Type, quantity, time of smoking

  From 1990 until now

• Alcohol consumption

  Type of alcohol, quantity

  1993, 1997, 2005

• Physical activity

  Moderate and intense activity, sedentarity

  1990,1997,2002, 2005, 2014

• Diet questionnaire

  Precise annual diet questionnaire

  1993 and 2002

• Family history of diseases

  Cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases

  1990 to 2005

• Medication use

  linked with the drug reimbursement files from the health insurance

  From 1990 until now

• Medical and surgical history

  From 1990 until now

• Mental Health

  Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) and Depression

  From 1990 until now

• Health outcomes

  From 1990 until now

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 40 Years+
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The cohort comprised nearly 100 000 women with baseline ages ranging from 40 to 65 years, all insured through a French national health system (MGEN).

You may qualify if:

• only women
• born between 1925 and 1950
• insured by the Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale (MGEN)

You may not qualify if:

• \- men

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France: lead
• Université Paris-Sud: collaborator
• Gustave Roussy, Cancer Campus, Grand Paris: collaborator
• Ligue contre le cancer, France: collaborator

Related Publications (13)

• Clavel-Chapelon F; E3N Study Group. Cohort Profile: The French E3N Cohort Study. Int J Epidemiol. 2015 Jun;44(3):801-9. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyu184. Epub 2014 Sep 10.

  PMID: 25212479 BACKGROUND

• Dusser P, Nguyen Y, Perrin C, Frenoy P, Mariette X, Boutron-Ruault MC, Varraso R, Severi G, Salliot C, Seror R. Early-life animal and farming exposures and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis: findings from the E3N French cohort study. RMD Open. 2025 Dec 7;11(4):e005954. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2025-005954.

  PMID: 41360603 DERIVED

• Auguste A, Jansana A, Freisling H, Ferrari P, Laouali N, Severi G, Kvaskoff M. Impact of Hypertension on Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Among French Women: The E3N Prospective Cohort. Cancer Med. 2025 Aug;14(15):e71021. doi: 10.1002/cam4.71021.

  PMID: 40719276 DERIVED

• Klu YE, Amazouz H, Canonico M, Guenel P, Kvaskoff M, Severi G, Radoi L, Auguste A. Association Between Hormonal Factors and Risk of Lung and Upper Aerodigestive Tract Cancer in French Women: The E3N Prospective Cohort Study. Cancer Rep (Hoboken). 2025 Jun;8(6):e70223. doi: 10.1002/cnr2.70223.

  PMID: 40490966 DERIVED

• Koemel NA, Shah S, Senior AM, Severi G, Mancini FR, Gill TP, Simpson SJ, Raubenheimer D, Boutron-Ruault MC, Laouali N, Skilton MR. Macronutrient composition of plant-based diets and breast cancer risk: the E3N prospective cohort study. Eur J Nutr. 2024 Aug;63(5):1771-1781. doi: 10.1007/s00394-024-03379-x. Epub 2024 Apr 18.

  PMID: 38635026 DERIVED

• Shah S, Mahamat-Saleh Y, Ait-Hadad W, Koemel NA, Varraso R, Boutron-Ruault MC, Laouali N. Long-term adherence to healthful and unhealthful plant-based diets and breast cancer risk overall and by hormone receptor and histologic subtypes among postmenopausal females. Am J Clin Nutr. 2023 Mar;117(3):467-476. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2022.11.019.

  PMID: 36872016 DERIVED

• Shah S, Mahamat-Saleh Y, Hajji-Louati M, Correia E, Oulhote Y, Boutron-Ruault MC, Laouali N. Palaeolithic diet score and risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women overall and by hormone receptor and histologic subtypes. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2023 May;77(5):596-602. doi: 10.1038/s41430-023-01267-x. Epub 2023 Feb 1.

  PMID: 36726032 DERIVED

• Frenoy P, Perduca V, Cano-Sancho G, Antignac JP, Severi G, Mancini FR. Application of two statistical approaches (Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression and Principal Component Regression) to assess breast cancer risk in association to exposure to mixtures of brominated flame retardants and per- and polyfluorinated alkylated substances in the E3N cohort. Environ Health. 2022 Feb 26;21(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s12940-022-00840-4.

  PMID: 35216589 DERIVED

• Madika AL, MacDonald CJ, Gelot A, Hitier S, Mounier-Vehier C, Beraud G, Kvaskoff M, Boutron-Ruault MC, Bonnet F. Hysterectomy, non-malignant gynecological diseases, and the risk of incident hypertension: The E3N prospective cohort. Maturitas. 2021 Aug;150:22-29. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2021.06.001. Epub 2021 Jun 12.

  PMID: 34274072 DERIVED

• Laouali N, Shah S, MacDonald CJ, Mahamat-Saleh Y, El Fatouhi D, Mancini F, Fagherazzi G, Boutron-Ruault MC. BMI in the Associations of Plant-Based Diets with Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension Risks in Women: The E3N Prospective Cohort Study. J Nutr. 2021 Sep 4;151(9):2731-2740. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab158.

  PMID: 34236437 DERIVED

• Cairat M, Al Rahmoun M, Gunter MJ, Severi G, Dossus L, Fournier A. Antiplatelet Drug Use and Breast Cancer Risk in a Prospective Cohort of Postmenopausal Women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2021 Apr;30(4):643-652. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-20-1292. Epub 2021 Feb 2.

  PMID: 33531438 DERIVED

• Azevedo Da Silva M, Fournier A, Boutron-Ruault MC, Balkau B, Bonnet F, Nabi H, Fagherazzi G. Increased risk of type 2 diabetes in antidepressant users: evidence from a 6-year longitudinal study in the E3N cohort. Diabet Med. 2020 Nov;37(11):1866-1873. doi: 10.1111/dme.14345. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

  PMID: 32542873 DERIVED

• Mahamat-Saleh Y, Cervenka I, Al Rahmoun M, Savoye I, Mancini FR, Trichopoulou A, Boutron-Ruault MC, Kvaskoff M. Mediterranean dietary pattern and skin cancer risk: A prospective cohort study in French women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019 Oct 1;110(4):993-1002. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz173.

  PMID: 31380561 DERIVED

Related Links

• website of the study

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITH DNA

25000 blood samples; 47000 saliva samples

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Breast Neoplasms; Colonic Neoplasms; Parkinson Disease; Asthma; Diabetes Mellitus; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Melanoma; Endometriosis; Thyroid Neoplasms; Hypertension; Endometrial Neoplasms; Crohn Disease; Depression; Cardiovascular Diseases

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Breast Diseases; Skin Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Colorectal Neoplasms; Intestinal Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Colonic Diseases; Intestinal Diseases; Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Bronchial Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Hypersensitivity; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Hypersensitivity; Immune System Diseases; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases; Gastroenteritis; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Neuroectodermal Tumors; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue; Nevi and Melanomas; Skin Neoplasms; Genital Diseases, Female; Female Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases; Genital Diseases; Endocrine Gland Neoplasms; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Thyroid Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Uterine Neoplasms; Genital Neoplasms, Female; Urogenital Neoplasms; Uterine Diseases; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Gianluca Severi, PhD

  INSERM (Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale)

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault, PhD

  INSERM (Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale)

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 27, 2017
• First Posted: September 15, 2017
• Study Start: June 15, 1990
• Primary Completion: November 15, 1991
• Study Completion: December 15, 2025
• Last Updated: September 19, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-09