Cohort of Swedish Men Subcohorts
A health examination of a set of men in COSM living in Västerås was conducted between 2010 and 2019 at a research clinic. Participants with urological cancers have been sampled at the urological clinic at the hospital in Örebro since 2014.
Cohort of Swedish Men Clinical Västerås (COSMC Västerås)
Sampling of a subset of men in COSM started in 2010, forming the Cohort of Swedish Men Clinical Västerås (COSMC Västerås). To begin with, men who were over the age of 75 and living in Västerås received an invitation to participate in a validated cognitive phone interview. The invitation also included a food frequency questionnaire and a 1-day food diary to fill out. If they participated in the cognitive phone interview, they were invited to participate in a health examination and fill out the food questionnaire and food diary. Participation in the cognitive phone interview was over 83 %. The health examination included the same data collection as in the female subcohort Uppsala (weight, height, waist, hip, and blood-pressure measurements), except with body composition measurement using a bio-electrical impedance scale instead of a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. Samples of fasting blood, urine, and adipose tissue were also collected at the health exam.
When all men over the age of 75 had been invited, additional men in COSM living in Västerås County were invited, starting with the earliest birth year. Besides an invitation to participate in a health examination, the letter also included diet, health and lifestyle questionnaires and
a 1-day food diary. The health examination included weight, height, waist, hip, blood pressure measurements, and a body composition measurement using a bio-electrical impedance scale. Samples of fasting blood, urine, and adipose tissue were also collected. Data collection ended in 2019.
In total, 4,754 men participated in the health exam, of which 85 participants was examined at home due to difficulties to travel to the clinic (for example due to high age and/or physical disabilities). 1,062 of the men were at the time for examination married to or lived together with a woman in SMCC Västerås.
A second stage of testing was started in October 2022, following the same procedure as the first stage, but adding a cognitive interview and a DXA scan for all participants at their visit.
Cohort of Swedish Men Clinical Örebro (COSMC Örebro)
In 2014, researchers at Örebro University and Örebro Hospital started collecting blood samples (whole blood, plasma, and serum) from members of COSM with incident urological cancer (prostate, kidney, bladder, and penile cancer). Urine is additionally collected from prostate cancer patients. To date, samples from 232 prostate cancer cases have been collected. For more information you are welcome to contact the SIMPLER Office.