National Cancer Institute, Research Contracts Branch, PSAS, 6120 Executive Blvd, EPS/Room 638, Bethesda, MD 20892-7227

A -- EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ANALYSES OF PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES CONCERNING THE ROLE OF VEGETABLE AND FRUIT INTAKE IN THE ETIOLOGY OF LUNG CANCER SOL RFQ-NCI-80234-NV DUE 092298 POC Debbie Moore, Purchasing Agent 301-402-4509, Todd Cole, Contracting Officer 301-402-4509 The Nutritional Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to procure epidemiologic analyses of public health issues concerning the role of vegetables and fruit intake in the etiology of lung cancer from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Channing Laboratory, Boston MA. A. Requirement The epidemiologic analyses will address the following public health questions: 1) the relative contribution of specific vegetable and fruit subgroups to lung cancer prevention, 2) the importance of variety in intake, 3) the dose-response relationship, 4) interaction with multivitamin/mineral supplements, and 5) effect modification by smoking history. The Contractor must have access to a large cohort or cohorts, including both women and men, with prospective assessment of diet at at least two points in time. The dietary assessment instrument needs to ask about at least 40 vegetables and fruits, integrate intake over at least a month period, and be calibrated/validated. At least 700 cases of incident, primary lung cancer need to have accrued in the cohort(s), have had diet assessed at least one point in time, and be available for epidemiologic analysis. Detailed information on smoking history and vitamin/mineral supplement use need to have been collected. Relationships between diet and cancer must have been previously analyzed successfully in the cohort(s), as evidenced by publication of results in important, peer-reviewed journals. The Contractor shall code the dietary data collected in both cohorts into vegetable and fruit subgroups, calculate servings of vegetables and fruits, set up indices of variety and total intake, and conduct the extensive epidemiologlic analyses required. The Contractor shall collaborate with the NCI Project Officer (Dr. Regina G. Ziegler, Senior Investigator, Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics) in developing the plan for the epidemiologic analyses, conducting the analyses, and interpreting and summarizing the results. The period of performance will be approximately 18 months. There will not be a follow-on purchase order, and there are no plans to procure additional contractor services for this particular project. B. Cohorts Very few cohorts for this type of epidemiologic study exist in the United States. To facilitate the analyses of diet and lung cancer relationships that are planned, NCI requires at least 700 cases of incident lung cancer to have been identified in women and men participating in the cohort(s). Most of the cohorts in the United States are not sufficiently large and do not have long enough followup to provide these numbers at the present time. In addition, the cohort(s) needs to have detailed information on intake of a variety of vegetables and fruits (at least 40 items); dietary assessment at at least two points in time, to provide a more stable estimate of dietary intake; and a dietary assessment instrument that has been calibrated/validated. C. Planned Source The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Channing Laboratory, is the only source known to NCI that can meet these requirements, and this notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. The NCI Project Officer is familiar with the cohorts for epidemiologic study available in the United States, and believes that only the Nurses Health Study (in women) and the Health Professionals Followup Study (in men), which share similar dietary assessment instruments and similar epidemiologic designs, can provide the required lung cancer cases; the required exposure information; and, in addition, documented proof of successful analyses of diet and cancer relationships with their data. However, if any interested party believes it can meet the above requirements, it may submit a statement of capabilities. Information must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow NCI to determine if the party can fully meet the requirement. Capability statements must be received in the contracting office by 3:00 p.m., EST, on September 22, 1998. The Government will exercise its sole discretion to compete or not compete the requirement based upon the responses to this notice. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Posted 09/04/98 (W-SN246213). (0247)

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