A Multi‐Center Hospital‐Based Case–Control Study of Lymphoid and Myeloid Neoplasms ( AsiaLymph ): Study Design and Initial Findings for Body Mass Index, Education, and Family History

Established risk factors account for a small proportion of lymphoid and myeloid neoplasms; many associations have not been conclusively established, etiologic differences across certain subtypes are poorly understood, and most studies have been conducted in Western populations. Investigations in populations with differing exposure patterns, subtype distributions, and genetic architecture are needed to fully understand hematopoietic tumor etiology. To this end, we conducted a large, multicenter, hospital‐based case–control study of lymphoid and myeloid neoplasms in East Asia (AsiaLymph), including 5671 lymphoid cases, 1879 myeloid cases, and 3858 controls. Participants completed an interview and provided biospecimens. Cases underwent central pathology review and were coded into the World Health Organization classification. Herein, we describe the study methods and report associations for body mass index (BMI), education, and family history. Higher BMI at age 20 but not 40 was associated with lymphoid (per 5 kg/m 2 : OR [95% CI]: 1.18 [1.09–1.27]) and myeloid (1.17 [1.05–1.29]) neoplasms. Greater educational attainment was associated with lymphoid (for college versus < primary education: 1.41 [1.21–1.65]) but not myeloid (1.17 [0.95–1.45]; p ‐heterogeneity < 0.01) neoplasms. There were also positive associations between first‐degree family history of hematologic cancer and lymphoid (1.53 [1.15–2.03]) and myeloid (1.65 [1.11–2.44]) neoplasms. In analyses of major subtypes, these risk factors were not associated with NK/T‐cell lymphoma, suggesting a distinct etiology for this subtype. AsiaLymph is one of the largest molecular epidemiology studies of both lymphoid and myeloid neoplasms with central pathology review and will serve as a valuable resource for etiologic investigations into these malignancies.