Swenberg James A
School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7525, USA.
IARC Sci Publ. 2004(157):237-46.
This chapter will review a variety of issues related to the use of biomarkers in molecular epidemiological studies. It will draw upon experience gained from related mechanistic research in toxicological studies. This includes important methodological issues that impact on the type of assays that can be used and how these issues affect the selection of the method and the biological sample. It will also address issues affecting the use of biomarkers as measures of exposure and effect, and discuss inferences for causality and the selection of target organ versus surrogate tissues. Combining information from toxicological studies can also aid in the interpretation of epidemiological studies, such as tissues with and without strong biological plausibility and relationships between observed DNA adducts and those that arise from endogenous processes. Finally, it will discuss issues related to important pathways of metabolism and implications of genetic polymorphisms. These critical issues affect both the design and interpretation of molecular epidemiological studies.
本章将回顾与生物标志物在分子流行病学研究中的应用相关的各种问题。它将借鉴毒理学研究中相关机制研究的经验。这包括影响可使用的检测类型的重要方法学问题，以及这些问题如何影响方法和生物样本的选择。它还将讨论影响生物标志物作为暴露和效应测量指标使用的问题，并探讨因果关系推断以及靶器官与替代组织的选择。结合毒理学研究的信息也有助于解释流行病学研究，例如具有和不具有强大生物学合理性的组织，以及观察到的DNA加合物与内源性过程产生的加合物之间的关系。最后，它将讨论与重要代谢途径相关的问题以及基因多态性的影响。这些关键问题影响分子流行病学研究的设计和解释。
