Mexican Teacher's Cohort

Principal Investigators (PIs):

• Martin Lajous, M.D., Sc.D.
  National Institute of Public Health (INSP), Mexico
• Ruy López-Ridaura, M.D., Sc.D.
  National Institute of Public Health (INSP), Mexico

Funded Since: 2006
Funding Source: The American Institute for Cancer Research, the National Council on Science and Technology (Mexico), the Mexican Ministry of Health, the Mexican Ministry of Education, the Social Security and Services Institute for the Employees of the State (ISSSTE), Avon and AstraZeneca.
Year(s) of Enrollment: 2006-2010 (main cohort), 2014 (extension to male participants)
Study Website: http://www.esmaestras.org

The Mexican Teacher's Cohort (MTC) is a prospective study that started in 2006-2008 when 115,315 female teachers residing in a culturally and economically diverse 12-state area in Mexico were recruited into the study through a unique partnership with the public educational system in Mexico. The MTC includes comprehensive baseline data on lifestyle and medical conditions, and the first follow-up assessment was completed in 2011 (83% follow-up rate). In 2013, 2,190 men were enrolled in a pilot study on the feasibility of expanding the MTC to males. Within the MTC, a clinical sub-cohort was developed (n=5,689) with biospecimens and extensive clinical evaluations including assessments of mammographic density and subclinical cardiovascular disease. MTC's biorepository includes over 100,000 aliquots of blood components and urine.

The MTC evaluates several exposures on socioeconomic status, reproductive history, risk factors for chronic disease, weight and body shape history, presence and age of diagnosis for different chronic diseases, and mental illness. The presence of these factors is assessed every 3 years through a comprehensive self-reported questionnaire and the second follow-up questionnaire is underway (2014-2017 cycle).

There are currently no large cancer cohort studies in Latin America, and the inclusion of Hispanics within U.S.-based cancer cohorts is extremely low. The main contribution of the MTC is to provide a resource to advance the cancer cohort's scientific agenda by including an under-represented population, Hispanics, from a middle-income country.