The 95K+ cancer cases in the KP Research Bank resource are a combination of prevalent cancer cases (cancer diagnosis prior to enrolling in the KP Research Bank), active enrollment (patient enrolled in the KP Research Bank following an indication of a potential cancer diagnosis) and incident cancers (cancer diagnosis post enrollment in the KP Research Bank). This resource facilitates high-impact, population research focused on understanding the contribution of genetics and life-style factors in improving cancer treatment and outcomes, reducing co-morbidities, and maximizing quality of life. Because of the linkage of medical record data to biospecimens and genotyping data, it represents a unique resource for studying the spectrum of cancer, cancer care and long-term survival.

Recruitment Design & Participation Steps

All adult KP members, all cancer types (except non-melanoma skin cancers) were eligible to enroll. We used two approaches to enrolling cancer cases:

Rapid Case Ascertainment (RCA) (2016-2021): Potential cancer cases were identified within days of an indication of diagnosis using a rapid case ascertainment (RCA) algorithm. Three weeks after diagnosis the patient was contacted by the KP Research bank via email or postal mail, inviting them to enroll.

Cancer Survivors (2021): Members with a history of cancer were identified using the KP tumor registries in combination with medical record data. Members received a combination of emails and postal mail invitations to enroll. Where possible, we also added flyers and posters to KP oncology clinics.

Between 2016 and 2021 more than 30K KP members diagnosed with cancer enrolled via the KP Research Bank website. Participation included providing a blood sample and completing an optional survey.

We are also collecting longitudinal blood samples (read a description of this effort in our longitudinal samples section).

Specimens are collected into SST and EDTA tubes.  Serum, whole blood and DNA are stored for research use.

Cancer research studies that have used our specimens and/or data can be found on our publications page.

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The KP Research Bank survey data resource includes participant reported data collected over approximately 25 years. A comprehensive baseline intake survey captures information on lifestyle, environmental exposures, diet, family history, and reproductive, emotional, and physical health. Many participants have completed this survey on two occasions at least 1 year apart, enabling longitudinal analyses.

The intake survey includes a sex-specific survey for men and women, with a focus on lifestyle questions and reproductive health. Participants who enrolled in the Pregnancy Cohort completed a general health survey augmented with pregnancy-specific questions. The survey portfolio also includes a large scale COVID19 survey which was conducted at several timepoints during 2020.  It captured data on symptoms, exposure, attitudes toward vaccination, and the pandemic’s impact on lifestyle and health related behaviors over the course of the year.

The survey data resource is actively expanding. Planned additions include a new collection assessing GLP‑1 receptor agonist use for weight loss and a Food Frequency Questionnaire to support nutritional epidemiology research.

A detailed inventory of available surveys, individual survey questions, and sample sizes is available here: KP Research Bank Surveys

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The KP Research Bank is one of few biobanks with a longitudinal sample collection. We began collecting a second biospecimen from participants in 2024 and expect to have longitudinal samples from at least 100,000 participants by the time we complete the effort, at the end of 2026.

This collection enables research on disease etiology, prevention, and treatment response, clarifying the timing between biological changes and health outcomes.

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2015-Current

The KP Research Bank resource has enrolled over 230K participants since 2015 under two protocols: general (2015-current) and cancer (rapid case ascertainment: 2016-2019, cancer survivors: 2021). Both protocols had two components: a blood draw and an intake (baseline) survey; neither were mandatory for inclusion into the program. The cancer protocol incorporated a cancer case ascertainment algorithm, which identified potential cancer cases and sent recruitment materials near time of cancer diagnosis; cancer- specific questions were added to the survey created under this protocol as well.

2008-2015

The KP Research Bank acquired participants from two large pre-existing research cohorts: the California Men’s Health Study (CMHS, ~22K, originally surveyed 2002-2003), and the Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health (RPGEH, also California-based, ~195K, originally recruited 2008-2014).

RPGEH included a sub-cohort of women of reproductive age who were recruited during a pregnancy episode (RPGEH Pregnancy Cohort, ~25K, originally recruited 2010-2018).

These pre-existing cohorts are referred to as Legacy Data, and all participants incorporated into the KP Research Bank provided either a sample, or a sample and a survey. Samples for the Legacy Data cohorts were either saliva or blood.

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In 2021, the KP Research Bank began genotyping 400K participants on the ThermoFisher Axiom Precision Medicine and Diversity Research Array (PMDA). In 2024, version 1 of these data (395K+) — based on samples that were successfully genotyped and passed sample and data quality control and verification — were released for use in research.

In addition to the PMDA data, whole genome, whole exome data and Axiom World Array data are available on smaller subsets of KP Research Bank participants (see below for counts). The largest of these subsets is the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Aging cohort (102K+) created in 2012, which includes matched RPGEH/CMHS survey data, telomere data, and Y chromosome and mitochondrial data.

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