SYNERGY Work Plan

The SYNERGY project is organized into four scientific work packages.

Work Package 1: Definition of core variables and establishment of a common epidemiological database

• Creation of study protocol
• Creation of coding manual based on a selection of core variables
• Recoding of occupational histories to ISCO 1968 and ISIC Rev. 2
• Data Quality control
• Pooling of data at IARC, Lyon

Work Package 2: Exposure assessment

• Create a protocol for the data entry in the exposure database EXPO-SYN
• Assemble quantitative exposure data from different databases in EXPO-SYN
• Develop a quantitative job-exposure matrix (SYN-JEM) by country, job and time, with links to ISCO 1968 and ISIC Rev. 2

Work Package 3: Statistical analyses

• Application of the SYN-JEM to the pooled data
• Descriptive analysis of distribution of jobs
• Descriptive analysis of distribution of exposures, particularly joint exposures
• Exposure-response relationships
• Estimation of effect modifications
• Estimation of the effects of smoking
• Analysis of subgroups

Work Package 4: Administrative coordination

• IARC conducts the administrative coordination