Material and statistics in Janus Serum Bank

Janus Serum Bank is a population-based biobank containing serum from blood samples collected from more than 300,000 people across Norway between 1972 and 2015. The biobank also includes associated information about the samples, as well as biodata generated through research projects that have used the samples. Janus Serum Bank is dedicated to cancer research. Most participants provided samples before being diagnosed with cancer, and more than one-third subsequently developed cancer. This makes the biobank particularly well suited for studying the causes of cancer, early detection, and disease development that can be observed in blood.

Population

The samples in the Janus Serum Bank come from three different sources:

1. Nationwide health surveys (approx. 90%): Blood samples collected from participants in one or more health surveys conducted in Norway between 1972 and 2004. The surveys included anthropometric and biochemical measurements, as well as information on lifestyle factors. Approximately 20% of participants took part in multiple surveys, allowing changes in blood samples and health information to be studied over time.
2. Red Cross blood donors (approx. 10%): Blood samples collected from blood donors in Oslo and the surrounding areas between 1973 and 2005. Approximately 60% of participants provided samples at multiple time points, making it possible to track changes in blood samples over time.
3. Diagnostic samples (<1%): Blood samples collected in connection with cancer diagnosis between 1976 and 2015 from participants who had previously provided a blood sample to the biobank. This makes it possible to study changes in blood samples before and after cancer diagnosis.

Number of participants

Collection source

The table below shows the number of participants in the Janus Serum Bank by collection source, as well as the number of sample collections.

Geographic distribution

The figure below shows the number of participants from each of Norway’s former 19 counties, with almost all counties represented.

Age groups

The table below shows the distribution of participants by age group at the time of their first sample collection, by sex and collection source.

Cancer statistics

Each year, the Janus Serum Bank is linked to updated cancer data from the Cancer Registry of Norway. Below, you will find information on the number of cancer cases in the Janus Serum Bank by cancer type, as well as illustrations of the most common and rare cancer types by sex.

Number of cancer cases by cancer type and sex

The most common cancer types

Breast cancer is the most common cancer type among female participants in the Janus Serum Bank, while prostate cancer is the most common cancer type among male participants. Lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and melanoma are also among the five most common cancer types in both men and women in the Janus Serum Bank. This is consistent with the incidence of the most common cancers in the Norwegian population and supports that the participants in the Janus Serum Bank reflect the population of Norway. See the figure below for an illustration of the number of cases.

Rare cancer types

Due to the large number of participants and the long follow-up period, the Janus Serum Bank also contains a substantial number of cases of rare cancer types. This makes it possible to study cancers for which it would normally be difficult to include a sufficient number of patients in research studies. See the figure below for an illustration of the number of cases.

Biomarkers

Since the 1980s, blood samples from the Janus Serum Bank have been analyzed for a wide range of biomarkers, resulting in large amounts of biodata generated through research projects and stored in the Janus Serum Bank. Below, you will find an overview of biomarkers analyzed in previous research projects.