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What causes one woman to develop breast cancer
and not another?
Researchers know that weight, alcohol use, use of hormone therapy after
menopause, and other factors may slightly increase the risk of breast
cancer. But a lot of women who have one or more of these risk
factors
never develop the disease, while many women with breast cancer have no
known risk factors (other than age and gender, which are the primary
risk factors for breast cancer).
The Sister Study
"There is little I can do to remove the scars or ease the
pain Patricia endures. That is why enrolling in The Sister Study is so
important to me. I know that by becoming part of the research into
breast cancer, I can help my daughters, Elizabeth and Leah, and future
generations."
— Gina Gordick, Sister Study
Participant
In 2004, researchers from the National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) started
recruiting women to be
part of the Sister
Study, a long-term, nationwide study looking at how
a woman's genes and environment might affect her chances of getting
breast cancer.
The Sister Study aims to enroll 50,000 women, ages 35-74, who
have not had breast cancer themselves, but whose sisters have had the
disease. Once accepted into the study, these women will complete telephone interviews, fill out questionnaires, have their blood drawn, and provide samples of urine, toenail clippings, and household dust. They will then submit health updates each year for a period of 10 years. Researchers will then compare study members who go on to develop
breast cancer with those who do not develop the disease to learn about
possible environmental and genetic causes for the disease, as well as
ways to prevent breast cancer.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is
funding the research, which is being led by two NIEHS scientists, Dale
Sandler, PhD, and Clarice Weinberg, PhD. About 49,700 women have signed
up as of late 2008, and about 44,700 are fully enrolled. About 18% are
minority women, 15% are 65 and over, and 14% have a high school degree
or less. To boost numbers among those groups, in April 2008 the
researchers closed enrollment to everyone except minority women aged 35
to 74 and Caucasian women between the ages of 65-74 or those who have a
high school degree or less.
According to lead researcher Dale Sandler, PhD, enrollment for
these groups will remain open through the start of 2009, and maybe
longer.
"We don't want to turn women away if we don't have to," she
says.
To enroll in or find out more about the study, visit www.sisterstudy.org
or call 1-877-4SISTER (1-877-474-7837).
Looking at families: The Two
Sister Study
In August 2008, NIEHS researchers launched the Two
Sister Study, which builds on the work of the Sister Study
to focus on women
who develop breast cancer at a young age. Right now, enrollment is
through invitation only: Breast cancer survivors whose cancer-free
sisters are already enrolled in the Sister Study will be invited to
join if they were diagnosed less than 4 years ago and were under age 50
at the time.
If these sisters decide to enter the study, they will need to
provide detailed health histories and ongoing information about their
diagnosis, as well as spit samples for DNA analysis. NIEHS researchers
will then compare the histories of sisters with and without breast
cancer, and look for possible genetic and environmental links. The
sisters' parents are also being invited to participate. The goal is to
recruit nearly 1600 families. The research is being funded by the Susan
G. Komen for the Cure and the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences, and is being directed by Weinberg, Sandler, and Lisa
DeRoo, PhD, also of NIEHS.
"This is a pretty indirect way to recruit," says Sandler. "We
have only sent out one batch of invitations, but so far, the response
has been good."
If you want to help researchers learn more about what causes
breast cancer, but are not eligible for the Sister Studies, contact the
following organizations and to find out about research studies you may
be eligible for:
Revised: 09/29/2008
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