Local residents needed for historic cancer research effort

from the Middlesex Hospital's newsletter:

Middlesex Hospital and the American Cancer Society are joining together to provide an unprecedented opportunity for local residents to participate in a historic study that has the potential to change the face of cancer for future generations. Men and women between the ages of 30 and 65 who have never been diagnosed with cancer are needed to participate in the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3).

CPS-3 will help researchers better understand the lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer.

Researchers will use the data from CPS-3 to build on evidence from a series of American Cancer Society studies that began in the 1950s that collectively have involved millions of volunteer participants. So far, those studies have confirmed the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, demonstrated the link between larger waist size and increased death rates from cancer and other causes, and showed the considerable impact of air pollution on heart and lung conditions.

To enroll in the CPS-3 study, individuals will go to a local enrollment location and will be asked to read and sign an informed consent form; complete a brief survey, have their waist circumference measured; and give a small blood sample. The in-person enrollment process takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. At home, individuals will complete a comprehensive survey packet that asks for information on lifestyle, behavioral and other factors related to their health. Upon completion of this process, the Society will continue to send periodic follow-up surveys to update participant information and annual newsletters with study updates and results. The initial and follow-up surveys completed at home will take an hour or less of time to complete and are expected to be sent every few years, for the next 20 years.

This voluntary, long-term commitment by participants is what will produce benefits for decades to come. Taking an hour or so every few years to fill out a survey – and potentially save someone from being diagnosed with cancer in the future – is a commitment that thousands of volunteer participants have already made. The American Cancer Society is looking for more like-minded individuals in Middlesex County to join this effort that we know will save lives and improve the outlook for future generations.

For more information or to learn how to become involved with CPS-3, visitcancer.org/cps3, e-mail cps3@cancer.org, or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.

Enrollment sessions will take place at Middlesex Hospital's main campus, 28 Crescent Street,  on Thursday, May 16 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and at the Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center, 536 Saybrook Road, on Friday, May 17 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. To make an appointment to enroll at either site, go to http://www.seeuthere.com/cps3enroll/middlesex.