Cancer Study

Hudson area residents sought for nationwide cancer study

American Cancer Society seeks volunteers willing to recruit participants for upcoming research study

Hudson area residents have the chance to be part of a nationwide cancer study that will help researchers understand the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that cause or prevent cancer.

The American Cancer Society, Midwest Division, is set to begin Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3) this fall.

A kick-off breakfast to recruit area residents interested in spreading the word about the study is set for Thursday, July 26, at Hudson Hospital. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The program begins at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 8:30 a.m. Speakers addressing the gathering include Karen Humphrey, American Cancer Society Midwest Board of Directors, Pat Cooksey, Hudson Hospital Director of Business Development and Marketing and Matt Flory, Director of Healthcare Partnerships, American Cancer Society.

At the kick-off, participants will receive all the information they need to educate community members about the study and how they can make an appointment to enroll in the study. The goal is to recruit 20 community members who will assist in enrolling more than 210 participants for the study in St. Croix County beginning in September. Enrollment will take place at Hudson Hospital on Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 at the St. Croix County Government Center.

Men and women wishing to participate in the study must be between the ages of 30 and 65 and never have been diagnosed with cancer, other than basal or squamous cell skin cancer. To enroll, individuals provide a waist measurement, give a small blood sample and complete both a baseline and enrollment survey. Over the course of the study, participants will be asked to fill out follow-up surveys every few years for the next 20-30 years. No other in-person appointments are required. Participants do not need to live in St. Croix County to enroll.

The goal is to have 300,000 participants in the study from 32 states.

Hudson has history with ACS

Laurie Pagel of the American Cancer Society said that Hudson is a likely place to recruit for the CPS-3.

“Hudson has demonstrated strong support for the work of ACS as is demonstrated by the success of the Relay For Life here and the commitment of volunteers from throughout your community to help us find a cure for this disease,” said Pagel.

She hopes residents will see participation in the study as a unique opportunity to be actively involved in the research they raise money to support.

“We know that friends and family often ask cancer survivors what they can do to help and sometimes that is difficult to answer. But CPS-3 gives them an important way to be part of working toward a cure,” added Pagel. “It kind of brings things full circle -- from helping to fund research to participating in it.”

Pagel said ACS first cancer prevention study was conducted from 1959-1972 and had 1 million participants from 25 states.

The results of that first study led to the linkage of tobacco use to lung cancer and the impact of secondhand smoke that led to warnings on cigarette packs, the debunking of false information from the tobacco industry and the passage of smoke-free laws.

In that study and in CPS-2 which began in 1982 and is ongoing, the findings have also led to the connection between obesity and the risk of cancer as well as to more information about the incidence of the disease and mortality.

The studies have also helped researchers to discover the link between aspirin use and a lower risk of colon cancer and the impact of air pollution on increased death rates from heart and lung conditions.

The new study will explore how changes in environment, lifestyle and new scientific technology are impacting cancer and survival. The study will continue to track the impact of smoking and obesity and will also create a national resource for this information. Most large scale cancer studies have previously been done overseas.

Participants in the study will be sent annual newsletters from ACS to inform them about the on-going research in the cancer prevention studies.

To attend the breakfast or to volunteer to recruit participants for the study email matt.flory@cancer.org or contact him at (651) 335-8926. For more information about CPS-3 go to http://www.cancer.org/cps3. Enrollment appointments can be made at http://www.CPS3StCroix.org.

Tags: lifestyle, health, hudson