Montrose: Be Part of the Cure
The American Cancer Society is launching a new 20 year study of over over 300,000 participants to better understand the lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer. Montrose area residents, men and women ages of 30 and 65, who have never been diagnosed with cancer and are willing to make a long-term commitment to the study are needed to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). The opportunity for local residents to enroll in CPS-3 is being made possible in partnership with Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday, November 4 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church on Sunday, November 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those interested in participating are asked to confirm their eligibility and schedule their appointment at cancerstudyTX.org.
CPS-3 will help researchers “Currently, there are no other studies of this magnitude in the US that enable researchers to look at various racial and ethnic populations and cancer risk,” stated Mark Clanton, MD, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, High Plains Division. “We commend our partners, Christ Church Cathedral and Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, for taking the lead to offer their sites for their members and the community to enroll in this critically important study.”
Enrollment in the study involves two steps. After scheduling an appointment, individuals will be asked to complete a comprehensive baseline survey online that asks for information on lifestyle, behavioral, and other factors related to their health. Step two involves an in-person enrollment process which takes approximately 20-30 minutes and includes completing a short enrollment survey, measuring waist circumference and collecting a small blood sample from participants. Upon completion of this process, the Society will send follow-up surveys every few years over a 20 year period to individuals to update their information. Participants will receive an annual newsletter with study updates and results.
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. The Hammond-Horn Study and previous Cancer Prevention Studies (CPS-I, and CPS-II) have played a major role in understanding cancer prevention and risk, and have contributed significantly to the scientific basis and development of public health guidelines and recommendations. Those studies 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. The current study, CPS-II, began in 1982 and is still ongoing. But changes in lifestyle and in the understanding of cancer in the thirty years since its launch make it important to begin this new study. The voluntary, long-term commitment by CPS-3 participants is what will produce benefits for decades to come.
Help make cancer history. Go to cancerstudyTX.org to enroll or call 888-604-5888 . For more information or to learn how to become involved with CPS-3, visit cancer.org/cps3, email cps3@cancer org, or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888 .
