63°
CORTLANDT MANOR, N.Y. Those wishing to help fight cancer may want to visit the Hudson Valley Hospital Center in the coming months. The hospital's Cheryl R. Lindenbaum Comprehensive Cancer Center is participating in enrollment for a nationwide, 20-year cancer study conducted by the American Cancer Society.
This is a chance to be a part of historic research that may lead to findings that will help us to prevent, maybe even cure, cancer in the future, said Anne Campbell Maxwell, director of oncology at the cancer center. Studies like these cannot succeed unless people are willing to step forward.
The study seeks to enroll at least 300,000 men and women between 30 and 65 years old of various ethnic backgrounds who have no personal history of cancer. The study, Cancer Prevention Study-3, seeks to determine who is diagnosed with cancer and why, to improve prevention strategies.
Major focuses of the study include weight and physical activity, but other behaviors, like medication consumption, will also be weighed. Researchers will also look at lifestyle and environmental and genetic factors during the study. Researchers will enroll participants at the hospital on Friday, Nov. 16.
To participate in the study volunteers must sign a consent form; complete a survey; provide some physical measurements such as waist size, height, blood pressure and heart rate; and give a small blood sample. At home, participants will receive periodic follow-up surveys, about every two years, and will receive research updates through annual newsletters.
The American Cancer Society Epidemiology Research Program, which is conducting the study, has done follow-up studies since the 1950s. These studies have led to important findings that show the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, the link between aspirin use and lower risk of colon cancer, and the impact of air pollution on heart and lung conditions, among other findings.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Cortlandt and receive free news updates.
