Area Residents Called to Contribute to Historic Cancer Research Effort

Community Involvement Can Answer Critical Questions about Cancer Causes, Prevention

Residents have an unprecedented opportunity 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 (not including basal or squamous cell skin cancer) are needed to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). CPS-3 will enroll a diverse population of up to 300,000 people across the United States and Puerto Rico. The opportunity for local residents to enroll in CPS-3 is being made possible in partnership with the Wisconsin State Capitol, YMCA of Dane County, Inc., Dean Clinic and Meriter Hospital on April 16 - 20, 2013.  

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

“My mom is a two-time cancer survivor and I’m doing all I can to make sure my children don’t have to say that…. I really believe this (CPS-3) is part of the answer,” stated one study participant.

To enroll in the 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.  

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 more than two decades since its launch make it important to begin a new study.

For more information or to learn how to become involved with CPS-3, visit cps3madison.org, email cps3@cancer.org, or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.