Florence, SC, May 3, 2012 – Area residents have an unprecedented opportunity to participate in a historic study that may change the face of cancer. 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.
Local residents can enroll at seeuthere.com/cps3enroll/FlorenceSC.
Participants are asked to make an appointment online and to complete a survey for the May 9 or 12 Community Enrollment to be held at Carolinas Hospital System, 805 Pamplico Highway, Florence. Most participants spend 45 minutes completing the survey and 15 minutes at the appointment. Paper surveys will be available the day of at Carolinas Hospital System, the host site for this local enrollment opportunity.
“People often ask what they can do when a friend or loved one is battling cancer,” said Lynda Waller, administrative director, Cancer Program at Carolinas Hospital System. “This is the answer, to enroll in the study, which will help generations to come.”
“We want to see a world with more birthdays and less cancer,” said Joan Billheimer, a cancer survivor who is leading the enrollment drive in Florence. “Every person in our community can help make this happen by participating in CPS-3.”
To enroll in the study, individuals will be asked to read and sign an informed consent form; complete a comprehensive survey packet that asks for information on lifestyle, behavior and other factors related to health; have waist circumference measured; and give a small blood sample. Upon completion of this process, the Society will send periodic follow-up surveys for participants to update their information as well as annual newsletters with study updates and results.
“Many individuals diagnosed with cancer struggle to answer the question, ‘What caused my cancer?’ In many cases, we don’t know the answer,” said Alpa V. Patel, Ph.D., principal investigator of CPS-3. “CPS-3 will help us better understand what factors cause cancer, and once we know that, we can be better equipped to prevent cancer.” Dr. Patel added, “Our previous cancer prevention studies have been instrumental in helping us identify some of the major factors that can affect cancer risk. CPS-3 holds the best hope of identifying new and emerging cancer risks, and we can only do this if members of the community are willing to become involved.”
Previous Cancer Prevention Studies (CPS-I, and CPS-II) 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.
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, or go to the enrollment website seeuthere.com/cps3enroll/FlorenceSC
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
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