Catawba County, N.C. – September 12, 2012 – What if you could prevent even one family member from hearing the words, “You have cancer?” The American Cancer Society is seeking residents in the Catawba County area who are interested in helping to spread the word about the importance of participating in Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3), a historic nationwide study to help researchers better understand the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that cause or prevent cancer.
A kick-off event will take place at Catawba Valley Medical Center on Friday, September 14, and Frye Regional Medical Center on Friday, September 21, 2012. Both events will begin with registration and a light breakfast with a one-hour program to follow. At the breakfast, community members interested in becoming “CPS-3 Champions” will receive information to help educate and recruit community members to enroll in the study. Anyone who is interested in becoming a champion is welcome. To RSVP for the kick off breakfast, please call 704-552-6147 or email Aliesha.Hendrix@cancer.org.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to participate in lifesaving cancer research,” said Aliesha Hendrix of the American Cancer Society. “Our goal is to enroll at least 400 local participants. Catawba County has a exceptional history of supporting Relay For Life events and this is the perfect opportunity for these same passionate people to take part in the research they have supported over the years.”
Area residents interested in participating should make an appointment to enroll in the study at one of four local locations. On November 13, you can choose from the Health First Center at Catawba Valley Mall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or Frye Regional Medical Center at the Heart Tower Lobby from 1 to 5 p.m. and on November 15, the Hickory Foundation YMCA from 7 to 11 a.m. or Catawba Valley Medical Center (Jade Room) from 3 to 7 p.m. To enroll and for more information, please visit www.cps3catawba.org or call 1-888-604-5888.
Eligibility considerations for those who wish to enroll in the study include being between the ages of 30 and 65 and never having been diagnosed with cancer. The study will enroll a diverse population of 300,000 people across theUnited States. To enroll, individuals provide a waist measurement, give a small blood sample and complete a comprehensive survey online or at the enrollment site. Over the course of the study, participants will be asked to fill out follow-up surveys every few years.
“Many individuals diagnosed with cancer struggle to answer the question, ‘What caused my cancer?’ In many cases, we don’t know,” said Hendrix. “CPS-3 will help us better understand what factors cause cancer, and once we know that, we can be better equipped to prevent cancer.”
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 more than $3.5 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in Americawho 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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