From the American Cancer Society website - excerpts:

Women who've had a sister with breast cancer can make a difference in the fight against the disease by joining The Sister Study, an important new nationwide effort to find the causes of breast cancer. Study directors are looking for 50,000 women, ages 35-74, who have not had breast cancer themselves, and who come from all walks of life. Upon being accepted in the trial, the women will complete a questionnaire and then submit a health update each year over 10 years.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women except for non-melanoma skin cancer, and while there's been great improvement in breast cancer treatments and survival rates, about 40,000 US women are still expected to die from the disease this year.

What causes one woman to develop the disease instead of someone else? Researchers know that alcohol use, early onset of menstruation, and a few other factors may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer, but for more than half of the 215,000 new cases each year occur in women with no known risk factors. Women who want to support The Sister Study of possible causes of breast cancer have three choices:


Enroll. Learn whether you are eligible at www.sisterstudy.org or call 1-877-4SISTER (877-474-7837).
Spread the word to encourage others to enroll.
Become a Sister Study volunteer in your community.

It's especially important that women from all races and ethnic groups, and those over age 60 participate, so the results of the study will help all women in the battle against breast cancer.


http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_Sister_Study_Recruits_Thousands_Probes_Causes_of_Breast_Cancer.asp?sitearea=

By Karen~moderator on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 - 07:41 am:

I know someone who had to have a mastectomy yesterday - last week she had a tennis ball sized lump removed, and it was cancerous. They are hoping it hasn't spread. :-(

By Janet on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 - 10:09 am:

I enrolled yesterday, since my big sister was diagnosed 2 years ago and I haven't had it. They'll track me for 10 years! It's very exciting, and I can't wait to receive the packet with the questionaire (although I CAN wait for the blood sample, LOL). The woman I talked to yesterday said that they enrolled 350 women just on that day, since the story broke in the news. I had signed up earlier this year, but my state wasn't eligible until recently.