Breast Cancer Awareness
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 The Sister Study
Feature Foundation
The Sister Study for Breast Cancer Research
submitted by Janine Slayton
According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2008 it is estimated that 182,460 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and of those 40,480 will most likely die of the disease. It is known that as women age, their chances of being diagnosed with breast cancer increase. Other genetic and environmental causes of breast cancer are unknown, however. Sister Study, a new research program, has set out to try to discover what some of those genetic and environmental triggers of breast cancer might be.

Sister Study is being conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health. Led by a team of expert researchers, the goal of the study is to recruit women who have never had breast cancer, but who have sisters who have been diagnosed with the disease. The hope is that by studying these sisters who were not inflicted with the disease, researchers may be better able to uncover how genetic and environmental (home, work, community) factors affect a woman's chance of getting breast cancer.

The Sister Study is currently in its final phase of recruitment, which will be followed by long-term research with participants and their sisters. Researchers have high hopes that the study will help pinpoint the causes of breast cancer and help provide information that can help prevent the disease.

Sister Study is looking to enroll 50,000 diverse women for their study. They are still especially in need of African American, Latina, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American women ages 35-74 and Caucasian women without a high school diploma or between the ages of 65 and 74.

If you'd like to be a participant in the Sister Study or want more information, visit
www.sisterstudy.org.

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