Do
you have a sister that had breast cancer? If you do, then
you can join the Sister Study, a long-term study in the United
States funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences (NIEHS) for women aged 35 to 74 who have a sister
with breast cancer.
The Sister Study will investigate the influence of genetic,
environmental, and lifestyle factors on the risk for breast
cancer and other diseases in sisters of women with breast
cancer. The Sister Study is one of the first long-term follow-up
studies looking to understand how women's genes and their
environment can cause breast cancer. Over the next 3 years,
50,000 women who live in the US who have at least 1 sister
with breast cancer, but have not had breast cancer themselves
are asked to join the study.
Women in the study will provide a blood sample, toenail clippings,
and a dust sample, and will be weighed, measured, and asked
fill out several questionnaires. Each year the women will
be asked to provide current health information. Researchers
will be able to compare this information between women who
do and do not get breast cancer to learn more about the causes
of breast cancer. Because sisters share certain genes and
risk factors, sisters of women with breast cancer have a greater
risk of getting the disease themselves. The study results
have the possibility of helping many other women.
For more information, or to volunteer for The Sister Study,
call 1-877-4SISTER (474-7837) or visit the website: www.sisterstudy.com
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