ACS Launches Major Epidemiology Study

ATLANTA—The American Cancer Society (ACS) is launching a 20-year cancer epidemiology study of 500,000 cancer-free adults across the United States. Cancer Prevention Study 3 (CPS-3) will enroll geographically and ethnically diverse participants at 64 of the 4,800 ACS-sponsored Relay for Life events taking place across the country in 2007, and it will continue the accrual process at select Relay events through 2011. Relay for Life events are "fun run/walk" overnight fundraisers held at schools, fairgrounds, or parks to celebrate survivorship and support ACS research and programs.

Participants in CPS-3 must be between 30 and 65 years of age, must never have been diagnosed with cancer, and must agree to make a long-term commitment to the study. Enrollees complete a brief study questionnaire; investigators measure their waistline and take a small blood sample. Then, for at least 20 years, CPS-3 enrollees will be tracked through questionnaires mailed every few years, identifying and studying factors associated with cancer occurrence or prevention.

The investigators will collect biological specimens from the participants; assess their dietary, lifestyle, and environmental exposures; and conduct active follow-up to discover if and when study participants develop cancer.