The Two Sister Study is Underway!
Women with breast cancer often tell us they feel frustrated because they cannot join the Sister Study. As you know, the Sister Study is enrolling 50,000 women whose sister had breast cancer, but does not involve those sisters with breast cancer directly. Now some of those sisters can join an exciting new study, funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and directed by Drs. Clarice Weinberg, Dale Sandler, and Lisa DeRoo. The “Two Sister Study,” an offshoot of the Sister Study, will focus on young-onset breast cancer. Although breast cancer is uncommon below age 50, women who develop the disease at a young age can tell us a lot about genetic and environmental causes. With support from the Komen Grants Program, and help from Sister Study participants, we are now enrolling up to 2,000 sisters who were under age 50 when recently diagnosed. Their parents will also be invited to participate, for a powerful study based on families.
The participants in the Sister Study are our only link to families that might qualify. When the data we have suggests a family may be eligible, we send a letter to the Sister Study participant, asking her to help us get in touch with her sister who had breast cancer. We are delighted to report that more than 1000 families have already received letters of invitation and many have agreed to enroll in the study. If you think your family is eligible, you probably will in time be sent an invitation. Please be patient. Thanks so much to those of you who have already enrolled in this important research project. We hope it will enable us to learn a great deal about genetic and environmental causes of young-onset breast cancer. We are also trying to learn about factors related to long term health following treatment. For further information about the Two Sister Study, you can call the Sister Study help-line free, at 1-877-4SISTER.
There is power in sisterhood!
Click here to learn more about how
the Two Sister Study will work.
Visit the Sister Study main page to find
information about
the Sister Study and the participants!
