Frequently Asked Questions
WHY STUDY ME?
Who can join the Sister Study?
You can join the Sister Study if —
- Your sister, related to you by blood, had breast cancer.
- You are between the ages of 35 and 74.
- You have never had breast cancer yourself.
- You are a woman living in the U.S. or Puerto Rico
Why study sisters of women who have had breast cancer?
Studies have shown that sisters of women with breast cancer have about double the risk of developing breast cancer themselves compared to women who do not have a first degree relative (a sister, for example) with breast cancer. Sisters may share many of the same genes and risk factors. By studying sisters, we will have a greater chance of identifying those risk factors.
Why not study women who already have breast cancer?
Once a woman has breast cancer, it is too late to collect certain kinds of information. By studying cancer-free sisters, we can gather information before the body has been affected by the disease or treatment, or before women make lifestyle changes because they have been diagnosed.
Why can't women who are younger than 35 or older than 74 join the Sister Study?
While we would like to include sisters of all ages in the study, we must look at the age group of women that can best help us find answers about breast cancer. Women under the age of 35 are less likely to get breast cancer than those 35 or older, while women over 74 are more difficult to follow for ten or more years because of health and lifestyle changes.
I have other sisters who are eligible. Is it helpful or hurtful to the study to have multiple members of the same family participate?
We encourage all eligible women to join this study. For some questions, we will want to study only one sister in a family. For other questions, having more than one sister in a family will help us find the answers.
Why would I want to participate in this research?
Most people who choose to participate in research hope it will produce knowledge -- for example, the role of genetics in the disease -- that will benefit themselves or others. Since there is no intervention or treatment offered in the study, the risks to the participant are very minimal and there is no immediate medical benefit. Most people who participate in studies like this do it because they want to help other people. In this case, women who participate may want to help people learn how to prevent breast cancer. They are doing it for themselves, but also for their sisters, daughters, and future generations of women.