KFNX Radio Interview with
Dr.
Dale Sandler
Host: We want to talk about a new study going on that involves, that includes women. Actually, about 50,000 women nationwide will be invited to take part in this study, but they’re beginning in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island. About women whose sisters have had breast cancer. The study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the chief of the Epidemiology Branch at the NIEHS, Dr. Dale Sandler joins us right now.
Dr. Sandler: Good Morning.
Host: Good morning. How long have you been putting this study together, Dr Sandler?
Dr. Sandler: Actually, we’ve been working on this for about four years. It’s a very difficult study to organize, but we finally got started in August 2003.
Host: What do you hope to find? Connections between women in the same family, one of whom has had breast cancer, how others could avoid it or...
Dr. Sandler: We’re trying to learn about the environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer and a very good way to do that is to start with women who had a sister with breast cancer. Past research shows that those women are at an increased risk for developing breast cancer probably because they share environmental exposures and they share genes. By studying this group of women who are at higher risk, we have a much better chance of identifying those environmental causes that women tend to be concerned about but that research has neglected.
Host: Who would be eligible to take part in this study if someone listening right now wanted to here in Arizona?
Dr. Sandler: The requirements for eligibility right now are very simple. We’re looking for women between the ages of 35 and 74 who’ve had a sister with breast cancer and they cannot have had breast cancer themselves. We are especially interested in recruiting women from diverse populations. The study results will only apply to all women in the United States if all types of women participate.
Host: So, all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to get involved in this?
Dr. Sandler: Exactly.
Host: How would they go about doing that?
Dr. Sandler: It’s actually quite simple, we have a toll-free number 1-877-4SISTER where they can call. We have a web site, www.sisterstudy.org and making that call or going to the web site takes only a few minutes to determine eligibility and learn about the study requirements.
Host: How long would each women be involved in the study?
Dr. Sandler: This is a long term study and women will provide a lot of information when they enroll and then we will ask them to stay in touch with us for at least ten years. What we want to do is identify information about potential exposures before women develop breast cancer. Then look and see who might develop breast cancer in the future and compare those women to those who don’t. So we think about ten years is what it’s going to take.
Host: Have you had pretty good response to it so far?
Dr. Sandler: Response has been really great. We were interested in enrolling just a small group of 2,000 of the 50,000 women over the current few months and we have nearly 1,700 women enrolled so we’ve upped the number; we’re going to continue to enroll. We’ve had a very good response in Phoenix already and we’re hoping now to recruit women from the rest of the state.
Host: We thank you for joining us this morning and it sounds like a very interesting and certainly a very worthwhile study you have under way.
Dr. Dale Sandler, Chief of the Epidemiology Branch of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Again the telephone number to call if you’re interested in taking part in the study is 1-877-4SISTER, 1-877-474-7837 or you can log on to www.sisterstudy.org for more information.