Army of Women FAQ
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Current Projects
Title: Using Breast Milk to Screen for Breast Cancer and Assess Breast Cancer Risk
Researcher: Kathleen Arcaro, PhD, Douglas Anderton, PhD, and Sarah Lenington, PhD, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Collection Center: Mail in samples, so anyone can participate
Summary: The purpose of this study is to determine if breast cancer and breast cancer risk can be accurately assessed from a breast milk sample. Currently, there is no accurate way to give women information about their personal risk of developing breast cancer. We will use the cells naturally present in breast milk to examine changes in DNA that occur in association with benign and cancerous breast lesions. Learning about the genetic changes associated with both breast cancer and non-cancerous breast lesions will help us develop a way to provide women with information about their breast cancer risk. Using breast milk to screen for breast cancer will reduce unnecessary biopsies among nursing women.
Title: The Sister Study: A Study of the Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors For Breast Cancer
Researcher: Nationwide by Dale P. Sandler, PhD, along with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services
Collection Center: Mail in kits, so anyone can participate
Summary: This research is looking at the environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors that may make some women more likely to develop breast cancer. Sisters of women with breast cancer are being studied because sisters share some of the same genes and other characteristics. Much can be learned by comparing the life histories of those women who get cancer in the future and those who do not. If you join the Sister Study, you will get a Sister Study Kit in the mail that contains study information, questionnaires, and materials to use when collecting urine, toenail clippings, and household dust samples.
Coming Soon:
Title: A 12-week Study to Evaluate the Effects of Diet and Exercise Programs on Healthy Postmenopausal Women to Understand Breast Cancer Risk
Researcher: Catherine Carpenter, PhD, MPH, and Zhaoping Li, MD, University of California, Los Angeles
Collection Center: University of California, Los Angeles
Summary: Women who gain weight as an adult or who are obese are at increased risk for developing breast cancer after menopause. Adult weight gain and obesity also increase the likelihood that a woman who has breast cancer will have a poor outcome. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of different diet and exercise programs that previous studies have shown may decrease a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer and her risk of recurrence. These diet and exercise programs are currently being tested on healthy women. The information gained from this study will allow us to conduct a larger study among breast cancer survivors.
