The America Cancer Society is launching a drive to find volunteers willing to keep in touch over the next 20 to 30 years. The CPS-3 is the third cancer prevention study undertaken by the august organization (it’s actually the fourth. The first study, in the 1960s, used only men as subjects, though it did establish links between lung cancer and cigarettes).
The organization is looking for some 300,000 participants nationwide, with about 5,000 in Maryland. On Tuesday, the local chapter of the Cancer Society held a kick-off at Rec & Parks to start the enlistment process.
Enrolling is easy: go the the Cancer Society website www.cps3HowardCounty.org and complete an online survey. Next, you make an appointment for official enrollment, which will involve having blood drawn and filling out a baseline health survey. Participants must never have had cancer and be between 30 and 65 years of age. They must also be willing to report on their health over the next few decades. Along with participants in the study, the society is seeking out folks to help recruit participants. County Executive Ken Ulman has pledged to sign up 1,000. You can volunteer to become a Community Champion and help spread the word to friends and family.
“We’re trying to find factors that will help prevent and ultimately cure cancer,” says Terry Borkowitz, state administrative specialist for the American Cancer Society. “So my grandkids never even hear the word cancer. We want to put ourselves out of business,” she says of her organization. “So I won’t have a job, so be it.”
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| (left to right) Matthew Alsante, ACS Mission Delivery Director, Dr. Maura Rossman, Health Officer for Howard County, Mary Austin, RN, Asst. VP, St. Agnes Cancer Institute; Dr. Sally Cheston, radiation oncologist, Howard County General Hospital, and Rick Reeves, CEO, UnitedHealthCare |
Ken Ulman is aiming to recruit 1,000 participants for the cancer study. |
