St. Joseph's Enrolling Patients in Nationwide Cancer Study

This just in from officials at St. Joseph's Hospitals:

St. Joseph’s Hospitals are helping the American Cancer Society find “cancer fighters” in the Tampa Bay area who want to join a historic nationwide study about how genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors may cause or prevent cancer. 

Men and women ages 30-65 who have never been diagnosed with cancer are encouraged to enroll in Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3), and can do so during three July events hosted by St. Joseph’s Hospitals:

• July 19, 12 – 4 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North (located on Van Dyke Road in Lutz)
• July 27, 12 – 4 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa (located on MLK Blvd.)
• July 28, 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Bob Sierra YMCA (4029 Northdale Blvd.)

During the enrollment events, research participants will complete a questionnaire and give a small blood sample, along with height, weight and blood pressure information. 

Participants don’t have to know all of the answers to the questionnaire at the time of the enrollment event—there will be a timeframe for participants to go back and research health history, if needed.  The most important things to do are explore the CPS-3 website, get answers to any questions and consider registering for the study.  Your health information can help researchers save lives.

“By participating in this study, you can personally contribute to the fight against cancer,” said St. Joseph’s Cancer Institute Director Brad Smith. “Just as CPS-1 and CPS-2 helped us better understand the harmful effects of smoking, CPS-3 promises to help us better understand the relationship between other factors and cancer.  We need to know what genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors can cause and or prevent cancer to help protect our children and grandchildren.”

The study will follow participants for at least 20 years.  St. Joseph’s Hospitals Cancer Institute hopes that people in the community will honor their friends and family members who have been touched by cancer by joining in this landmark research study. 

“The goal is to keep enrolling participants in CPS-3 until the American Cancer Society reaches its enrollment goals,” said Smith.  “It might take a few years to reach the goal of 300,000 people, but the faster we enroll participants and complete the surveys, the faster we can learn even more about the causes and prevention of cancer.”

For more information about the study, or to enroll, call St. Joseph’s Cancer HelpLine at 813-870-4123 or visit the website.