Sister Study Helps Researchers Better Understand Reasons Women Get Breast Cancer

By Tai Danielle Parks, LBBC Staff

An important nationwide study examines the environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer among women whose sisters have had breast cancer

Sponsored By: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Read more about the Sister Study.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the 25 institutes that comprise the National Institute of Health (NIH), are investigating the environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer through the Sister Study.

What is the Sister Study?

The Sister Study is the largest study of its kind to look at breast cancer risk factors. The study will follow 50,000 women for at least 10 years to learn how the environment and genetics may affect the chances of getting breast cancer. The landmark study will stay in touch with the volunteers for 10 years and compare those who develop breast cancer with the majority who do not.

Researchers believe the Sister Study will help us better understand reasons women get breast cancer, especially reasons that concern the environment and genes. The knowledge gained from the Sister Study will be used to develop recommendations for preventing breast cancer in the future and promoting good health for women. The researchers also hope that the results from the Sister Study help us understand reasons women get other diseases such as heart disease and other types of cancer.

The Sister Study opened in 2004 but is still looking for volunteers.

What Is the Structure of the Sister Study?

The Sister Study is examining a cohort, or a group of individuals selected for their common characteristics. For the Sister Study, the cohort is women who have never had breast cancer but whose sisters have had breast cancer.

Because the group of individuals being studied has not yet developed the disease, their exposures are measured in the present, and their outcomes measured over time. A key difference between this study and others done in the past is that the participants have not yet developed breast cancer.

Who Can Participate?

Women of all backgrounds and ethnic groups are eligible for the study. To recruit a diverse group of volunteers and to ensure the results benefit all women, the researchers especially encourage African-American, Latina, Native American and Asian women, as well as women 60 and older, to join the study.

You can participate in the Sister Study if:

• Your sister (living or deceased), 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 United States or Puerto Rico

What Happens if I Join the Sister Study?

If you join the Sister Study, you will be asked to:

• Answer questions about your life history, health, jobs and environment in two 1-hour telephone interviews
• Complete other questionnaires about your diet and family cancer history
• Provide samples of your blood, urine, toenails and house dust (an examiner will be sent to do this)
• Complete short follow-up questionnaires about changes in your health and lifestyle every year for the length of the study (at least 10 years)

For more information, contact: 877.474.7837

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