© 2024 KRCU Public Radio
90.9 Cape Girardeau | 88.9-HD Ste. Genevieve | 88.7 Poplar Bluff
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New Cancer Study To Follow 300,000 People For 20 Years

St.Louis Public Radio/National Cancer Institute
/
Sriram Subramaniam

A new study by the American Cancer Society aims to better understand the genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that contribute to causing cancer.

In St. Louis, the Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis Children's Hospital, and a number of private companies will work with the ACS to enroll participants.

Washington University radiation oncologist Dr. Jeff Michalski says the study will track about 300,000 people from across the country for at least 20 years.

"The hope is to have a very large group of individuals from all over the country that can represent our diverse backgrounds and help us understand just what unique things about both populations and individuals might be related to the development of cancer,” Michalski said.

When participants enroll, they'll be asked to fill out a questionnaire about their diet, physical activity, and other habits.

Michalski says they'll also need to provide a blood sample.

"In the future, we hope that perhaps their blood might hold some keys to understanding the genetic basis of these diseases,” Michalski said.

Michalski says the goal is to figure out what factors predispose some people to getting cancer, and what they can do to reduce the risk of developing it.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 45% of men and 38% of women will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime.

Enrollment is also happening in Springfield and Sikeston.