Volunteers needed for cancer study - The Orange County Register

Even as Grace Rune battles her own advanced cervical cancer, she's determined to recruit healthy soldiers to the larger fight.

Rune, 46, of Ladera Ranch is working to enlist 10 cancer-free volunteers for a national study that has yielded significant cancer-prevention findings over the years.

Grace Rune, 46, of Ladera Ranch is battling metastatic cervical cancer. In the midst of this, she has committed to recruiting 10 participants from Orange County to enroll in the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study which hopes to track over 500 people ages 30-65. Orange County enrollment starts next week.

ANA VENEGAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Eligibility for the Cancer Prevention Study

?Ages 30 to 65

?Never been diagnosed with cancer (not including basal or squamous cell skin cancer)

?Willingness to make a long-term commitment, which involves completing periodic follow-up surveys

For information, visit cancer.org/cps3 or call 949-567-0629

Locations:

Fullerton Family YMCA

2000 Youth Way,

Fullerton

3-6:30 p.m. Tuesday

9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Nov. 3

???

Norman Murray Community and Senior Center

24932 Veterans Way,

Mission Viejo

3-6:30 p.m. Thursday

9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday

???

American Cancer Society

1940 E. Deere Ave.,

No. 100, Santa Ana

3-6:30 p.m. Nov. 1

9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Nov. 2

Ways to prevent cancer

?Don't smoke.

?Maintain a healthy weight.

?Be physically active.

?Eat a well-balanced diet with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables.

?Limit sun exposure.

?For women, limit alcohol to no more than one drink a day; for men, no more than two drinks a day.

Source: Dr. Alpa Patel, epidemiologist for the American Cancer Society

"It's never been a 'Why me?' It's been, 'What am I supposed to change or do?'" she said. "This might sound small, but I think if I can save one person from going through what I've gone through, that will make going through my cancer all worth it. That's what gives me the passion."

Over the next week or so, the American Cancer Society hopes to enroll 500 Orange County adults who have never had cancer for the Cancer Prevention Study, which will last up to 30 years.

It's the third round of a project that started in 1959 and has followed 2.2 million Americans, said Dr. Alpa Patel, an epidemiologist overseeing the study from Atlanta.

Participants must enroll at one of three locations, in Fullerton, Santa Ana or Mission Viejo. A blood sample will be taken as well as a measurement of waist circumference. The process takes about 20 minutes. After filling out an initial health history, participants will respond to surveys every two or three years for the next 20 to 30 years.

"As long as individuals continue to return questionnaires, we will continue to follow them," Patel said. "This type of resource becomes richer with time."

The study aims to enroll at least 300,000 Americans by the end of next year. Questions will cover topics such as diet, lifestyle and weight. All information is kept confidential. For participants who develop cancer, researchers will track their disease and review medical records.

Patel said past research from the study conclusively linked smoking with lung cancer, as well as obesity as a risk factor for developing cancer. She said findings from the first two phases have been published more than 500 times in medical journals.

Patel said she met a volunteer from the original study, now in her 90s, who recalled the days when cancer was a shameful word spoken only in whispers.

"I look from that time to today and the progress we've made," Patel said. "Ways we can make choices in our own lifestyle and own behaviors. We've learned those types of things because two generations of Americans have paid it forward for us to learn those lessons. It is creating a world with a possibility of a lesser burden of cancer for our children's generation than what we have today."

Rune was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. After she underwent a hysterectomy, the cancer spread to her abdomen, and she said she was told she wouldn't live to see 2013.

Rune, an accountant at Hyundai, opted for surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. She'll resume chemo shortly.

"Right now I'm pretty much cancer-free," she said. "I knew it wasn't my time. Now the doctor says instead of this December, I get three more years."

Rune said she's determined to live longer. She said she hopes people will enroll in the study so they can help researchers learn more about what causes cancer.

"It's a huge contribution," she said. "It's so historical. It's such a monumental study."

Contact the writer: Twitter: @cperkes 714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/cancer-375467-study-rune.html

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