ARMY OF WOMEN: STUDY CRITERIA CHANGED !!

Less than a month ago, I sent out information regarding the Shift Work study.  This study is understandably a difficult one to fill.  The researchers made an adjustment to the study criteria and I was notified of this change in a Call To Action email update.

The adjustments are noted below and the link to the sign up page is here.  If you know someone, pass it on.  Nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to change..... UNLESS we have the willing volunteers.  Anyone?

Please note:  If you already RSVP'd online via the Army of Women invitation, you will have to reply differently.  The information about how to "reapply" is in the final paragraph.

Oh... and I also read some great news about another Army of Women study.  Yesterday, the study was filled.  This works if we all work together.  Let's close this one, too.  Are there 23 women out there who fit the new criteria?  Make a difference.  If you qualify.... go ahead... MAKE a difference.  That feeling, I can assure you, is like nothing you will ever experience.

Happy Friday.  Happy Weekend.

Dear AnneMarie, There is research demonstrating that working the night shift increases a woman's breast cancer risk. Researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University want to figure out why by studying breast tissue samples from women who have NOT had breast cancer. Their goal is to see if there are differences in the cells in the breast tissue of women who work day shifts and those who work night shifts. We have recruited for this study in the past but we still need 23 more night-shift workers to sign up so we can close recruitment. We are now enrolling women between 30-65 years old who have worked night shifts for at least 5 consecutive years at some point in their life and we are now interested in "rotating night-shift workers", those who work at least three nights per month, in addition to day and evening hours. If you're a night-shift worker who didn't quite fit the criteria before, please take another look -- you may now be eligible! If you're not a night-shift worker but know someone who is, please forward the Call to Action to them!

What's the study about? The research team is studying breast tissue samples from women who have not had breast cancer, who have worked either day or night shifts for at least five consecutive years to better understand how wake/sleep cycle disruptions may increase breast cancer risk.The research team has enrolled enough day-shift workers but still needs night-shift workers! What's involved? If you join the Shift Work and Breast Cancer Risk Study you will be contacted by phone to answer questions about your health and work history. If you are eligible for the study and decide to participate, you will be asked to complete a consent form and a questionnaire about your work history, your shift work, your sleep patterns, factors that contribute to stress in your life, your job satisfaction, family medical history, and additional background information. You will receive and return the materials in the mail (at no cost to you). After reviewing the completed questionnaires, the research team will choose the women who they will ask to provide the breast tissue samples. To collect the tissue samples, the researchers and the Army of Women are collaborating with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the Indiana University Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis. If you are chosen to participate and you choose to provide a breast tissue sample, you will be asked to attend a tissue collection event at the Komen Tissue Bank on January 28 or 29, 2012, in Indianapolis, whichever is most convenient for you. In addition to donating tissue for this study, you will also be asked to donate tissue and a blood sample to be included in the Komen Tissue Bank for future studies not related to this specific study. The Komen Tissue Bank obtains and stores specimens (tissue, blood, urine, or saliva) for researchers to use in their breast cancer studies. Just as the Army of Women serves as a resource for researchers looking for women, the Komen Tissue Bank is a resource for any researcher looking for healthy tissue sample. When you arrive at the Komen Tissue Bank, you will be asked to complete a separate Consent Form document and questionnaire for the Komen Tissue Bank. A breast surgeon will perform approximately 4 core breast biopsies, removing cells from your breast with a needle under local anesthesia. This is an outpatient procedure and usually takes about 30 minutes. One of the tissue samples will be sent to Dr. Finkielstein for her analyses related to this study and the remaining samples will be stored at the Komen Tissue Bank. You will also be asked to donate a blood sample for the Komen Tissue Bank. Please note: In order to participate in this study, you will need to agree to provide breast tissue samples that will be shared between this study and the Komen Tissue Bank. You can learn more about the Komen Tissue Bank click here or follow this link: https://komentissuebank.iu.edu The researchers need to enroll approximately 23 more night-shift workers. Who is conducting the study? Carla Finkielstein, PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia Where? IU Simon Cancer Center Komen Tissue Bank, Indianapolis, IN Who can participate? You can join the Shift Work and Breast Cancer Risk Study if you match ALL of these MAIN categories: - You are a woman between 30-65 years old - You have never been diagnosed with breast cancer (it is OK if you have a history of other cancers) - You do not have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation (if known; if you do not know, you can still participate in the study) - You have worked night shifts for at least 5 consecutive years at some point in your life. Women who are/were "rotating night-shift workers" -- women who worked at least three nights per month, in addition to day and evening hours -- can also sign up. - You are able to go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis, IN, on January 28 or 29, 2012, for the core biopsy procedure - You have never had a breast reduction or breast implants - You are NOT allergic to local anesthetics (numbing medicine) - You are NOT receiving a therapeutic blood thinner (this does NOT include aspirin) - You have NOT undergone a total abdominal hysterectomy (removal of the ovaries and uterus) - You are NOT currently pregnant or were pregnant within the last 12 months - You are NOT currently lactating or have lactated within the last 12 months - You understand that if you are eligible and choose to join this study, you are agreeing to participate in both the Shift Work and Breast Cancer Risk Study AND the Komen Tissue Bank. Some of your tissue sample will be sent to Dr. Finkielstein and the rest will be stored at the Komen Tissue Bank. Please note: If you have already submitted an RSVP for this study, you will not be able to RSVP again, as our system only allows ONE RSVP per study. If you think that you now qualify for this study, please email us directly at studies@armyofwomen.org to let us know that you can't RSVP online and that you would like to sign up.  Yes, Sign Me Up  No Thanks Recruit a Friend Grow the Army of Women