Sunday, June 24, 2012 5:43 pm

Cannon County residents have an opportunity to participate in a historic study that has the potential to change the face of cancer for future generations.

This year’s opportunity to participate in Middle Tennessee ends July 14. There is no cost to join.

The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3) will help researchers to understand how to prevent cancer, which will save lives and give people more of their most precious resource: time.

Who can enroll? People between the ages of 30 and 65 who have never been diagnosed with cancer and are willing to complete periodic questionnaires every few years for 20-30 years.

Participants only need to attend one half-hour personal appointment during the entire study, simply by visiting one of several enrollment sites in Murfreesboro or Metro Nashville the week of July 10-14.

First, visit cps3nashville.org today to schedule an appointment and complete an online survey. Those without Internet access may call toll-free, 1-888-604-5888 for more information.

At their personal appointment in July, participants will be asked to sign an informed consent form, complete a brief survey, as well as provide a waist circumference measurement and a small blood sample similar to a doctor’s visit. The blood sample will be taken by a certified, trained phlebotomist.

CPS-3 needs a diverse population of at least 300,000 adults across the United States and Puerto Rico.

“Many individuals diagnosed with cancer struggle to answer the question, ‘What caused my cancer?’ In many cases, we don’t know the answer,” said Alpa V. Patel, Ph.D., principal investigator of CPS-3. “CPS-3 will help us better understand what factors cause cancer, and once we know that, we can be better equipped to prevent cancer.”

Enrollment is being brought to Middle Tennessee through the Society’s 2012 hosts: Saint Thomas Hospital, Baptist Hospital, Middle Tennessee Health Center, YMCA of Middle Tennessee, and the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center.

Researchers will use the data from CPS-3 to build on evidence from a series of American Cancer Society studies that began in the 1950s that collectively have involved millions of volunteer participants.

“Our previous cancer prevention studies have been instrumental in helping us identify some of the major factors that can affect cancer risk. CPS-3 holds the best hope of identifying new and emerging cancer risks, and we can only do this if members of the community are willing to become involved,” said Dr. Patel.