The University of Toledo will host the American Cancer Society for a news conference tomorrow at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20 in the west lobby of Savage Arena, as a new partnership is announced to encourage participation in the latest phase of a national cancer study that will provide new understanding about the causes of the disease.

The Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3) is the third phase of an ongoing effort to discover the causes of cancer. In phase one, the study officially linked cigarette smoking to lung cancer. In phase two, obesity and certain foods were identified as a cause. Now, CPS-3 will increase understanding further.

“The past decade has seen an explosion of new knowledge about cancer that has shown great promise for our ability to control this often devastating health problem. While new, more targeted and individualized treatments have improved our ability to fight against cancer, this study to improve our understanding of the causes of cancer can do even more to help reduce the number of lives impacted by this disease”, said Dr. Roland T. Skeel, professor, division of Hematology and Oncology, department of medicine at The University of Toledo Medical Center.

In addition to Dr. Skeel, speakers at the news conference will include Dr. Blair Grubb from The University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo Mayor Mike Bell and Amy Boehm, health initiatives director for the American Cancer Society.

“The CPS has revealed incredibly important things about the relationship between human behaviors and cancer,” said Bell. “I am very excited about this partnership with the American Cancer Society, The University of Toledo and the City of Toledo that empowers our citizens to be proactive in the fight against cancer.”

The study is open to anyone between the ages of 30 and 65 who has never been diagnosed with cancer. The University’s goal is to enroll 800 adults from various racial and ethnic backgrounds here in northwest Ohio, to collect data that may one day help eliminate cancer as a major health risk.

The first step will take place at the UT enrollment sites, scheduled on the Main and Health Science Campuses from April 16-20. Participants will be asked to read and sign a consent form, complete a small written survey, provide a waist circumference and a small blood sample.

Additional steps occur at home. Participants will be asked to complete surveys on an ongoingbasis that will include questions about factors related to your health. These surveys will be mailed periodically over the span of the research study.

For more information or to register to participate, visit ToledoCPS3.org or contact Andrew Mariani at 888.227.6445 X 5103 or andrew.mariani@cancer.org.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 21, 2013 online)
WTOL 11, WNWO and 13 ABC (March 21, 2013)
The Blade (March 22, 2013 print)