After fourteen years, I still wonder how that malignant tumor grew in my breast. I think of the risk factors we know about. Did I smoke? No. Was I overweight? No. Did I drink alcohol? No. Do I have a BRCA gene mutation? No.
I do not know why I got breast cancer when I was only twenty-seven years old.
The main priority of The Army of Women is to find the CAUSE of breast cancer, so we can stop it before it starts! A new research study needs your help! Read on…
Dear Army of Women volunteer,
We have been saying that we need to look in new places for the cause of breast cancer. This study does just that. The researchers are comparing differences between the intestinal bacteria of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer within the last 5 years and those who have never had breast cancer. They are also studying the intestinal bacteria of women who have not been diagnosed with breast cancer and have a first-degree relative (mother, daughter, or sister) WITH breast cancer.
Why are they studying intestinal bacteria to learn about breast cancer? Well, as you may know, exposure to estrogen has been shown to increase breast cancer risk. This estrogen and other female hormones are absorbed through the intestinal tract, and for that absorption to occur bacteria must be present in the intestines. The researchers think that these bacteria and the systems they use to metabolize female hormones may hold clues as to why certain women develop breast cancer and others do not.
Army of Women members have already helped these researchers conduct a study about intestinal bacteria and breast cancer. This is a new study, for which they will collect different types of samples and include more groups of women. If you take part in this study, you will need to provide stool and blood samples and complete a packet of questionnaires. You will also need to live near one of the following locations, or be willing to travel there (at your own expense):
• the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area
• Northwest Indiana
• Cedar Falls, Davenport, or Des Moines, Iowa
• Minneapolis or St. Cloud, Minnesota
• Southern California (as far north as Kern County and San Luis Obispo)
• Milwaukee, Kenosha, River Falls, or Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
Sound interesting? Please click here to keep reading and to learn more!
