Mayo Clinic to Conduct Large Mammography Study

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

As of yet, no test can predict who will get breast cancer. But Mayo Clinic researchers are conducting a large mammography study with the hope of finding one.

The Mayo Mammography Health Study is a new breast cancer research study that hopes to find a way to identify women at high risk for breast cancer, even before a physical exam or mammogram can detect a tumor. Researchers will study mammogram images and markers in the blood to find clues that may lead to new screening tests.

Breast cancer claims the lives of approximately 40,000 women each year in the United States, with more than 200,000 newly diagnosed cases annually.

"We need new methods to identify women who are at risk, before they develop breast cancer," says Celine Vachon, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic cancer epidemiologist and lead researcher of this study. "While mammography is an excellent tool for detecting cancer present in the breast at the time of exam, we would like to discover unique aspects of the mammogram or blood sample that allow us to identify women before they develop cancer."

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Mayo Mammography Health Study will collect questionnaires, mammograms and blood samples from 25,000 women. In creating this large resource, researchers hope to find answers that will assist in future prevention and treatment of breast cancer. "The public involvement in this research project is extremely valuable," notes Dr. Vachon.

Women ages 35 and older who visit Mayo Clinic for a mammogram can participate in this study. Women who agree to participate will complete a short questionnaire and provide consent to use their mammogram and a stored sample of blood collected through routine blood work. The Mayo Mammography Health Study will follow the women for several years through cancer registries.

There are no direct monetary costs to participating in this study. Involvement is optional and all information obtained from the study will be used for research purposes only with all information kept confidential.

Contact:
Richard D. Hurt, Jr.
507-266-2166 (days)
507-284-2511 (evenings)
e-mail: newsbureau@mayo.edu

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