Tomorrow Project seeks Banff participants
January 23, 2012
BANFF – The Tomorrow Project visits Banff next month, giving local residents an opportunity to join the long-term research study into the causes of cancer.
The Tomorrow Project is a research initiative of Alberta Health Services, Cancer Care. By 2013, researchers want to enrol 50,000 Albertans, ages 35 to 69, who have never had cancer.
“Much of the important knowledge to be gained from this project about what causes cancer will benefit our children and grandchildren,” says Dr. Paula Robson, principal investigator for the Tomorrow Project.
“We are getting better at early detection of cancer and better at treatment, such that people are living longer after receiving a cancer diagnosis. However, one area we need to get better at is learning how to prevent cancer in the first place.”
People interested in joining the study are invited to a temporary study centre at the Inns of Banff from Feb. 3 to 5. They will be asked questions about their health and lifestyle, have some physical measurements taken and give small amounts of urine and blood, or saliva. Appointments are necessary and will take about one hour.
“In the future, our children and grandchildren will benefit from this research. This is reason enough to encourage the residents of Banff to participate in this study,” says Banff-Cochrane MLA Janis Tarchuk. “This is an opportunity for everyone to contribute towards the knowledge needed to prevent cancer one day.”
This is one of three proposed community study centres planned for the communities outside of Calgary and Edmonton through January and February.
“To prevent cancer diagnoses in the future, we need to do something about it today,” says Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen. “I urge the residents of Banff to take part in the Tomorrow Project if they fit the criteria. Let’s do this for our children and grandchildren.”
Figures show almost half of all Albertans will develop cancer in their lifetime and one in four will die from the disease. In Alberta Health Services’ Calgary Zone, which includes Banff, about 7,800 people developed cancer in 2009 (the latest year full records are available) and 1,840 died from the disease.
For information and to join the study, visit www.in4tomorrow.ca or call toll-free 1-877-919-9292. Questionnaires are available for pickup at the Banff Public Library. There is also a mail-in option for individuals who are interested in joining the Tomorrow Project but live too far away from a study centre. Spaces are limited at the Banff temporary study centre and will be booked on a first-in, first-served basis. Those wishing to participate are encouraged to book appointments in advance.
Any residents interested in volunteering with the project are encouraged to join as an ambassador to help find study members. Please call 1-877-919-9292 for details.
Partners for the Tomorrow Project include AHS, Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions, Alberta Cancer Foundation and, at the national level, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. The Tomorrow Project could not occur without the generous support of our partners.
The Tomorrow Project is part of a national study called the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project that is recruiting Canadians from five provinces.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than 3.7 million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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