SEATTLE — March 30, 2010 (ongoing until further notice)
WHAT: Are you stressed? Do you have a family history of breast cancer?
Health SMART is a study is being conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to see how stress-reduction workshops can help women with a family history of breast cancer manage their everyday stresses and cancer-risk concerns. The goal of the study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, is to see whether various stress-management and coping techniques reduce stress and improve immune function.
Specifically, the study will teach women scientifically proven stress-management techniques (such as mindfulness meditation and guided imagery), coping strategies (such as anger management and assertiveness training) and provide information on health behaviors. All workshops are conducted in a supportive group setting with other women who have a family history of breast cancer. Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires, give blood and saliva samples, and receive two hepatitis-A vaccinations. Some risks involved in participating in the study include the possibility of discomfort and a bruise at the blood draw site, the possibility of distress from discussing one’s breast cancer risk in a group setting, brief pain at the hepatitis-A vaccination injection site and, in rare cases, an allergic reaction to the vaccine. There is no charge to participate.
All participants will receive a set of CDs with relaxation exercises, a tote bag and a workbook filled with stress-management techniques taught in the classes.
WHO: The study aims to recruit 96 Seattle-area women, age 18 to 60, who are willing to participate in 10 two-hour workshops.
WHERE: All study activities will take place on the Hutchinson Center campus in the Prevention Center, which is located in the Robert M. Arnold Building, 1212 Aloha St., Seattle.
CONTACT: For more information about the Health SMART Study, please visit http://www.healthsmartstudy.org/, call the study information line at 206-667-2448 or e-mail healthsmart@fhcrc.org
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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit www.fhcrc.org.
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