Did you know that any woman born today has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer? That is a pretty significant number! It means that many of us actually know someone affected by this disease: a mother, a sister, a friend or co-worker, or maybe even yourself. Many women want to be able to do something for their fellow women facing breast cancer; participating in Spit for the Cure provides the opportunity to make a personal contribution to the fight against breast cancer.

We believe research is the key to fighting breast cancer. Breast cancer researchers at UAMS are hoping to answer some important questions. We want to learn why one individual is affected by breast cancer but another is not. Or why two women with the same disease respond differently to the same treatment. What inherited factors contribute to the disease? What environmental factors contribute to breast cancer? How do inherited and environmental factors interact to cause the disease? It may seem that these questions would be addressed on an individual basis but, in reality, we need large groups of women to participate to address these questions. So this could be your chance to participate in the fight - by joining the Spit for the Cure Cohort.

The enrollment process only takes about 10-15 minutes of your time but it will lead to a lifetime of research and ultimately benefit ALL women as we work to improve prevention and treatment options for breast cancer. So what does it mean to participate? We inform you of the study and ask you to sign an informed consent form. We ask you to give us a saliva sample from which we will obtain a sample of your DNA. We ask you answer a few questions about your health and how much exercise you get, and questions specifically about breast cancer, such as whether or not you or anyone in your family has had breast cancer, and, if you have had breast cancer, how long ago you were diagnosed and how it was treated. We will also ask for your permission to contact you in the future so that we can stay in touch, let you know how the research is going, and maybe ask a few more detailed questions related to specific areas of breast cancer research. Yearly updates are a key component to the success of this research.

Participation in Spit for the Cure is completely voluntary. You may change your mind and withdraw completely from the study at any time. Likewise, it is entirely up to you to decide whether or not you would like to provide any additional information in the future. If you decide not to participate in this study, it will not affect your medical care now or in the future.

At UAMS, we believe in creating comfort, hope, and healing. Our recruiters understand that research may be a new experience for you, and they work hard to create a comfortable environment for those who may not be comfortable with spitting or understand all of the questions we ask. Our study gives people hope, not only for themselves, but also hope for their mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, friends and co-workers. We are inspired by meeting women like you, because we know you are part of the answers. And finally, we are eager for our research to contribute to the healing process, by personalizing prevention and treatment for this awful disease.

I hope you'll join us in the fight against breast cancer. Come spit with us?