Free Cancer Study Taking Place During Relay for Life

Next week, the Carrollwood community will gather for, a fundraiser held at Gaither High School sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

Aside from the overnight relay, food and games, organizers of Relay for Life are staying true to the purpose of the event by administering a cancer study called CPS-3. There's no cost, and no pre-registration for the study, which will be held from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Friday, May 11. Check out a Facebook page about the study.

We talked to Kristin Rink Votta, director of membership for the Carrollwood Area Business Association - whose sister recently battled the disease - about what the study entails and why it's important to get tested.

Patch: What is the purpose of the study?

Rink Votta: Carrollwood Relay For Life was chosen to be an enrollment site for
CPS-3. We are the only one in Tampa this year, and it's only this year. CPS-3 is a grassroots effort where local communities from across the country can support cancer research not just through fundraising efforts, but also by participating actively in this historic research study.

The goal of CPS-3 is to better understand the factors (lifestyle, environmental, genetic) that cause or prevent cancer and, ultimately, to help eliminate cancer as a major health concern for future generations.

Patch: How did the idea come about for the study?

Rink Votta: The American Cancer Society first began conducting long-term
prospective studies in the 1950's. The Cancer Prevention Studies have
provided unique contributions both within the American Cancer Society
and in the global scientific community.

In CPS-1 and CPS-2, links with smoking and obesity were found. CPS-3 is sponsored fully by the American Cancer Society to fill in the gaps and take the next step in research: using a large multi-ethnic United States cohort to identify causes of cancer and reduce cancer burden.

Patch: What do you want people to know about cancer prevention?

Rink Votta: The goal of CPS-3 is to better understand ways to prevent cancer. Once a person has cancer, the body has been affected by the disease, treatment, or lifestyle changes as a result of the diagnosis. For this reason, we strongly encourage individuals without a history of cancer to enroll.

To be eligible to enroll in CPS-3, men and women should:

-Be between 30 and 65 years old
-Have no personal history of cancer (this does not include basal or
squamous cell skin cancer)
-Be willing to make a long-term commitment to the study which simply
involves completing periodic follow-up questionnaires. 

Patch: What do you think is important for people to understand about cancer?

Rink Votta: About a month after I accepted the position as Chair of Carrollwood's CPS-3, I found out my sister has Stage 2 Melanoma. This was the first of my family member's to be diagnosed with cancer.

I can't tell you how helpful everyone at the American Cancer Society was. I am
fortunate to have many friends who are heavily involved in Carrollwood's Relay for Life, and their support was phenomenal. I'm overjoyed to say that in the last month since my sister's surgery to remove the skin cancer, the doctor said she's cancer-free.

So many people have stories like this - many with different endings. The more
we learn about cancer, the more we can do to prevent it for our future
generations.

For questions about CPS-3, call 813-900-8582 or email kristinrinkvotta@gmail.com.