Army of Women Collaborative Calls for One MIllion Women to Participate in Breast Cancer Research

Dr. Susan Love, President of the Susan Love Research Foundation and the Avon Foundation established in 1955 have embarked upon a compelling research initiative to conduct breast cancer research. The initiative was launched on the Today Show on October 1, 2008. It has been a long time desire of Dr. Love to enlist the help of one million women including women who are breast cancer survivors or who are currently living with breast cancer to volunteer in a research study to help define and develop a cure for breast cancer. One alarming statistic about breast cancer is that a woman's risk for breast cancer increases as she grows older.

The Love Foundation/Avon Foundation Army of Women Project have collaborated to recruit one million women of varying ages and races to enroll in the research studies. Scientists will be actively partnering with the Love/Avon Army of Women and volunteers will great enhance the scientists' research by providing willing subjects test, compare and contrast the date among women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, are currently dealing with the disease or have no previous breast cancer history.

Who can participate
The Army of Women Breast Cancer Research Project is restricted to U.S. researchers. In the near future, it is hoped that the project will reach other countries.
Financial contributions from other countries are accepted. Men are not participating at this time but are encouraged to donate financially to the project and everyone can contribute by purchasing a specially designed pendant that has been specially designed for the Army of Women project.

How to Enroll
Prospective study subjects can register online on the Love/Army of Women website at www.armyofwomen.org. You will be asked to provide basic information such as name, age, and residence. Once registered, volunteers will be contacted via email about available studies. You will be given specific information about the study and its required criteria.

Requirements
Since there are many types of studies being conducted by the research scientists, different requirements may apply depending upon the nature of the study. As a prospective volunteer, you decide what studies in which you wish to participate and you are free to decline participation in a given study segment. Some studies may be as simple as completing a series of questions, while other studies may ask for a urine or tissue sample, blood or other test specimens. The research centers will help the study scientists and participants more readily accessible to each other.

Confidentiality
Is the study ethical and how confidential are the results? All of the Army of Women researcher must first apply for acceptance into the study and the permission to actively recruit volunteers for research for the Army of Women Breast Cancer Research Project. All studies will be monitored and data will be reviewed for ethical , safety and scientific integrity. Privacy is strictly maintained and all results are governed by the nationally approved HIPAA ( Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) guidelines. HIPAA ensures confidentiality and ethical reporting of study results. The HIPAA Act is the same act that ensures your confidentiality when you visit your health practitioner or health facility.

Dr. Susan Love states her desire is to provide volunteers for scientists to have human subjects participate in this project to find a cure to eradicate breast cancer. The disadvantage of testing animals is that it is difficult to extrapolate results from animal lab studies to accurate translation of data to human research. Having an army of women volunteers eliminates such barriers and provides an unequaled number of test volunteers never before attempted in research studies. For further details and information, view the website www.armyofwomen.org and carefully read the information. Encourage family members, friends and co-workers to sign up as part of the one million women who are needed for the study. Others can support the cause through donations and purchasing the specially made pendant for the study. Some may choose to participate in this army of women project in loving memory of a loved one who has lost the battle to breast cancer or to support the fight of women who are currently fighting breast cancer. One million women will have a significant impact in assisting research scientists in their noble cause to eradicate breast cancer in our lifetime.