The BC Generations Project has had so much interest from Southern Vancouver Island residents that we’ve extended our Victoria assessment centre for an extra two weeks. We’re now booking appointments at our Esquimalt United Church location until Friday, December 10. Call us toll free at 1-877-675-8221.
Major cancer prevention study off to a running start in Victoria
October 13, 2011
MLA Ida Chong measures up for the BC Generations Project in front of Victoria news cameras.
All British Columbia residents aged 35 to 69 are eligible to join the BC Generations Project, which will help researchers explore how genetics, environment, and lifestyle contribute to our risk of developing cancer, as well as other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The project is part of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project, a national study that seeks to collect health information, physical measurements and samples from up to 300,000 Canadians.
“All of us have been affected by cancer in some way and the BC Generations Project is a chance to fight back,” said Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Ida Chong on behalf of Health Minister Michael de Jong. “Until the end of November, Island residents have a direct opportunity to sign up to help researchers explore the causes behind cancer and, ultimately, to help find a cure.”
The BC Generations Project began sending invitation letters to households in Victoria and Island communities last month. The response has been extraordinary, according to Dr. John Spinelli, BC Generations Project principal investigator and a distinguished scientist at the BC Cancer Agency, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority.
“Our phones and email have been very busy with Vancouver Island residents contacting us to join the project,” he explains. “More than 1,000 people have already booked appointments, which is the best early response we’ve ever seen with our community outreaches.”
Assessment centre appointments are an optional yet informative part of the project. They include bone density, body mass and blood pressure measurements, which are shared with the participant. Individuals who are unable to come for an appointment can also join the study by signing up to receive a mail-in questionnaire.
When Victoria resident Sylvia McQuillan received her invitation letter, she didn’t hesitate to join. “Cancer is prevalent in our family and I have daughters and grandchildren,” she explains. “The more people participate in this project, the closer we will get to discovering the causes of cancer.”
Dr. Spinelli notes that in Victoria, the greatest response so far has been from women aged 60-69. “We’d really like to encourage younger residents—especially men—to step forward as well,” he says. “Having a diverse cross section of participants will be very important when we start using this information for research studies.”
“Cancer researchers see this as a hugely valuable resource,” says Dr. Ivo Olivotto, Vice President, Radiation Therapy and Functional Imaging, Vancouver Island Centre, BC Cancer Agency. “By collecting this sort of information from hundreds of thousands of people across Canada, this project will help us tease out how the interplay of genes, lifestyle, environment and other factors can be used to prevent cancer or select which treatments are really necessary for each individual.”
The Victoria assessment centre runs now until late November and is located in the Esquimalt United Church at 500 Admirals Road in Victoria. The centre is funded with generous support from the BC Cancer Foundation and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.
For more information about the study and how to get involved, please contact:
604-675-8221
Toll Free: 1-877-675-8221
www.bcgenerationsproject.ca
On October 12th, the BC Generations Project will open the doors to its new Victoria assessment centre in the Esquimalt United Church at 500 Admirals Road, Victoria. We’ll be running our centre until late November, inviting Island residents to join the project and help researchers learn more about the causes of cancer and chronic disease.
Assessment centre appointments are an informative part of our project. They include bone density, body mass index and blood pressure measurements, which are shared with you. If you do wish to come to the assessment centre, you must call us to book an appointment time. If you’re unable to come for an appointment, you can also participate in the study by signing up to receive a mail-in questionnaire.
To join the BC Generations Project, please give us a call at 1-877-675-8221 or sign up online at Join BC Generations Project. And be sure to share the news with your friends in the Victoria area!
The BC Cancer Agency is sending out a big thank you this week to acknowledge local residents who have enthusiastically offered 40 minutes of their time to help prevent cancer for future generations.
More than 1,100 participants visited the BC Generations Project’s Coquitlam assessment centre between August 16 and September 20, easily surpassing its recruitment goal.
The BC Generations Project is part of Canada’s largest-ever health research study. The BC Cancer Agency, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority, launched the project in 2009 to explore how genetics, environment, lifestyle, and behaviour contribute to our risk of developing cancer, as well as other chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Any British Columbia resident aged 35 to 69 is eligible to join the project.
The Coquitlam centre saw participants from across the region; most came from Coquitlam, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, New Westminster, and Maple Ridge.
Burnaby resident Ann Roberts received her invitation to join the study by mail and didn’t hesitate to sign up. “It’s an easy thing to do, and it’s a nice thought that this information might one day help someone else,” she notes.
“Everywhere we go, we are struck by people’s support and their enthusiasm to participate,” confirms Marilyn Borugian, PhD, Director, BC Generations Project, BC Cancer Agency. “So many people have been touched by cancer—I think the prospect of one day being able to actually help prevent cancer and other chronic diseases is very motivating for people.”
She continues, “I can’t thank residents enough for their overwhelming support of this important study. In addition to the 1,116 who visited the clinic in person, our recruitment drive prompted another 300 people in the area to join the study by requesting a questionnaire to complete at home. We exceeded our goal of recruiting 1,000 people.”
While the Coquitlam centre is now closed, it’s not too late for residents to take part in this landmark study. Contact the BC Generations Project to request a study package.by calling 604-675-8221or visiting www.bcgenerationsproject.ca.
Funded primarily through the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, the BC Generations Project is a participating study of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project, which consists of a further four regional studies across Canada. It aims to collect health information, along with blood and urine samples, of up to 40,000 British Columbians and 300,000 Canadians overall. To date, the BC Generations Project has recruited more than 14,000 participants.
The BC Generations Project’s Coquitlam assessment centre was made possible with additional funding from the BC Cancer Foundation.
The BC Generations Project wrapped up its Coquitlam assessment centre this week after a very successful five-week run. You can still join this landmark study right now by booking an appointment at our Vancouver assessment centre, or requesting an at-home study package. Give us a call at 604-675-8221.
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