By Kristin Boyd Staff Writer
Dr. Elisa Bandera has been studying the link between diet and cancer prevention for 20 years, but the disease recently hit close to home. Her mother-in-law and sister-in- law were diagnosed with breast cancer — within a month of each other. That, she says, only intensified her interest in cancer research.
Dr. Bandera is now conducting “The Jersey Girls Study,” which will examine how nutritional, hormonal and environmental factors, such as tobacco smoke and pesticides, affect girls’ growth and possibly put them at risk for developing breast cancer.
The pilot study focuses on puberty, a critical window in a woman’s development, says Dr. Bandera, an epidemiologist at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. She is primarily interested in what causes the early onset of puberty and the effect that can have on a girl’s health.
“Puberty is such a strong risk factor for breast cancer,” says Dr. Bandera, who has a 10-year-old daughter. “Studies have shown if you begin puberty before age 11, your risk of (developing) breast cancer is three times as high.”
In the United States, an estimated 178,480 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Of those, 6,080 were in New Jersey.
“Cancer is such a devastating disease,” Dr. Bandera says. “Between 30 percent and 40 percent could be prevented by a healthy lifestyle.”
Dr. Bandera’s goal is to interview between 100 and 150 girls, ages 9 and 10, in the Princeton area. Currently, Princeton Nassau Pediatrics, Hunterdon Family Practice and Pediatrics in Flemington and RWJ/UMG Somerset Pediatrics in Somerset are referring patients.
However, Dr. Bandera is also recruiting interested girls from the community.
Those participating must live with their biological mother and be able to speak and read English. Girls cannot participate if they have a sister who has the same date of birth, or if they have certain chronic conditions, such as severe chronic asthma, renal disease, epilepsy and Type 1 diabetes.
Eligible girls, with help from their mothers, must complete four steps, Dr. Bandera explains:
1. Mothers sign a consent form; girls sign an assent form.
2. Fill out a questionnaire.
3. Make a home or clinic appointment, during which Dr. Bandera or a field coordinator will collect a morning urine sample and a saliva sample, as well as take body measurements.
4. Undergo a series of 24-hour dietary assessments, which entails the girls tracking what they ate during that time period.
“It’s been a wonderful experience for the mom and the daughter,” Dr. Bandera says. “They all enjoy it, and it’s a great way for them to spend time together and discuss this issue.”
“Puberty is not always easy to talk about,” she adds, “but it’s necessary to talk about.”
As a thank you to participating families, the research team uses the assessment information to compile a dietary analysis for the girls; the report compares the girls’ food intake to the established dietary recommendations.
“Moms really enjoy that because they learn a lot,” Dr. Bandera says.
In addition, the girls receive a $25 gift card and a special “Jersey Girl Study” pen.
The study is a collaboration of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, UMDNJ’s School of Public Health and the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Foundation and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Central and South Jersey affiliate, are funding the study.
Dr. Bandera hopes the study will provide a glimpse into how specific factors, whether environmental, hormonal or nutritional, affect the body. And being aware of those factors, she adds, will benefit thousands of Jersey girls — and possibly save their lives.
“At the end, you’re going to prevent breast cancer because you can intervene,” she says.
For more information or if your daughter is interested in participating in “The Jersey Girl Study,” call (732) 235-9860 or write to [email protected].
