Relay for Life Will Be Local Site for New Cancer Study This Year
This year's Relay for Life is a little different -- the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society will also be a site for local residents to participate in a long-term study on the genetics of cancer.
Local Relay for Life coordinator and Peabody resident Steve Burke is a self-declared "Equal Opportunity Cancer Hater," and he along with the American Cancer Society are encouraging people who don't have the disease to participate in a cancer prevention study that will explore the genetic link and causes of cancer at this year's relay this summer. "What we're trying to find out is if you eliminate smoking, drug abuse and environmental issues, will people still get cancer?" Burke explained. "We know if you smoke, there is a higher probablility of lung cancer. Cancer can also be caused by living in a toxic environment that hasn't been cleaned up." "Researchers are looking for genetic markers to develop vaccines to prevent cancer from occuring…
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