One Million Strong Starts with One-YOU

The Love/Avon Army of Women, an initiative of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, thanks to a generous grant from the Avon Foundation for Women offers a revolutionary new opportunity for YOU to partner with research scientists to move breast cancer beyond a cure.

What is involved?

• Register TODAY and provide us with very basic information such as your name, email, age, city, and state of residence.
• You will receive email updates from us announcing new research studies looking for volunteers with or without breast cancer, just like you. There are many different types of studies. Some might require you to complete a questionnaire, while others might need a sample of blood, urine, saliva, breast fluid, or breast tissue. Some studies might be clinical trials testing a new detection marker or drug. You decide which studies you want to take part in. The email will detail the research project and who and what the researchers need.
• If you fit the criteria and you’d like to participate, all you need to do is “RSVP” and let us know you’ve accepted our “Call to Action.” You will be asked to go through an online screening process to confirm you fit the criteria for the study.
• Once we confirm your eligibility for the specific study, your information will be given to the researcher conducting the study and you will be contacted by the researcher for a secondary screening to make sure you meet the study criteria and answer any questions you might have about study participation.
• You are in complete control and you self select what you want to do! You will never be pressured to take part in any study. The decision to take part is yours — and yours alone.

Breast cancer has been around for decades, but it does not have to be our future. We can be the generation that eliminates breast cancer by identifying what causes this disease and stopping it before it starts. Sign up for your sister, mother, daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and the woman you met last week.

Have more questions? Visit our FAQ

Ready to sign up Today?

Current AOW Studies Looking for Volunteers

Sleep, Circadian Hormonal Dysregulation and Breast Cancer Survival
Too much stress and not enough sleep are two things that many women know all too well. Could they be linked to breast cancer? That is what a group of researchers at Stanford University want to find out. They are studying the effect that stress and sleep-related hormones may have on the immune system and cancer progression.

The BEAM Study
Today, doctors rely on a woman’s personal and family medical history to help them figure out if she is at higher than average risk of developing breast cancer. But this method is far from perfect. Many women who develop breast cancer don’t have any of the known risk factors. And many women who have all of the known risk factors never get the disease. Clearly, we need a better way to tell who is at risk. And that’s what the BEAM (Breast Estrogen and Methylation) study is all about: Finding a better way to predict a woman’s breast cancer risk. Three hundred women are needed for this study.

DCIS and BRCA1 and BRCA2 Study
The goal of this study is to learn more about the genetic material, called DNA, of women who have had DCIS and have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation. This DNA can be obtained through a saliva sample. Studying DNA might help us to better understand the prognosis and outcome for this group of women and to find out whether there is a relationship between DCIS, BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Discovery of Early Markers of Breast Cancer
The research team is analyzing normal breast tissue from benign biopsies for evidence of DNA damage in breast cells and then investigating whether the presence of this DNA damage can predict who will develop breast cancer later in life. This study will happen in two phases. Currently, the researchers are looking for women who had a normal breast biopsy and went on to develop breast cancer. In a few months, they will be enrolling women who had a normal breast biopsy but did NOT go on to develop breast cancer. By recruiting both women who did develop breast cancer and women who did not, the research team will be able to look for markers in the breast cells that might be an indicator of breast cancer risk. This Call to Action is for women who had a benign breast biopsy and then developed breast cancer.

The Milk Study: Using Breast Milk to Screen for Breast Cancer and Assess Breast-Cancer Risk
The purpose of this study is to determine if breast cancer and breast cancer risk can be accurately assessed from a breast milk sample. Currently, there is no accurate way to give women information about their personal risk of developing breast cancer. We will use the cells naturally present in breast milk to examine changes in DNA that occur in association with benign and cancerous breast lesions. Learning about the genetic changes associated with both breast cancer and non-cancerous breast lesions will help us develop a way to provide women with information about their breast cancer risk. Using breast milk to screen for breast cancer will reduce unnecessary biopsies among nursing women.

Pathways to Recovery After Breast Cancer
In an effort to find the best way to empower women with the information they need as they begin to live their lives after breast cancer, researchers across the nation and the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service have developed a study that is investigating the best way to provide post-treatment education materials via the Internet or CD-Rom, to breast cancer survivors.

Genomic Markers of Breast Cancer Prevention Induced by hCG in Women at High Risk
Because pregnancy and breastfeeding appear to reduce breast cancer risk in women, including those with a BRCA1 or 2 mutation, researchers are interested in seeing if giving hormones that mimic pregnancy can change these high risk women’s breast tissue in ways that appear to reduce their risk. The researchers are looking for 18 women for this study.

The Impact of Colonic Microbiota on Breast Cancer
The purpose of this study is to find out what type of bacteria can be found in the intestines and to look at the way the bacteria metabolize estrogen and other female hormones. The bacteria of women who have never had breast cancer will be compared to the bacteria of women who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Thirty (30) women who have never had breast cancer are needed for this study.

Protocol for Narrowing the Gap in Adjuvant Therapy
African American women are more likely to die of breast cancer than Caucasian women, even though fewer African American women are getting breast cancer each year and screening use has improved. This difference has gotten worse over the past 20 years. The Gap Study was designed to gather the information needed to better understand the differences in breast cancer treatment experiences between Black/African American Women and White/European American Women. The researchers want to know more about how to improve the survival rates of women with breast cancer.

Yoga for Breast Cancer Survivors: Effects on Fatigue, Immune Function, and Mood
Breast cancer survivors can have a lot of post-treatment problems, such as fatigue, depression, and a decrease in physical function. It is possible that physical activities, like yoga, could help ease these symptoms. This is a study about how yoga affects fatigue, immune function, and mood of women treated for breast cancer.

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Study and the Glucosamine and Chondroitin Study
The research team is conducting two studies. One is investigating the effectiveness of Omega-3 fatty acid. The other is investigating the effectiveness of Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Both studies are assessing whether a dietary supplement can reduce the joint pain and stiffness associated with the aromatase inhibitors used to treat breast cancer.

Combination of Low-Dose Anti-Estrogens with Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Prevention of Hormone-Independent Breast Cancer
The purpose of this study is to find out if combining raloxifene with a dietary supplement called omega-3 fatty acid has an effect on breast density or urine and blood chemicals associated with breast cancer development.

Early Detection of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Using Exhaled Breath Markers
The research team is using specially trained dogs and a chemical test to analyze breath samples for substances called biomarkers that may be useful in diagnosing ovarian cancer. This type of research has been done before with breast and lung cancer.

Healing Choices for Women With Breast Cancer Study
Researchers throughout the country are working with the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service to determine the best way to get information to women who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The information is about treatment options and it can help women in making their decisions. The researchers want to find out the best way to deliver the information: by mail in the form of print materials, by the internet, or by CD-Rom. The study is called Healing Choices for Women with Breast Cancer.

Breathe for Hot Flashes
There is not a lot known about how women can manage hot flashes without hormones. Some breathing methods have helped hot flashes, but more research is needed to see if these breathing methods can be put into widespread use.

Identification of Novel Genetic Risk Factors that Contribute to the Risk for Breast Cancer
The purpose of the study is to learn what genetic factors may play a role in the development of breast cancer in young women. The researchers need to recruit 5,000 women who were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer when they were 40 years old or younger for this study.

Tai Chi Effects on Chronic Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors: Immune Mechanisms
The purpose of this study is to determine whether Tai Chi or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can change sleep patterns and reduce insomnia. The study will also investigate whether Tai Chi or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy changes levels of the immune cell products that are known to alter sleep. It will also assess individual genetic differences in immune cell products and their possible relationship to insomnia.

Urine and Tumor Markers Study
The purpose of this study is to evaluate urinary markers and tumor markers in women with breast cancer to find out if these markers can be used to evaluate some potential therapies against breast cancer. It is also possible that these markers could help determine who would benefit from these potential new therapies.

We Stand Ready to Help You

The Love/Avon Army of Women, a partnership between the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, and the Avon Foundation for Women, is dedicated to accelerating research into the cause and prevention of breast cancer. Our goal is to form partnerships between women and scientists.

The Army of Women members are eager to work with any researcher who is involved in or contemplating research in understanding the cause and prevention of breast cancer. The Army of Women can ACCELERATE your research, and give you ACCESS to over 300,000 women willing to give tissue, fluid, blood or information.

We have established key relationships with the American Association for Cancer Research and the National Breast Cancer Coalition. As our collaborators, both organizations are assisting with the recruitment of scientists and women, and both organizations also hold positions on the Army of Women Steering Committee and the Scientific Advisory Committee.

Look for us at your upcoming research or medical meeting!

Learn more about how we can accelerate your research

Collaborators

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Aug 24th, 2010

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Aug 12th, 2010

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Jul 19th, 2010

The Army of Women Ovarian Study Posted by drlove at 1:40 pm | 26 Comments

Jun 18th, 2010

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ArmyofWomen: CALL TO ACTION: New study enrolling #breastcancer patients in HOUSTON, TX with benign biopsies after Jan 2000 http://bit.ly/c8Am9S
Posted: September 3, 2010 at 6:37 pm

ArmyofWomen: #breastcancer does not have to be in our future - We can be the generation that eliminates it. Take action at http://bit.ly/dcbcJt12
Posted: September 3, 2010 at 9:15 am

ArmyofWomen: 5,000 young #breastcancer survivors ANYWHERE in the US and CANADA are needed for a Genetic Risk Factors Study http://bit.ly/cqyMhL
Posted: September 3, 2010 at 5:00 am

ArmyofWomen: One Voice #breastcancer video - Join the movement to go beyond the cure http://bit.ly/ayko2l
Posted: September 2, 2010 at 9:15 am

ArmyofWomen: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN with Stage I, II, or III #breastcancer in the US are needed for the Gap Study http://bit.ly/dcbcJ15
Posted: September 2, 2010 at 5:00 am

The Latest AOW News

• Posted on: June 10, 2010
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• Posted on: June 4, 2010
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• Posted on: June 3, 2010
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• Posted on: November 16, 2009
  "Recruiting an Army of Women to Fight Breast Cancer" featured in the LA Times
• Posted on: October 5, 2009
  "Million in the Mirror" For Breast Cancer Research Wins the Love/Avon Army of Women PSA Contest
• Posted On: October 1, 2009
  An Army of Healthy Women and Survivors Unite to Find the Cause of Breast Cancer
• Posted On: September 29, 2009
  AOW featured in Glamour Magazine