Abstract
Background: It is well established that more research into the cause and prevention of breast cancer is needed. While many studies are done in cell lines and laboratory animals, translation of findings to women often falters due to perceived difficulty in recruiting women for research. The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation's (DSLRF) Army of Women® (AOW) program started in 2008 as an on-line resource designed to facilitate the recruitment of women to participate in research aimed at identifying the cause and prevention of breast cancer.
Methods: Researchers submit a proposal to the DSLRF Scientific Advisory Committee. If a study is accepted, a mass e-mail describing the study procedures and inclusion/exclusion criteria is sent to the entire AOW database. Women sign up at www.armyofwomen.org to join and receive AOW e-mails about breast cancer research studies. Women self-select based on interest and study criteria, and undergo a secondary on-line screening before contact information is passed on to the researcher for the enrollment process.
Results: Over 378,000 women have signed up, including survivors and women without a history of breast cancer, ranging from ages 18 to 100, representing all 50 US states and 49 countries. To date, the AOW has recruited for 93 studies, recruiting both regionally and nationally, that vary from biomarker and genetic research to psycho-social and quality of life studies. With more than 89,800 AOW members having participated in the research process, this method of recruitment has been found to be effective and efficient.
The diversity of the AOW members has proved beneficial for many studies, including those enrolling racial/ethnic minorities. To date, the AOW has recruited for six studies focused specifically on African-American women. These studies needed a combined 640 individual African-American subjects and 150 family cohorts; the AOW was successful in recruiting 114 individual participants and 190 family cohorts for the research. The AOW has also been involved in closing the recruitment of three studies for Latinas, all national in scope. For one study, 43 subjects were recruited within 13 days. Additionally, the AOW exceeded a research team's expected recruitment for a study focused on Asian American participants in Northern California.
Conclusions: The AOW has proved to be a successful resource for scientists to accelerate accrual, expand the number and diversity of their subject population and to obtain exactly the type of specimens they need when they need it. This partnership between women and scientists has revolutionized research and accelerated efforts to eradicate breast cancer. The public is ready and willing to partner with the research community to find the answer to urgent clinical problems.
To help expand our reach and include more participants from varying ethnic backgrounds in research studies, DSLRF has launched a pilot initiative, Research Ambassadors for Community Health (ReACH) Program. Through this program we have recruited Los Angeles community members to serve as community liaisons for minority populations to create awareness about participating in breast cancer research. Preliminary data from the pilot launch will be available in 2016.
Citation Format: Susan M. Love, Amaka Obidegwu. An efficient resource to accelerate research into the cause and prevention of breast cancer: The Army of Women®. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr C84.
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