Report On The Atlantic Path Cancer Research Project

Posted by Wayne Gillis

on Dec 09, 2011

Rotarian Wayne Gillis presented his report on the Atlantic Path project. Thank you to all who participated.

Background

This was an “ad-hoc” project of our Club to help researchers learn more about the causes of cancer. Tony Loring of Atlantic Path was a lunch-time speaker at our Club in mid-2011 to tell us about this project and to ask for our help in recruiting participants to complete questionnaires. The goal of this $42 million national research study was to determine why some people get cancer and others don’t, and why cancer rates are (much) higher in some areas in Canada. The national diagnostic rate is 25%, but in Atlantic Canada it is 33%! 30,000 of the 300,000 participants are from Atlantic Canada. People from age 18 to 69 could participate in the study.

The Research

The study consisted of: a national questionnaire, a special Atlantic Canada questionnaire, clipping toenail samples, taking body measurements and a well water sample. The questions centered on: family health, genetics, lifestyle and diet. All parts of the study were optional for the participants, and information was confidential. Completing the questionnaires required careful thought and over an hour of time from each participant, and it is acknowledged that this process was likely more onerous than most people anticipated. But if finding the causes of cancer was easy,… then these questionnaires would have been easy.

Process

“Rotarian Champions” were recruited starting at the Oct. 3^rd weekly meeting; “Champions” then recruited participants; KITS were distributed to participants starting on the Oct. 20^th weekly meeting, and completed kits started showing-up at the Oct. 27^th weekly meeting. Some KITS were slow to be returned – either completed or not completed, and our 3^rd (and final) shipment was sent to Dalhousie on Friday Dec. 9^th.

Project Results

Atlantic Path considers a completion rate above 80% to be a successful campaign in a (more controlled) “workplace environment”. Our Club distributed 244 KITS (net of 53 KITS that were returned unopened or unused). 209 KITS have been completed by participants and are now at Atlantic Path – a completion rate of 86%. 35 KITS remain outstanding, and they have either been; destroyed, or the participants are still promising to complete and/or mail.

Conclusions

This has been a great “one time” project of our Club to help our greater community – not by donating money, and not by doing the scientific research, but by recruiting volunteers to provide critical information for the researchers to analyze.

Our Club also received some publicity this fall from 2 articles c/w photos in the Truro Daily News regarding the project.

21 Club Members signed-up as “Champions” to recruit participants, and they averaged 10 participants each. Noteworthy “Champions” are: Brian Matthews with 23 completed KITS, Richard Bowness 21, Dave Mills 19, Marilyn Brown 17, and Mike Topley 14.

A special thank-you to: the Board and the Club for their support of the project; the “21 Rotarian Champions” who recruited, distributed, followed-up and collected the KITS; and the 209 participants who believed that this study was important for the future health of family and friends, and actually completed the KITS.

Follow-up

On behalf of our Club, I plan to ask Atlantic Path annually for any reports on the ongoing results of their research.

Wayne Gillis

Coordinator - Atlantic Path Project

Rotary Club Of Truro

“Rotarian Champions”

Brian Matthews

Chester MacPhee

Christine Blair

Dave Mills

Heather-Anne Grant

Jim Goit

Jim Gould

Joanna Chrsitianson

Jody Mattie

Judy Nicholson

Keith Gillis

Ken MacLean

Kevin Quinlan

Larry Beazley

Marilyn Brown

Matt Fraser

Mike Haines

Mike Topley

Richard Bowness

Sharon Corcoran

Wayne Gillis