You can help by donating a tissue sample to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Ology Spa at the Clarian North Medical Center, 11700 North Meridian St., Carmel.
A tissue sample will be taken from one breast with a needle and local anesthesia. The amount of tissue taken is about one gram (or the size of two peas).
To participate, women must:
- be age 18 or older
- have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign an informed consent
- be willing to give one hour of their time to complete a questionnaire and a breast biopsy
- not be allergic to local anesthetics (numbing medicine)
- not be receiving a therapeutic blood thinner (this does not include aspirin)
- not have breast implants or have had a breast reduction
To register, visit www.komentissuebank.iu.edu or contact Casey Allen by phone at (317) 274-0594 or by e-mail at calallen@iupui.edu. By collecting samples from women with and without breast cancer, researchers will be able to determine the differences between these populations, which could lead to a better understanding of the disease. Samples taken from women without the disease are especially helpful because there are few collections of so-called “normal” specimens. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center will ultimately give researchers valuable and unprecedented research data.