Sisters Unite

The Family Connection

While there have been many studies to examine the connection between women who have breast cancer and their mothers and grandmothers, looking at the link between sisters is also vital for understanding the disease, Juras says. “Sisters are in the same age group, and have also been exposed to the same environmental things,” she says. “Also, they tend to have similar lifestyles, and live near each other.” The NIEHS would also like to embark on a study with mothers and daughters, but because of the age differences, the research would take decades. The Sister Study’s ten-year span may seem like a long time, but a similar study of the general population would take even longer.

While sisters are involved in their siblings’ disease, being part of a study helps alleviate some of their fears when they learn a sister has cancer, says Leslie Foreman, nurse clinician at The Breast Center of United Hospital in St. Paul.

“Many women do come in because their sister or mother has breast cancer, and they’re worried about their risk,” she says. “Taking a more active approach, like putting a plan together with us, or doing more with prevention, does seem to help. Certainly the Sister Study has motivated a lot of women to feel passionate about the issue and get more informed.”

Another recent study by the University of Minnesota examined the role of Omega-3 fats in relation to women with breast cancer and their sisters. One Minneapolis participant, Jodi Ritacca, expressed the type of anxiety about the disease that is common among women with breast cancer in their family history. Her sister, Chris, had been in remission before the cancer reappeared last June.

“My sister and I are only thirteen months apart, and I think I do all the right things and eat properly, but so did she,” Ritacca says. “If she can get it, why not me next time?”

Being in the U of M study didn’t alleviate those concerns for Ritacca, but it did make her feel as if she was contributing toward a cure, rather than just hoping for the best. “Maybe there’s something in the study that would help save my sister’s life, or the life of someone else’s sister, or even my own life,” she says. “When you can make that kind of difference, it overrides that sense of anxiety.”

Other women in the state have also noted that being part of a study gives them a sense of momentum, as well as optimism. Simply giving information or showing willingness to be part of a study or clinical trial can seem minor, but they feel the effects could be major down the line.

When Lilly Berman, a Twin Cities native, found out she had breast cancer only two months after her sister, Evie Ingber, received the same diagnosis, both women were asked to be part of a clinical drug trial, and neither hesitated for a moment. “We both had the same idea, that we wanted to be part of it because we’d be going through treatment anyway, so why not do some good at the same time?” Berman says. “We were already sharing the experience of being diagnosed and going through chemotherapy, so we figured what the heck, we can do this together, too.”

Study participation also illuminates the high risk factors that come with having a sister who has the disease. Meyers notes that before she signed up, she had no idea that her cancer risk was 50 percent higher than other women.

“To say it was eye-opening is an understatement,” she says. “I don’t feel anxious, because it will either happen or it won’t. But at least I know my risks, and if it does happen to me, I’ll feel good for having participated in the study.”