Innovative research is one of the most important aspects of the fight against cancer.

As breast cancer is one of the most common forms of the disease, affecting one in every eight women at some point during their lives, research is particularly vital.

To get a better grasp on what causes the deadly disease, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences started the Sister Study. The NIEHS, in Research Triangle Park, N.C., is a division of the National Institutes of Health.

The study is a long-term research initiative that tracks the lives of women who are the sisters of breast cancer patients.

Participants are asked to remain in the study for at least 10 years.

Dr. Dale Sandler, a leading member of the study, said researchers focused on the sisters of women with breast cancer because the shared genes, experiences, and environment provides a greater chance of identifying the risk factors of the disease.

“We have a greater chance of identifying how interactions between genetic factors and personal experiences contribute to breast cancer risks than in a study of the general population,” Sandler said.

She added while there have been many studies of risk factors of breast cancer, few examine environmental risk factors, and even less have studied exposures and experiences across a women’s lifetime.

And none have been as large as the Sister Study.

More than 50,000 women across the country have signed up to participate in the study since it began in 2004.

Sandler said the size of the population of at-risk women in the study makes it very beneficial to research.

“This makes the Sister Study unique in that we may be able to address questions that other studies cannot because they do not have the necessary information,” she said.

Sandler said the study is important because, while the disease is unfortunately common, the risk factors associated with breast cancer largely remain a mystery to doctors.

“The factors that lead to the development of breast cancer are still not well understood,” she said.

Focusing on the sisters of breast cancer victims is effective because they are twice as likely to develop the disease compared to women who do not have a close relative with the disease.

Through the study, participants provide health updates annually, and complete detailed questionnaire every two or three years.

Since the research began, more than 2,000 women in the study have developed breast cancer.

Sandler said researchers can work with these women to further examine the risks involved with the disease, opening the doors to new understandings.

“We are now able to begin to ask some of the questions women are waiting for us to address,” she said.

Sandler said the ultimate goal is to provide at-risk women with the knowledge needed to help avoid the disease, and to help find better breast cancer treatments.

While the study has a foundation in breast cancer, its results can be used in examining other diseases as well, including heart disease.

Sandler said researchers have received such a positive response because the participants are interested in helping others and helping their sisters.

“In the case of the Sister Study, there is also the close bond that some women have with their sisters that makes them want to do something to contribute to research or honor their sister,” she said.