UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is participating in a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Female Asian Never Smoker (FANS) study. It’s being led by researchers from UCSF Health, UC Davis Health and Stanford Medicine, and has recently expanded into Sacramento County.
An estimated 57% of Asian American females diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked, compared to about 15% of all other women.
One of the principal investigators is Moon Chen Jr., senior advisor to the cancer center director. Chen is a leading expert on the cancer burden confronting Asian Americans.
“Lung cancer among never-smokers has now emerged as the single most glaring and under-studied cancer health disparity affecting Asian American women,” Chen said. “FANS is a study that looks at a wide range of genetic, behavioral, biological and environmental factors and includes the collection of blood and saliva samples.”
FANS is the first, largest and only NIH-funded study to examine this phenomenon. Sacramento County residents recently became eligible to enroll in the study, which initially focused on other California counties with high Asian American populations.
Who is eligible?
Asian American females with and without lung cancer are encouraged to enroll if they have:
- Never smoked
- Are between the ages 21 and 90
- Live within any of the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Monterey, Orange, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, or Santa Cruz
Eligible participants also include the spouse, adult offspring, sibling, close relatives or close friends of someone who was diagnosed and passed away from lung cancer within the past 18 months.
What is required of participants?
- Completion of a survey that takes approximately 45 minutes (via phone, online or by mail)
- Collection of a small saliva sample (in the privacy of your own home)
- For lung cancer patients or survivors, permission to access lung tissue that was removed during surgery or a biopsy
How do participants benefit?
By participating, you can help researchers understand more about the factors leading to lung cancer in Asian American women, which is also the leading cause of death for this population.
Participants in the study will receive a $75 gift card in appreciation. If you are interested in joining this study, please email fansstudy@ucsf.edu or call 833-326-7883.
