Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 10, 1 October 1986 — Study Needs Hawaiian Families or Patients [ARTICLE]

Study Needs Hawaiian Families or Patients

Research to find out why native Hawaiians suffer the highest incidence of breast and lung cancer are still being conducted by Clara Y. Ching, Ph.D and Dr. Richard Kekuni Blaisdell. Dr. Ching reported that 12 Hawaiians responded to a Ka Wai Ola O OHA story in the July issue for volunteers to participate in a Hawaiian cancer family study. Dr. Ching, an immunobiologist, is principal investigator in the study while Dr. Blaisdell is co-investigator. The study is being conducted through a National Cancer Institute grant awarded the Hawaii Biological Response Modifiers Research Laboratory (HI-BRM), a part of the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii.

The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, under acting director Dr. Tom Humphreys, has been recruiting only normal healthy Hawaiians for their study. Dr. Ching explains, however, that her cancer research differs in that "we focus on the cancer patient and his family to identify possible immunologic and genetic deficiencies whieh may predispose them to cancer." Her study, therefore, is particularly interested in families with a history of cancer or in the patients themselves.

Volunteers for this immunobiology research are still needed and they may contact Dr. Ching at telephone 595-2753 or they may submit their names, addresses, home and work phone numbers to Hawaii Biological Response Modifiers Research Laboratory, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, St. Francis Hospital, Sullivan 477, 2230 Liliha St., Honolulu, Hawaii 96817. f