Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death with an estimated 52,000 deaths from just this disease in 2007. In response to the increasing rate of colorectal cancer, SELECT researchers have opened a new sub-study, the Adenomatous Colorectal Polyps (ACP) study, to look at the effects of selenium and vitamin E on colorectal cancer and colorectal adenoma occurrence. Colorectal adenomas are small growths in the colon that may eventually turn into cancer.

The purpose of ACP is to determine whether treatment with selenium or vitamin E alone or combined, will reduce or prevent the occurrence of colorectal adenomas and colorectal cancers.

SELECT participants who have reported that they have received a colon screening procedure (sigmoidoscopy and/or colonoscopy) since they’ve been enrolled in SELECT may be eligible for this special ancillary study. Participants who enroll in the ACP study will be asked to sign a medical release form and also be willing to allow the release of tissues that were collected during each colon screening procedure.

ACP is open for enrollment as of June 3, 2008. Specific SELECT Study Sites have been invited to participate in the ACP study. To find out whether your Study Site is participating, contact your SELECT Study Site.

For more information about this study, please email: SELECTacp@azcc.arizona.edu.

 

If you are eligible for SELECT, you may also be eligible for a study on Alzheimer's Disease called PREADVISE: Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease by Vitamin E and Selenium.

PREADVISE is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and is coordinated by the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. To get more information about Alzheimer's Disease and PREADVISE, please visit http://www.mc.uky.edu/preadvise.

 

COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is a group of diseases that include chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthmatic bronchitis. The common symptom is shortness of breath.

Over 15 million Americans have COPD, and it is the fourth leading cause of death in the US. COPD is a silent disease in its early stages. It can only be detected by a lung function test called spirometry. It is important to diagnose COPD early, when treatments and medications can help stop the progress of the disease.

The overall objective of RAS is to understand whether supplements being studied in SELECT impact the loss of lung function experienced with aging, which is higher in persons smoking cigarettes.

This study closed to accrual in 2007. Specific SELECT Study Sites were invited to participate in RAS. All smokers at these study sites were invited to participate, as well as a random selection of former smokers. SELECT scientists and staff would like to extend their thanks to those participants who enrolled in this ancillary study!

For more information about the Respiratory Ancillary Study, contact your SELECT Study Site, or email SelectRAS@cornell.edu. 

 

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataract are two leading causes of visual impairment in older Americans. AMD is a disease that affects the central vision, and is the leading cause of visual problems and blindness with about 25% of people over 65 years showing some AMD. Cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens that causes loss of vision. More than 50% of adults in the U.S. aged 75 years and older suffer from visually significant cataract. Some evidence suggests that the dietary supplements (selenium and vitamin E) being studied in SELECT might prevent these eye problems. The SELECT Eye Endpoints (SEE) study will look at this question in a large group of SELECT participants already assigned to take one, both or neither of these supplements.

Approximately 2,150 SELECT participants are expected to report a diagnosis of cataract and 820 participants are expected to report a diagnosis of AMD over the duration of the trial. These participants will be asked to sign a release for their medical records about their diagnosis.

The decision to release medical records and information to contact the participant's eye doctor for each applicable eye diagnosis will be the extent of participation in this study.

For questions or more information regarding the SEE study, contact your SELECT Study Site or email selecteye@rics.bwh.harvard.edu.