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By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau

DELHI _ The seventh annual Delaware County Relay for Life begins at 6 p.m. Friday, and organizers are hoping the event will hit the $146,000 goal, which will bring the total raised in seven years to $1 million.

This year, the Delaware County Relay has been selected as an enrollment site for Cancer Prevention Study-3. Enrollment will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday at the American Legion Fields in Delhi.

The American Cancer Society's Department of Epidemiology and Surveillance Research is inviting men and women between the ages of 30 and 65 who have no personal history of cancer to join the historic research study.

The purpose of Cancer Prevention Study-3 is to better understand the lifestyle, behavioral, environmental and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer, and to ultimately eliminate cancer as a major health problem for this and future generations, presenters said.

Ania Stilwell, American Cancer Society spokeswoman, said the Delhi Relay was chosen because it has a large turnout and is a successful rural Relay.

"It is not an exaggeration to say the American Cancer Society is the only organization likely to be able to successfully recruit and retain such a large-scale population for cancer research," said Susan Johnson, the American Cancer Society senior director of events manager.

Participants must be willing to make a long-term commitment to the study. They will be asked to complete a brief written survey, provide a waist measurement and give a small blood sample at the enrollment site.

After that, follow-up surveys will be sent to participants' homes on a regular basis over the next few decades to update health-behavior information.

Researchers will use the data from the Cancer Prevention Study to build on evidence from a series of American Cancer Society studies that began in the 1950s and involved hundreds of thousands of volunteer participants.

Participants need not be involved in the Relay For Life to enroll.

Those studies confirmed the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, showed that obesity increases the risk of several cancers and linked aspirin use to a lower death rate from colon cancer.

"CPS-3 is a great way for local people to be directly involved in finding a cure for cancer," said Amy Beveridge, co-director of the Delaware County Relay. "This is our chance to participate in the research that will find a cure."

Kathleen Morley, SPS-3 co-chair, said the sign-up process only takes about 20 minutes.

"I can't wait to enroll," said Christina Viafore, co-director of the Delaware County Relay. "It is so exciting to have had our Relay chosen as an enrollment site and have a chance to be a part something truly incredible."

"We need people who are willing to make this commitment," Morley said. "I know of one girl and her mother who have been part of the breast cancer study for 20 years." Morley said the study is confidential.

"It's all pretty interesting," Morley said. "I'm excited."

Viafore said there are 53 teams made up of 739 participants in the Delaware County Relay this year.

The Bassett Cancer Coach will also be at the event doing screenings, Viafore said.

The theme for this year's decorations is rock bands, but Viafore said she didn't have any idea what people have planned.

Raegan Koenig has choreographed a dance called the "Hope Hop" that the Relay for Life committee members and team captains will perform following the opening laps of the Relay.