MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL Minn. (Apr. 27, 2005) – The Masonic Cancer Center has received a $2.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to investigate the causes of adult myeloid leukemia in Minnesotans.

Julie Ross, Ph.D., epidemiologist with the Masonic Cancer Center and the School of Public Health, will lead the five-year research study, which will be one of the largest and most comprehensive studies conducted on myeloid leukemia. The study will aim to determine why Minnesota has some of the highest rates of adult leukemia in the United States and provide new information about possible ways to prevent the disease.

Ross and her colleagues will collaborate with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, the Minnesota Department of Health, and oncologists and hospitals in the Twin Cities metro region and throughout the state to conduct the study. They plan to enroll more than 700 Minnesotans between the ages of 20 and 79 who have been diagnosed with myeloid leukemia. The patients will be compared to a control group of more than 700 Minnesotans who do not have the disease.

For more information about the study, call 1-888-CANCER MN.

The Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Awarded more than $80 million in peer-reviewed grants during fiscal year 2003, the Masonic Cancer Center conducts cancer research that advances knowledge and enhances care. The center also engages community outreach and public education efforts addressing cancer. To learn more about cancer, visit the Masonic Cancer Center Web site at www.cancer.umn.edu . For cancer questions, call the Masonic Cancer Center information line at 1-888-CANCER MN (1-888-226-2376) or 612-624-2620 in the metro area.

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Media Contact: Mary Lawson, Public Relations Director, Masonic Cancer Center, 612-624-6165, 612-363-6971 (cell), mlawson@umn.edu.