Frequently Asked Questions No travelling is required at all for this study. All correspondence is done through the post. Once you have completed your Questionnaire and DNA collection using the cheek swab kit, your participation in the Study is complete No bowel samples are required for this study and no medical examinations are involved either. The only sample that we do need is a DNA sample from the inside of your mouth. This is a simple process that involved rubbing a large cotton bud inside your cheek. The DNA sample should come from the inside of your mouth, using the cheek swab kit. For the study to be effective, it's best to complete all parts of your questionnaire and cheek swab kit. However, if you do not feel comfortable completing your cheek swab kit, you can choose not to complete it. We will only be using your DNA sample to look at which genes in your DNA may be related to bowel cancer. Your DNA will not be used for commercial purposes or other research wither now or in the future, so there will be NO DNA banking. All DNA samples will be destroyed at the end of the study (June 2008) or at any time requested (in writing) by you. No, the WA Bowel Health Study is completely separate to the WA Research Tissue Network. No you do not have to change any lifestyle habits. Our Questionnaire only asks about your eating and lifestyle habits from 10 years ago. Yes you are still eligible to participate. Yes you can still take part. All you need to do is make a note on your Consent Form of the approximate date you will be back. We will then send you a Study Pack at the date you have requested. Yes, you are still eligible to partake in the Study. There will be NO other questionnaires you will have to complete later on. There is only the one Questionnaire that needs to be completed for this Study. Once you have completed your Questionnaire and your cheek swab card, that is all that is needed from you in this Study. The majority of us have been touched by bowel cancer somehow, whether it be through a family member or a friend diagnosed with this cancer. If we knew why people developed bowel cancer (more specifically left side versus right side), then we can try to prevent it. We need a large sample of participants (with and without bowel cancer) to make our study valid and we hope that as many people as possible agree to participate. Therefore, we would really appreciate your help in our study. We will provide a summary of our findings to clinicians and other health professionals, so they can give advice to patients. The results will also be used to prevent future bowel cancers from developing in community members through the use of health promotion messages. You may withdraw at any time after you have agreed to take part. If you decide to withdraw from the study, you can choose to let us keep and use the information and sample you have provided, or have it destroyed. If you wish to have your DNA sample and information withdrawn, please notify the Study Director in writing. It will then be discarded in an appropriate and timely manner. If you do NOT wish to participate we will not contact you again.
If you have bowel cancer and do NOT wish to take part, your treatment and the care given to you will not be affected in any way. For cases, that is if you have bowel cancer, we will look at your medical records to collect more information about your cancer, for example the size of the tumour. Information collected in this study will be kept strictly confidential at all times. All records will be kept in locked filing cabinets or in password protected computer files for 7 years, after which they will be destroyed. All records and DNA samples will be numbered and unnamed (to ensure your privacy) and stored in areas of restricted access until the end of the study when they will be destroyed. Overall research results will be made into a report, but no individual can be identified in any report. You are, of course entirely free to NOT answer some of the questions in the questionnaires. We will NOT provide your information to any other agency. No. However your participation in the study will help determine the environmental and genetic risk factors of bowel cancer. This will help future research studies and health promotional programs in the prevention of bowel cancer. If you do decide to take part in this study and return your questionnaire and cheek swab card within 14 days of receiving them, you will go into the draw to win one of four $100 hampers. DNA is the chemical compound which genes are made of and is often referred to as the building blocks of life. Your genes are inherited from both your parents and contains the information that distinguishes who you are. Genes tell us: - whether we are male or female
- the colour of our hair and skin
- which diseases we are at risk of developing
For more simple explanations on what DNA and genes are, you can check out the following links: Wikipedia - Definition of DNA CSIRO's Double Helix Science Club GlaxoSmithKline's Kids Genetics on Genes - for the interactive demo, click on the "More on Genes" icon. If you have speakers on your computer, it would useful to have them turned 'ON' for the audio. GlaxoSmithKline's Kids Genetics on DNA - for the interactive demo, click on the "More on DNA" icon. If you have speakers on your computer, it would useful to have them turned 'ON' for the audio. | 
