Cancer and chronic diseases affect everyone in some way. In Alberta:
- 1 out of every 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer sometime in their life, and 1 out of every 4 people diagnosed with cancer will die from it.
- 1 in 3 people in Canada are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, and 1 in 12 are living with heart disease.
Alberta's Tomorrow Project (ATP) was formed to find out more about what causes cancer and chronic diseases to help prevent them in the future. It is the largest research study ever done in Alberta.
Can I take part in the study?
At this time, recruitment is closed. The recruitment was open from 2000 to 2015, and about 55,000 Albertans signed up to take part in the study.
What is asked of study participants?
People who joined the study were asked to stay involved for up to 50 years. Over the course of the study, people have filled out health and lifestyle surveys and gone to study centres to give blood, urine, or saliva samples. Now that recruitment is complete, participants are asked to complete health and lifestyle surveys every 2 to 3 years.
ATP is also a research platform. The data and samples are available for researchers to better understand who develops cancer and chronic diseases, who doesn’t, why, and how to prevent and treat these health problems.
Is the study just in Alberta?
In 2008, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project joined other provinces to form The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath). Over 330,000 Canadians have joined the national study. The results from both the provincial and national studies will help to find new ways to prevent cancer and other long-term health problems for future generations.
Alberta's Tomorrow Project is funded by Alberta Health, the Alberta Cancer Foundation, and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Health Canada, and is based in CancerCare Alberta at Alberta Health Services.
