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The Sister Study Exit Disclaimer, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, is prospectively examining environmental and familial risk factors for breast cancer and other health outcomes in a cohort of 50,884 sisters of women who had breast cancer. The study enrolled volunteers aged 35-74 years living in the US and Puerto Rico; enrollment opened in August 2003 and closed in July 2009. The cohort will be followed for 10 or more years. With its prospective design, the study will also allow evaluation of factors that influence long-term survival and general health following breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.


The Sister Study welcomes proposals for collaborative studies from within NIEHS and the wider scientific community. Proposals will be reviewed by the Sister Study to insure scientific merit and to protect the integrity of the study and the confidentiality of participants. Acceptable study topics will take advantage of the unique characteristics of the Sister Study cohort, and must not have been previously planned or be under consideration by Sister Study investigators. Because projects will benefit from the active involvement of a Sister Study investigator, applicants should establish collaboration(s) with at least one Sister Study investigator based on the proposed study topic and investigator interests. Sister Study approval must be obtained before grants are submitted to support collaborative studies using Sister Study data. For further information on data and specimen access and the review process, please refer to Data/Specimen Access Policies and Procedures.


To propose a collaborative research study, please register on this website and follow the instructions to apply. Registered users can access Sister Study STaRS by clicking the login button located on the upper right corner of this page. You will first be asked to submit a short study concept. If approved, you will be invited to prepare a more-detailed study proposal.