DECATUR - Diane Drew is one of 3 million people in 42 counties who will continue to benefit from local cancer research for the next five years, thanks to a new $4.5 million federal grant.

Currently, about 170 studies are being conducted by a network of research bodies in Decatur, Springfield, Elgin and affiliates of each. The studies focus on cancer prevention, treatment and management of symptoms.

Drew, a 57-year-old Decatur woman, has participated in a national prevention trial, the study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, for three years. Although she does not have breast cancer, she qualified for the clinical trial because her mother, Lucy Riley of Texas, is a 12-year survivor.

She said she committed to the five years of preventative treatment in hopes of protecting her three daughters, two granddaughters and other women from the disease.

"If there's anything I can do to prevent them from getting breast cancer, then what's taking two pills?" Drew said Thursday morning. She attended the announcement of the new funding along with Dr. James Wade III, medical oncologist and founder of Cancer Care Specialists of Central Illinois.

Wade was named principal investigator for the Central Illinois Community Clinical Oncology Program, which received the federal funding from the National Cancer Institute. In the first year, more than $928,000 will be split among the group's two components: Decatur Memorial Hospital and Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.

The funding also will reach patients involved in clinical trials through affiliates, such as Cancer Care Specialists of Central Illinois, which partners with St. Mary's Hospital Cancer Care Center in Decatur, Crossroads Cancer Center in Effingham, Sarah Bush Lincoln Regional Cancer Center in Mattoon and outreach clinics as far away as Fairfield in Wayne County. Other affiliates include Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Springfield Clinic, the Central Illinois Hematology Oncology Center of Springfield and Southern Illinois University of Medicine.

Wade said evidence of past successes and community support strengthened the scorecard reviewed by an independent panel of judges.

"We couldn't do this without support from primary care physicians, radiologists, internists, gynecologists," Wade said. "They all play a role."

He said communities with research programs stay ahead of the curve in cancer prevention and treatments. One recent example included the results of a local study that allowed a new treatment, a combination of Herceptin and chemotherapy, to become the new standard for women with an aggressive type of breast cancer. The treatment reduces the chance of cancer returning by half.

"We knew the results in March," Wade said, which was seven months before the New England Journal of Medicine published the study this month.

Wade said with the new funding, the goal is to find new patients who are eligible to participate in the studies. To learn more, call 876-6620.

Bethany Carson can be reached at bcarson@herald-review.com or 421-6968.