MERIT Program

Finding New Ways to Detect Breast Cancer

Mammography is currently the standard of care for the detection of breast cancer throughout the world. However, it cannot detect all breast cancers, including some cancers in women who have dense breast tissues. The MERIT study is testing new technologies, including blood tests and imaging techniques, to improve breast cancer detection for all women.

Led by the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, MERIT is an acronym for: Mammography, Early detection biomarkers, Risk assessment and Imaging Technologies. The study is also addressing women’s health issues to reduce breast cancer risk by initiating interventional studies, and the study has set goals to:

  • Establish a prospective, longitudinal cohort of average-risk women undergoing annual screening mammography – 5-year follow up of 10,000 participants

  • Create a biorepository of blood specimens for biomarker discovery and validation

  • Create an integrated database of imaging, clinical data, health measurements and questionnaire data

  • Discover blood biomarkers for early detection of breast cancer and/or other cancers

  • Install instrument and initiate research studies for contrast-enhanced mammography

Contribute to the Mission - Join the Program

MERIT is currently looking for additional participants for our program. You can join our cohort study that will help improve breast cancer screening for future generations.

The MERIT research team is seeking up to 10,000 women to participate in the study. Each participant receives a $25 gift card. You may be eligible to participate in this study if you:

  • Are a woman between the ages of 25-80 who receives annual screening mammograms

  • Have not had breast cancer

  • Have not been treated for other cancers within the last five years (not including non-melanoma skin cancer or in-situ cervical cancer)

  • Have not breast fed within the last six months

  • Are willing to complete a questionnaire and provide blood samples

The program is also welcoming additional donors who may not be able to join the cohort, but would like to support it with a tax-deductible financial gift.

Click here if you’re interested in donating to our continued studies.

Program Head

Samir M. Hanash, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Samir Hanash, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of the Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He has more than 40 years of experience as a physician and researcher in cancer prevention, detection and treatment.

In addition to supervising MD Anderson's MERIT Program, he recently led the Proteomics platform for the center's Moon Shots Program. The program used cancer proteomics to help identify which proteins are useful for advances in cancer diagnostics, imaging and treatments.

Dr. Hanash holds multiple positions at MD Anderson, including:

  • Director, Department of Red and Charline McCombs Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer

  • Co-Director, Department of Center for Global Cancer Early Detection

  • Distinguished Chair, Department of Evelyn & Sol Rubenstein Distinguished Chair for Cancer Prevention

  • Professor, Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention - Research, Division of OVP, Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences

  • Professor, Department of Department of Molecular Pathology, Division of Pathology/Lab Medicine

He received his MD and Bachelor of Science degrees in human genetics from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, and he holds a Ph.D. in human genetics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.