Breast Cancer Central

Black Women Receive the Worst Medical Care

From Womens ENews

While some racial disparities in healthcare appear to be lessening, over the last decade, African American women are still treated the worst, reported Reuters on Wednesday. Findings concluded that black women have the highest mortality rate and are less likely to receive needed cardiac treatment, followed by black men and then white women.

"The corrective actions we have taken to close the gap over the past decade are simply not enough," said National Medical Association President, Dr. Sandra Gadson. Gadson said that the 2002 recommendations to increase cultural competency and diversity in healthcare providers, made by the Institute of Medicine, a nonprofit organization providing science-based advice, need to be enforced.

Although this study was done on cardiac treatment, given the high mortality for black women with breast cancer, I would theorize that this holds true in this arena as well.

Newsworthy People Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

October 2004

Mary Perdue, wife of Georgia governor, Sonny Perdue
Dr. Marla Shapiro, medical consultant to CTV
Melissa Etheridge, rock star
Bridget Dunnington, daughter of the Stanford Baseball Coach
Deanna Favre, wife of Bret Favre, NFL Quarterback

November 2004
Elizabeth Edwards, wife of vice-presidential candidate, John Edwards
Dolores Briones, El Paso County Judge
Mary K. Mumford Wagner, former South Dakota state legislator and longtime educator, died Nov 12, 2004

December 2004
M. Jodi Rell, governor of Connecticut
Maureen Cleary, wife of former Omaha City Councilman Jim Cleary, died Dec 29, 2004

January 2005
Wendy Mesley, the Gemini-winning CBC journalist and host of Marketplace
Kay Yow, North Carolina State's women's basketball coach (reccurence)
John King, crew chief for NASCAR driver Jerrod Sessler
Patsy Rowland, actress, died  Jan 23, 2005
Kathleen Joyce Nelson, senior director of legislative affairs died Jan 29.2005 (Washington DC)

May 2005
Kylie Minogue, Australian rock star

Beans may cut risk of breast cancer

4/11/2005 - Eating beans or lentils at least twice a week may reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, according to research designed to investigate the benefits of the plant compounds flavonols. 

Reporting in the 20 April issue of the International Journal of Cancer (vol 114, issue 4, pp 628-33), researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston said that while they found no overall association between intake of flavonols and risk of breast cancer,”there was an inverse association with intake of beans or lentils that merits further evaluation”.

The Komen Foundation Provides Top 10 Facts on Komen Race Series

DALLAS, April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's 2005 Komen Race for the Cure® season welcomes its new partnership with Coldwater Creek as National Series Sponsor.  Coldwater Creek joins National Series Presenting Sponsor Yoplait, and other Official Race Series Partners American Airlines, Ford Division, Kellogg's®, New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc., Quilted Northern Ultra® and Silk Soymilk.  In addition, RE/MAX and Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity co-sponsor the Komen Race for the Cure® National Series Breast Cancer Survivor Recognition Program, celebrating breast cancer survivorship and honoring those who have lost their battles to the disease.

Although many people have participated in the Komen Race for the Cure® Series, many don't know it is the signature program of the Komen Foundation and the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world.  The Komen Race for the Cure® Series, now in its 22nd season, has raised more than $453 million since 1984.  In addition to raising funds, the Komen Race for the Cure® Series is committed to educating the public about early detection, the most proven method of surviving this life-threatening disease.

In celebration of the 2005 season, the following is a list of 10 basic facts sometimes unknown by the millions of people who already participate in the Komen Race For the Cure®.

     1.  A Sign is Born
         The first wide-spread use of a pink ribbon as a symbol for breast
         cancer awareness was at the Komen National Race for the Cure® in
         1990 in Washington D.C.  Participants were given a pink ribbon to
         wear as a symbol of hope as they crossed the finish line.

     2.  Impressive Totals
         More than one million participants will take part in the 2005 Komen
         Race Series, walking over 3.7 million miles and drinking more than
         3.6 million cups of water along the way!!

     3.  Miles of Pink
         More than 90,000 Komen Race for the Cure® signature breast cancer
         survivor T-shirts will be printed -- using more than 135,000 yards of
         pink cotton fabric!  Honoring breast cancer survivors by giving them
         pink shirts and hats has been a Race Day tradition since 1991.

     4.  Who is that Woman?
         The image of the runner on the Komen Race for the Cure® logo is
         Francie Larrieu-Smith.  Larrieu-Smith was a member of five U.S.
         Olympic teams and has been nationally ranked in every event from
         800 meters to the marathon.

     5.  Crossing Borders
         Since its origination in 1983, the Komen Race for the Cure® Series
         has grown from one local Komen Race in Dallas with 800 participants
         to a global series of more than 100 Komen Races in the U.S. with more
         than one million expected participants in 2005.  The Komen Race for
         the Cure® Series has grown internationally with events in Italy,
         Germany and Puerto Rico.

     6.  Helping Hands
         Larger Komen Races like those in Denver and Washington, D.C. need
         more than 2,000 volunteers to implement the event.  Thanks in part to
         its more than 75,000 volunteers nationwide, the Komen Foundation is
         able to keep overall administrative expenses to less than 25 percent.

     7.  Making a Real Difference
         With funding from programs like the Komen Race Series, the Komen
         Foundation has awarded more than 1,000 international grants totaling
         more than $144 million for breast cancer research projects.  Recent
         Komen-funded research includes the discovery of multiple genes linked
         to breast cancer, understanding how blocking the blood supply to
         tumors stops them from growing and uncovering clues as to why breast
         cancer is more fatal in African American women.

     8.  It's All for Suzy
         The Komen Foundation and Komen Race Series were named in honor of
         Susan Goodman Komen who died of breast cancer at age 36.  Suzy's
         profile is featured on the Komen Foundation cameo logo.

     9.  Bring in the Men!
         The first co-ed Komen Race for the Cure® was held in Wichita, Kans.
         in 1990.  Previously, all Komen Race events were women-only to
         empower women to speak out about breast cancer.

     10. Where Does the Money Go?
         In 2004, Komen Foundation Affiliates made a difference in more than
         15,000 communities nationwide through grants for local education,
         screening and treatment programs.  Up to 75 percent of the net income
         from each Komen Race stays in the local community to fund local
         breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment
         projects.  A minimum of 25 percent of the net income supports the
         Komen Foundation Award and Research Grant Program, which funds
         groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and
         educational and scientific conferences around the world.

    About the Komen Foundation

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36.  Today, the Komen Foundation is an international organization with a network of more than 75,000 active volunteers working through local Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.  A global leader in the fight against breast cancer, the Foundation fulfills its mission through support of innovative breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world.  Together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, the Komen Foundation has raised nearly $740 million for the fight against breast cancer.

For more information on breast health or breast cancer, visit the Foundation's Web site at http://www.komen.org or call the Foundation's National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at 1.800.I'M AWARE® (1.800.462.9273).

Breast Cancer Prevention Study Spotlights Debate Over Drug Trials

Exemestane, which is sold by Pfizer as Aromasin, is approved for treating breast cancer patients, whose risk/benefit ratio is different from that of healthy women who may never develop the disease.

The ExCel trial is seeking to enroll 4,500 postmenopausal women in the USA, Canada and Spain whose age or family or personal medical history put them at above-average risk for developing breast cancer. The women are to be randomly assigned to take either exemestane or a placebo for five years. The National Cancer Institute of Canada is coordinating the study, which is paid for by the Canadian Cancer Society and Pfizer.

Link: Breast Cancer Prevention Study Spotlights Debate Over Drug Trials.

Recycle for Breast Cancer Now Helps Individuals and Businesses Recycle Laptops and Digital Cameras

San Ramon, CA (PRWEB) March 21, 2005 -- RFBC announces a no-cost recycling program for your laptop computer or digital camera. Just go online at www.recycleforbreastcancer.org to request a free prepaid shipping label.

Program Manager, Larry Behrens, says “This program is an opportunity for anyone to support a great cause and help protect the environment at the same time. It has two great benefits - we are raising money to fight breast cancer while providing a much needed recycling service to the community. The best part of the program is that anyone can participate without incurring any cost!”

RFBC has developed an online e-waste collection program that allows individuals as well as businesses to participate by donating cell phones, PDAs and printer cartridges. Free prepaid shipping labels or boxes are provided.

The program has been very successful because what we are asking for most people consider being trash. In today’s economic environment collecting financial contributions is very difficult.

Using www.recycleforbreastcancer.org you can request shipping materials, collection bins and other marketing materials to make your collection efforts a success!

About RFBC
Since 2002 RFBC has been collecting e-waste. All profits are donated to help support the fight against breast cancer. For more information about the Recycle for Breast Cancer program go to www.recycleforbreastcancer.org.

Closing in on a vaccine for breast cancer - clinical trials could begin soon

Progress toward development of a breast cancer vaccine has been reported by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and the Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis.

Cancer-fighting vaccines stimulate immune cells to recognize tumor cells as foreign and destroy them. Physicians believe a vaccine-induced immune response could be used to supplement other cancer therapies or to immunize high-risk people against cancer.

"We've been studying a protein called mammaglobin-A found in 80 percent of breast tumors," says Thalachallour Mohanakumar, Ph.D., the Jacqueline G. and William E. Maritz Professor of Immunology and Oncology in the Department of Surgery and at the Siteman Cancer Center. "The protein is especially interesting for cancer immunotherapy because of its frequent occurrence and because breast tumors express it at high levels."

Link: Closing in on a vaccine for breast cancer - clinical trials could begin soon.

Hypothyroidism Associated With Reduced Breast Cancer Risk

HOUSTON - Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found that women with a common thyroid gland disorder appear to have a reduced chance of developing invasive breast cancer, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of Cancer, out online Feb. 14. In a retrospective case-control study of 2,226 females, researchers found that women with primary hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) had a 61 percent lower risk of developing invasive breast cancer. Additionally, women newly diagnosed with breast cancer were 57 percent less likely to have the under-active thyroid gland condition compared to a control group of healthy women.

Link: Hypothyroidism Associated With Reduced Breast Cancer Risk.

Clemson's Burg brings 'Era of Hope' to breast cancer research

CLEMSON -- Bioengineer Karen Burg is one of eight recipients of the Era of Hope Scholar Award -- the U.S. Department of Defense's acknowledgement that the Clemson University bioengineer is a rising star among breast cancer researchers whose "creative, high-risk research . . . may ultimately lead to the eradication of breast cancer."

Through the Era of Hope program, Burg is expanding her research from the re-growth of breast tissue lost to lumpectomy or mastectomy to the growth of breast tissue as a scientific test bed. This work could lead to the faster development of drug-based treatments and prevention methods, which ultimately could save thousands of lives.

"This research helps address a problem that has always been noted in the literature: lack of suitable three-dimensional tissue culture models," Burg said. "Until now, we've been largely limited by two-dimensional models, which don't accurately reflect cell behavior in the human body."

A three-dimensional test bed comprised of human cells will help researchers: decipher cell-to-cell communication, discern if drugs pose serious side effects to healthy cells and develop treatments, getting them to the market and to patients faster.

Statistically, one in seven women will get breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2004 alone, it was predicted that 215,990 women would be diagnosed with the disease -- 40,110 would die from it.

Working with Burg on this project from Clemson are Dennis Smith in chemistry, Bruce Gao in bioengineering and Steve Ellis in animal and veterinary science as well as Didier Dreau, a cancer biologist at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, David Pearlstone, a surgical oncologist at Palmetto State Surgical Associates in Greenville and Mina Bissell, a cell biologist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.

Obese women with early-stage breast cancer more likely to die than women of normal weight

Study compares outcomes of women treated with lumpectomy Women who are obese when they are diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer are at a greater risk of dying of their disease than women of normal weight. That is the result of a study conducted by researchers at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pa. and presented today at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Atlanta, Ga.

Read the research at this link: Obese women with early-stage breast cancer more likely to die than women of normal weight.

This is exactly why I have lost 70 pounds since I was diagnosed with breast cancer. You have a few variables you can control, and weight is the biggie.