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| March 21st, 2007 |
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Dear Supporter, |
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September may seem like a long way off, but there’s no time like the present to start your training and fundraising, as we approach The 2007 Weekend to End Breast Cancer (WEBC) benefiting Princess Margaret Hospital.
Paul Alofs
President & CEO |
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An amazing number of walkers have already signed up for the 5th annual event, and several hundred others have signed on as crew members and volunteers to guarantee we experience another terrific weekend from September 7-9.
There’s exciting breakthrough research that you have probably heard about from The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, with Dr. Norman Boyd’s breast density study having made headlines around the globe. This study is having impact on treatment around the world.
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Candace Innes
PMHF Director |
I want to thank Audrey Loeb, who has finished her term as Chair of the Breast Cancer Committee, for her great leadership and energy in establishing the first WEBC event. I also want to introduce you to our new Chair, Candace Innes, a board member, fellow walker and member of my WEBC team, The Marilyns.
Thanks to your efforts and support in 2006 and previous years, WEBC funds continue to advance breast cancer research, improve clinical care and build the survivorship program at Princess Margaret Hospital, Canada’s leading cancer research hospital.
Highlights of WEBC 2006 support:
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$5.5 million to The Campbell Family Institute led by Dr. Tak Mak. |
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$1.7 million to support a comprehensive breast imaging program led by Dr. Thomas Helbich and a breast MRI at PMH. |
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$1 million for continued support of the WEBC Survivorship Program. |
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$500,000 for clinical trial support. |
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$450,000 to support the Pathology Tumour Bank at PMH. |
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$250,000 to support Dr. Norman Boyd’s research into breast cancer prevention. |
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$200,000 to support the Rapid Diagnosis pilot program. |
For this year’s event, registration for walkers and crew is filling up fast. Please encourage your friends and family to sign-up before registration closes at www.endcancer.ca.
Thank you for your support. Every step and every dollar you help raise will Help Conquer Cancer.
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Paul Alofs
President & CEO |
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New MRI Machine Coming to PMH Thanks to WEBC Proceeds
“Mammography is still the main imaging technique for regular annual screening for most women,” says Dr. David McCready, Head, PMH Breast Site Program. “Yet, breast MRI is a significant advance in breast imaging, especially for women at extremely high risk for developing breast cancer and those with breast cancer and dense breast tissue.”
Thanks to WEBC proceeds, Princess Margaret Hospital will have a new breast MRI machine in fall 2007. The new MRI machine will allow PMH doctors, such as Dr. McCready, to better serve their patient population by providing a comprehensive breast imaging program at one site. Radiologists and the entire breast unit at PMH will benefit by being involved with the diagnosis and tissue acquisition of MRI detected breast cancers.
“As breast MRI becomes utilized more widely, this added availability will help not only our patients, but the population as a whole,” says Dr. McCready.
Watch Video: Dr. David McCready talks about his work
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In this issue: |
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| Study finds density a “major risk factor” in breast cancer |
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Dr. Norman Boyd, a lead researcher at The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, captured headlines around the world with a study, published Jan. 18 in The New England Journal of Medicine, that identifies dense breast tissue as a major risk factor for breast cancer.
“This work unequivocally establishes mammographic density as a major risk factor for breast cancer. It is known from previous work that genes explain most of the variation in density that is seen, and finding those genes and understanding how they affect the breast and risk of cancer are the subjects of the breakthrough research continuing within The Campbell Family Institute,” says Dr. Tak Mak, Director, The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research.
Findings show that between 16-30 per cent of breast cancers can be attributed to extensive density. The risk of breast cancer is five times higher in women with extensive dense breasts. In addition to increasing risk of breast cancer, dense breast tissue also makes cancers more difficult to see in a mammogram.
“The discovery of breast cancer risk factors is vitally important to our work,” says Dr. David McCready, Head, PMH Breast Site Program. "When we know the risk factor, we know who to watch more carefully through screening. Knowledge about risk factors also helps us with further research into modifying the risk factor to try to reduce the incidence of breast cancer. This could lead, for example, to finding different prevention strategies.”
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Survivorship Update
The Weekend to End Breast Cancer Survivorship Program, the lead survivorship program at Princess Margaret Hospital, has had some exciting news with the launch of their new website and a Federal grant awarded to the cancer survivorship research team led by Dr. Pamela Catton, Medical Director of the Breast Cancer Survivorship Program at PMH and newly appointed Butterfield/Drew Chair in Breast Cancer Survivorship.
The Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) awarded a grant to the cancer survivorship team for a project entitled “The Electronic Living Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Cancer Survivorship Research.”
The project will provide the funding to develop a survivorship research unit where researchers and cancer survivors will collaborate and explore new approaches for predicting, preventing and managing the long-term adverse effects of cancer and its treatment. This research initiative will cover all types of cancer survivors.
Dr. Pamela Catton
Medical Director, PMH Breast Cancer Survivorship Program |
The Survivorship Program also launched a new on-line community for Canadian breast cancer survivors, at www.caringvoices.ca. It is the hope of Dr. Catton that Caring Voices will expand in the year ahead and benefit other cancer survivors beyond the walls of PMH to help communities of survivors develop across the country.
“This on-line initiative expands the support available for patients at the hospital’s Survivorship Program,” says Dr. Catton. “By providing a place to go for support on-line, more people can benefit from the Program no matter where they live in the country.” |
Caring Voices is part of the integrated support initiatives of The Weekend to End Breast Cancer Survivorship Program, which started in 2005 and focuses on three goals: empowerment through education, enhancing the clinical experience, and enabling community connections. For more information, visit www.survivorship.ca.
Watch Video: Dr. Pam Catton talks about the Survivorship Program
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Research Highlights from The Campbell Family Institute
for Breast Cancer Research
Below are just a few highlights from The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research. To find out more about the breakthrough breast cancer research being done by Dr. Tak Mak and his team read The Campbell Family Institute’s first-ever Annual Report.
Drs. Tak Mak, Norman Boyd, Pam Ohashi, Hitoshi Okada and Lea Harrington have had research papers published in a number of high impact journals such as The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Cell, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Science, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and The New England Journal of Medicine. |
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Principal Investigators
The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research
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Dr. Pamela Ohashi received a $705,000 grant from the Canadian Cancer Society, to continue her research into T-cells, which have the potential to kill cancer cells, leading to new cancer treatments that are based on stimulating the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
Dr. Lea Harrington was one of 39 people chosen—out of a pool of 546 applications—as a winner of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar awards. Dr. Harrington will receive a five-year award totaling nearly $500,000 for her research.
Drs. Hitoshi Okada, Tak Mak and Robert Rottapel may have found a new target for killing cancer cells. In more than 50 percent of human cancer, the “brakes” that control cell division and growth are missing or rendered non-functional.
Watch Video: Dr. Tak Mak talks about The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research |
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Save the Dates!
Mark your calendars for The Weekend to End Breast Cancer Family Day @ the Blue Jays the afternoon of June 16. Tickets will be available to you, your family and friends at a significantly discounted price.
The fourth Breast Cancer Forum and Impact Tour will take place the evening of June 19 at Princess Margaret Hospital.
Stay tuned for more details on these events in an upcoming email.
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