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Message From
Fran Visco
A New Beginning,
The Same Fight
A new Administration has taken office, a new
Congress has been sworn in, and a new chapter may be opening for our nation. What
could all this change mean for NBCC?
NBCC has a long history of working with leaders of both parties, and we have built strong
relationships with every Administration elected since our inception. During President
George H.W. Bush time in office, NBCC's Do the Write Thing letter-writing campaign
resulted in an appropriation of $132 million for breast cancer research to the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) in fiscal year 1992-a gain of almost 50% over 1991 spending. In
addition, in 1992 research hearings held by NBCC and attended by prominent scientists
established funding needs for breast cancer research and the successful $300 Million More
Campaign was launched, resulting in a four-fold increase in federal funding.
We formed close ties with the Clinton White House-a bond that we maintain to this
day-working with President Bill Clinton to design the National Action Plan on Breast
Cancer and maintain the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.And the
leadership of President Clinton and support from then-candidate President George W. Bush
made passage of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act a reality.
While a new Administration means new opportunities and new potential, much has stayed the
same. We still need to make certain there is sufficient funding for high-quality,
peer-reviewed research. We still need increased access for all women to high-quality
treatment and care, as well as breast cancer clinical trials. And we still need to empower
women and men living with breast cancer and other breast cancer activists to be sure they
have a voice wherever decisions about breast cancer are made.
In his inaugural address, President Obama declared: "We will restore science to
its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower
its costs." We will remember this bold promise, and measure it against what
this new Administration ultimately delivers. After all, breast cancer does not care
who is in the White House or which party controls Congress. And, likewise, those details
do not dampen our passion, dedication and commitment to ending the breast cancer epidemic.
We Can’t Do This Alone! Forward this E-Newsletter to Your
Friends and Family and Invite Them to Become NBCC Members and Join the Fight. To
Subscribe, Click Here!
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2009
Advocacy Training Conference:
Change is Coming to Washington – And So Should You!
Join us May 2-5 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC for our 17th
Annual Advocacy Training Conference. Don’t miss this chance to become the more
informed, more effective advocate you always wanted to be!
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Hundreds of national and international breast
cancer activists will come together to get the latest news in breast cancer science,
research and policy. Experts in every field will be on hand to give you the training you
need to implement real and lasting change. And there will be plenty of time to network,
reconnect with old friends, and make new ones.
If you want to make a difference, this is the conference for you. If you
want your voice to be heard, this is the conference for you. If you want an end to breast
cancer, this is the conference for you. Join us. |
Call 866-640-0969 for details |
Be
There!
Fourth Annual STRIKE! Breast Cancer Advocate Challenge
Are you ready for an action-packed evening of gourmet food, cocktails,
billiards, and bowling? Be part of the 4th Annual STRIKE! Breast Cancer Bowling Challenge
May 2, at Lucky Strike Lanes in Washington, D.C. The funds we raise that evening help
support NBCCF’s important programs.
 HOW: Ask friends and family to
sponsor pins, frames and/or games and join other advocates on Saturday, May 2 for a
fun-filled evening of bowling to benefit NBCCF programs.
EXCITING PRIZES: Most raised; best score; worst score and
more…
ENTRY FEE: Minimum of $250 to attend, $500 to bowl. Not a
bowler? Just raise the minimum sponsorship fee and come to cheer on participants! Food and
beverages, bowling shoes and ball rental included.
WHEN: Saturday, May 2, 2009, 6 to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Lucky Strike Lanes, 701 7th Street NW, Washington,
DC (transportation will be provided from the conference hotel).
Sign
Up Online
Visit
our Advocate Bowling Page for forms and details
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MRIs
and Breast Cancer: Do They Improve Outcomes?
Many women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast fear that
they are at increased risk of getting cancer in their other breast. Actually, the risk of
that happening is, on average, 0.7% per year. In recent years, more and more radiologists
are doing MRI screenings of the healthy breast in diagnosed women. Is there any benefit of
using MRI to look at a woman’s healthy breast when she has been diagnosed with breast
cancer? What are the benefits and risks?
In his presentation, Dr. Tuttle showed that the expanded use of breast MRI among newly
diagnosed patients is one of the main factors behind the doubling of contralateral
prophylactic mastectomies (removing of the opposite, non-affected breast before breast
cancer is found in that breast). Although prophylatic surgery reduced the risk of cancer
development in the opposite breast by 95%, it is important to remember that the annual
risk was small to begin with. That means that prophylatic surgery reduced the risk from
0.7% to 0.04%. Dr. Tuttle noted that there was no proven survival benefit from such
aggressive surgery, but many patients still opted for it.
In multiple prior studies, researchers found that MRI screening of the opposite breast at
the time of initial diagnosis led to a large proportion of women undergoing unnecessary
biopsies. Prior research has also shown no overall survival benefit from contralateral
prophylactic mastectomies. We are also concerned that prophylactic mastectomies create
complications that can delay recommended chemotherapy or radiation. NBCC’s
analyses points out that while existing guidelines recommend MRI screening for
high-risk women (positive BRCA 1 or 2 mutation), there is no proof that vigilant
surveillance and screening save lives.
No studies have shown that MRI reduces a woman’s risk of dying from
breast cancer. Inappropriate use of this expensive technology can result in unnecessary
surgeries that will negatively impact healthcare cost and quality of life for women. [See BRCA
Mutations: NBCCF's Analysis of Health Management Options; and MRI
Screening of Contralateral Breast in Newly Diagnosed Patients: Benefits and Risks.]
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| Project LEAD® International: Successful Global Advocacy
International Clinical Trials Project LEAD attendees: (left to right, bottom row)
Sara McKenna (UK), Adrianna Kaufman (Argentina), Karima Elshamy (Egypt), Christine
Brunswick (US); (top row) Bolivia Bocaranda (Venezuela), Michelle Marven (Australia),
Diane Moore (Canada),
Colleen Marco (South Africa)
Twenty-six students from 13 countries COMPLETED NBCCF's first International Clinical
Trials Project LEAD®, held in Paris, December 3-6, 2008. Translational Research in
Oncology (TRIO), a renowned international research organization, was NBCCF's partner in
this effort. It was an exciting and remarkable training of breast cancer advocates
aimed at encouraging advocate involvement in research and clinical trials work around the
world.
Learn
More |
NBCC
Awards Advocacy in Action Grants to 20 Member Organizations
Congratulations to the 20 NBCC member organizations who were awarded
$5,000 Advocacy in Action grants. These grants will support and expand the winners’
advocacy work in their communities, as they support NBCC’s mission of ending breast
cancer through research, access and influence.
See
the Advocacy in Action Grant Winners
Read
the News Release |
2008
Contributors to NBCC: Thank You
Thanks to your support and commitment, NBCC was able to continue being the
leading grassroots voice in breast cancer policy and breast cancer research. You have
played a crucial part in the ongoing fight to end breast cancer, and NBCC knows that with
your generous support, 2009 will hold greater discoveries, more victories and new results
for breast cancer survivors and their loved ones.
And for those of you still looking for a New Year’s resolution,
please remember – whenever you become a member or
renew your membership with NBCC, or make
a gift or donation to NBCCF, you are taking action to eradicate breast cancer. It is
you, the grassroots advocates across the country, who fuel the many victories and
accomplishments of this organization.
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Welcome!
The National Breast Cancer Coalition would like to welcome the Wisconsin Breast Cancer
Coalition to its Board
of Directors. The Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition has been actively involved with
and supportive of NBCC’s priorities. Its focus on legislative issues, work to address
inequalities in access to care and treatment, and strong commitment to educating and
empowering grassroots advocates make it a great addition to NBCC’s board. Director
Kathleen Harris will represent the organization on the NBCC board; and the alternate will
be Ellen Vander Heyden. Welcome! |
2009© National Breast Cancer Coalition
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