Collaboration: Komen Scholars

Komen Scholars are an advisory group of 60 distinguished scholars and leaders in breast cancer research and advocacy. Each has made significant contributions to advancing the field or demonstrated significant promise of doing so in the future and all are committed to furthering Komen’s mission.

Led by the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), which serves as the executive committee, the Komen Scholars are an international group with a wide range of expertise, including clinical research, laboratory research, pathology, prevention, radiation oncology, surgery, and other research disciplines and specialties, allowing them to advise Komen in a variety of capacities. While their primary responsibility is to lead and participate as reviewers in Komen’s scientific peer review process, the Komen Scholars also serve as ambassadors and experts in our communities and across the Affiliate Network.

In addition, several of the Scholars are Advocates in Science who ensure that the unique perspectives of those affected by breast cancer are fully integrated into decisions at every step of Komen’s mission.

Learn more about the scholars:

http://ww5.komen.org/ResearchGrants/ScientificAdvisoryCouncil.html

Collaboration: Global

To maximize success, sustainability and local ownership of programs, we work with the community, for the community. We assess and base interventions in evidence and innovation; and we invest in systems change or in programs that can be sustained by the community in the long term.

Komen works in 4 regions: Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia (China), the Middle East and Europe. In these communities, we support programs that incrementally build capacity for the delivery of breast cancer education, timely screening, diagnostic, treatment and supportive care integrated with existing health services.

A prime example of Komen’s global collaborations is the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon Initiative in Africa:

Breast and cervical cancers take a particularly devastating toll on women in developing countries. In fact, they’re the leading causes of cancer deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Komen is partnering with numerous U.S. and African organizations and working to put an end to these cancer deaths.

Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon (PRRR) was cofounded in September 2011 by Susan G. Komen®, the George W. Bush Institute, the U.S. Presidents’ Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

PRRR aims to cost-effectively integrate cervical and breast cancer services into existing health service delivery platforms, beginning by leveraging the PEPFAR infrastructure for HIV/AIDS. Programs are active in Zambia and Tanzania.

Susan G. Komen’s/PRRR’S overarching global objective is to save the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer by down-staging the disease at diagnosis and facilitating access to timely treatment. Early stage diagnosis of breast cancer is associated with significantly improved treatment outcomes.

In Zambia, Komen supports a collaborative training and technical support program between the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Trainings on health promotion, clinical breast examination and ultrasound, to name a few, are adapted to the local setting and delivered by capable and qualified health professionals in-country. Additionally, through our efforts, Komen has supported the establishment of two breast cancer clinics at the African Center of Excellence in Lusaka and the Kabwe General Hospital in Kabwe, Central Province.

In Tanzania, Komen works closely with the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly & Children to implement strategies to improve breast cancer education, screening and treatment for the community. Komen has developed educational materials in Swahili and is working with the Ministry on early detection guidelines.

Learn more: http://ww5.komen.org/WhatWeDo/AroundtheWorld/Africa/Africa.html

Susan G. Komen Sets Bold Goal to Reduce U.S. Breast Cancer Deaths by 50 Percent in 10 Years

Susan G. Komen® Sets Bold Goal to Reduce U.S. Breast Cancer Deaths by 50 Percent in 10 Years

Plan Targets Health Equity for All, Enhanced Research Focus for Most Lethal Breast Cancers

DALLAS – Sept.13, 2016 – The Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization announced a bold plan today to reduce the nation’s 40,000 breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in 10 years, by improving access to quality and timely cancer care for the underserved and enhancing Komen’s research focus on lethal breast cancers.

“We know that people die of breast cancer for two reasons: a lack of high-quality breast cancer care accessible to everyone, and a lack of treatments for the most aggressive and deadly forms of this disease,” said Dr. Judith A. Salerno, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen. “We are taking direct action designed to solve these problems to reduce breast cancer deaths by half in the U.S. within the next decade.”

$27 Million Advanced for Health Equity 

Salerno said today that Fund II Foundation made a grant worth approximately $27 million for a  program initially targeting 10 metropolitan areas to significantly reduce what she called the “appalling” difference in death rates between African-American and white women. African-American women are nearly 40 percent more likely to die of breast cancer than white women; in some cities, that gap is as high as 74 percent.

“This constitutes a public health crisis that must be addressed, first in the cities where these death rates are highest, and then in all areas of the country,” Salerno said.

Salerno thanked Fund II Foundation for the grant that makes the initiative possible. “The generosity of Fund II Foundation will save lives,” Salerno said. “We are humbled by the faith that Fund II Foundation has placed in this initiative and its interest in ensuring health equity for African-American citizens.”

Fund II Foundation President, Robert F. Smith said, “No longer should African-American women be more likely to die from a breast cancer diagnosis than others. Through this grant supporting Susan G. Komen, Fund II Foundation will help address these unfair disparities across our country.”

Komen’s African-American Health Equity Initiative targets cities where mortality rates and late-stage diagnosis of African-American women are highest. The goal: to reduce the mortality gap by 25 percent within five years of beginning work in each city.

The initial targeted cities are Memphis, Tenn., St. Louis, Mo., Dallas, Los Angeles, Virginia Beach, Va., Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.  Baltimore and Detroit have been identified as high-priority areas as the program expands over the next year.

The African-American Health Equity Initiative supplements the work that Komen and its network of 100 U.S. Affiliates already are doing to remove barriers to cancer care. Komen and Komen Affiliates support thousands of local programs that provide screenings, treatment assistance, emergency financial aid, medical supplies and living expense for underserved individuals.

The organization has invested more than $2 billion over 34 years for these programs aimed at uninsured, under-insured, and medically vulnerable populations.

“We will never waver from our commitment to remove barriers of language, geography, economics or culture for all people facing this disease.  Every woman or man must be able to access and receive high-quality breast health and breast cancer care, be supported through their treatment and into survivorship,” Salerno said.

Research

The second prong of Komen’s plan enhances Komen’s focus on aggressive forms of breast cancer and metastatic disease (stage IV or cancer that has spread to other parts of the body).

As the largest nonprofit funder of breast cancer research (investing more than $920 million since inception), Komen has funded nearly $160 million in metastatic disease research since its founding. Komen has funded another $110 million in research on aggressive forms of breast cancer – such as triple negative, inflammatory breast cancer and hormone-positive forms of breast cancer – that are resistant to standard treatments.

“The majority of breast cancer deaths are from metastatic breast cancer. We also know that aggressive forms of breast cancer are more likely to recur and spread, so we are focusing our efforts in both of these areas,” Salerno said.

The new initiative aims to advance research into new treatments for aggressive and metastatic disease. Komen also will seek to leverage next-generation technology that can detect breast cancer at its very earliest stages to prevent recurrence and metastasis.

Progress to Date

Salerno said Komen’s bold goal builds on the progress of the breast cancer movement since Komen was founded in 1982. “Death rates from breast cancer have declined by 37 percent since 1990. We have more treatments than at any time in our history. We’ve come a very long way from a time when breast cancer couldn’t be discussed publicly. Our new bold goal requires us to take a deeper dive and stretch further to ensure that every woman or man can be told, ‘There is help and hope for you.’”

About Susan G. Komen®

Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit outside of the federal government while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $920 million in research and provided more than $2 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs serving millions of people in more than 30 countries worldwide. Komen was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy’s life. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at ww5.komen.org/social.

About Fund II Foundation

Fund II Foundation makes grants to 501(c)(3) public charities in five areas:  1) preservation of the African-American experience, 2) safeguarding human dignity by giving a voice to the voiceless and promoting human rights 3) improving environmental conservation and providing outdoor education that enables people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy the numerous benefits of the great outdoors 4) facilitating music education, particularly in primary and secondary schools, to nourish both the mind and the soul 5) and sustaining the uniquely American values of entrepreneurship, empowerment, innovation and security.  For more information on Fund II Foundation, visit www.fund2foundation.org.

 

Statement from Susan G. Komen®: Women and Healthcare Providers Should Have the Final Say on Mammogram Schedules

Susan G. Komen® shared this statement regarding breast cancer screening:

Komen Renews Concern over Task Force Proposal to Raise Routine Mammography Age

DALLAS – Jan. 11, 2016 – The leader of the world’s largest breast cancer organization says women and their doctors should be the final decision-makers when it comes to breast cancer screening, and that screening tests, if recommended by a healthcare provider, should be covered by insurers and government regardless of a woman’s age.

The comments from Susan G. Komen President and CEO Dr. Judy Salerno came in response to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations, issued today, that would raise the recommended age for the start of routine mammograms from 40 to 50 for women of average risk. USPSTF issued similar recommendations in 2009.

These latest recommendations would not be implemented immediately due to a two-year moratorium imposed by Congress.

Nevertheless, Salerno said Komen is concerned that these recommendations could effectively bar access to screenings for millions of women under 50 because third party payers often use USPSTF recommendations to decide whether they will pay for certain tests.

“A lack of coverage would be most harshly felt in high-risk and underserved populations,” she said, “African-American women, for example, are often diagnosed at younger ages with aggressive forms of breast cancer – and die of breast cancer at rates over 40 percent higher than white women. Screening at younger ages is a critical tool for these women.”

“The medical field is moving toward determining individual needs for screening based on a woman’s risk,” she said. “Rather than establishing higher age-based standards that create potential barriers to care, women should be able to make informed decisions about breast cancer screening, develop a schedule that is right for them with their healthcare provider, and be assured that the screenings they need will be paid for.”

Salerno encouraged increased investment in research to develop better screening tools. Komen has funded more than $33 million to find more precise early detection methods such as blood and tissue tests. “Until those are available, mammograms are the most widely available and cost effective test that we have, and women and their healthcare providers should have access to them,” she said. Information about breast cancer risk is available on komen.org.

Collaboration: Young Women

Though most women who get breast cancer are over age 50, young women can and do get breast cancer. Fewer than five percent of all breast cancers diagnosed in the U.S. each year occur in women under 40.

At a time in life most often focused on family and career, young women face some unique challenges when it comes to breast cancer, including being concerned about loss of fertility and sexual dysfunction following treatment.  Here are some examples of Susan G. Komen collaborating with other nonprofit organizations to specifically address the challenges faced by young women with breast cancer:

SUSAN G. KOMEN/YOUNG SURVIVAL COALITION

In 2013, Susan G. Komen® sponsored the Young Survival Coalition (YSC) Research Think Tank to gather approximately 60 researchers, medical experts, and educated research advocates to help YSC prioritize unanswered research questions affecting young women with breast cancer.

Read the resulting report: http://www.youngsurvival.org/sites/default/files/uploaded_files/ResearchAgenda-201.pdf

SUSAN G. KOMEN/DR. SUSAN LOVE RESEARCH FOUNDATION/YOUNG SURVIVAL COALITION

That same year, Komen partnered with the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation (DSLRF) and the Young Survival Coalition (YSC) to advance research into side effects of breast cancer treatment, along with research into the causes of, and preventive strategies for, breast cancer.

Learn more: http://ww5.komen.org/News/Breast-Cancer-Powerhouses-Announce-Groundbreaking-Collaboration-to-Document-the–Collateral-Damage–of-Breast-Cancer-Treatment.html

Conference Sponsorships

Over the last few years, Komen was a proud to sponsor the Annual Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer (Lead Sponsor) and the international Breast Cancer in Young Women Conferences, funding travel scholarships to provide much needed financial assistance for young survivors and patients to attend the annual conference and ensure that the patient voice was incorporated into the research conversation.

Komen also sponsored patient and patient advocate travel scholarships for the inaugural YSC Summit in March 2015 in Houston, TX. This three-day national conference attracted 535 attendees and featured inspirational speakers, workshops addressing the unique issues that young women with breast cancer face, and special wellness activities. In addition, Komen sponsored a YSC Regional Symposium that was held in June 2015 in Washington, DC to a sold-out audience of 250 attendees. This one-day symposium offered survivors and co-survivors the opportunity to explore specific topics, such as sex and intimacy, resiliency and caring for the survivor. Find the most up-to-date, evidence-based information and tools.

Learn more: http://www.youngsurvival.org/conferences.

We are celebrating National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Connect with and follow Komen St. Louis and use #Komen365 to join in the conversation.

Collaboration: Global

Susan G. Komen® believes that where a woman lives shouldn’t determine if she lives. So Komen is fighting breast cancer in countries across the globe to reduce breast cancer mortality worldwide.

Here are two examples of Komen global collaborations:

Africa: Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon

Breast and cervical cancers take a particularly devastating toll on women in developing countries. In fact, they’re the leading causes of cancer deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Komen is partnering with numerous U.S. and African organizations and working to put an end to these cancer deaths.

Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon (PRRR) was cofounded in September 2011 by Susan G. Komen®, the George W. Bush Institute, the U.S. Presidents’ Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

PRRR aims to cost-effectively integrate cervical and breast cancer services into existing health service delivery platforms, beginning by leveraging the PEPFAR infrastructure for HIV/AIDS. Programs are active in Zambia and Tanzania.

Susan G. Komen’s/PRRR’S overarching global objective is to save the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer by down-staging the disease at diagnosis and facilitating access to timely treatment. Early stage diagnosis of breast cancer is associated with significantly improved treatment outcomes.

Learn more: http://ww5.komen.org/WhatWeDo/AroundtheWorld/Africa/Africa.html

Latin America: Komen and the Caterpillar Foundation

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and leading cause of cancer deaths in women of Latin America. Several countries exhibit some of the highest mortality rates in the world. Komen works with the Ministries of Health and local organizations in Latin America to educate women about breast cancer and break down barriers to help women access breast health care.

In Latin America, Susan G. Komen and the Caterpillar Foundation have partnered to improve detection of breast cancer and save lives by increasing awareness, strengthening services, and removing barriers to accessing early screening, treatment and cancer care in program communities.

The project initiated in 2011 as two-year collaboration with the Caterpillar Foundation and received additional partnership funding resulting in a three-year extension for activities to continue through 2016. Programs under the Caterpillar grant are active in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Panama.

Learn more: http://ww5.komen.org/WhatWeDo/AroundtheWorld/Americas/LatinAmerica.html

We are celebrating National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Connect with and follow Komen St. Louis and use #Komen365 to join in the conversation.

Komen 2015 Research Grants Include $447,000 to Washington University School of Medicine

Today, Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest nonprofit funder of breast cancer research, announced new grants to 124 researchers in 25 states and eight countries internationally, with about half of the grants targeted to early-career researchers squeezed by stagnation in federal research dollars.

The grants include more than $447,000 in new funding for research at Washington University School of Medicine, bringing Komen’s total research investment in Missouri to $22,372,092 since 1982.

The 2015 research grants expand Komen’s ongoing commitment to funding early-career scientists, that is, recent graduates and those trying to establish independent research careers. This group has been especially hard hit by real-dollar declines of as much as 25 percent in federal research funding over the past decade.

“We committed two years ago to do all that we can to ensure that talented early-career investigators remain in the breast cancer research field, while continuing our support for established researchers,” said Komen President and CEO Judith A. Salerno, M.D., M.S. “We cannot afford to lose talented scientists to other fields for lack of funding.”

This year’s research slate brings Komen’s total research investment to more than $889 million since 1982, the largest of any nonprofit, and second only to the U.S. government.

Grants from Komen’s nearly $36 million research portfolio – including more than $17.6 million in grants awarded to early-career investigators – span the entire cancer continuum from prevention to treatments for aggressive and metastatic disease. These include:

• 36 grants to improve understanding of metastatic breast cancer
• 18 grants investigating how tumors develop drug resistance
• 19 grants related to the study of triple negative breast cancer – one of the most aggressive forms of the disease
• 15 grants working to identify and understand biological and socio-economic health inequities
• 13 grants seeking to develop new and novel therapies

Komen’s Investments in Missouri

Komen’s research program is funded in part by contributions from Komen’s nationwide network of Affiliates, which direct 25 percent of locally raised funds to Komen’s national research program. The remaining 75 percent of net funds are invested into community outreach programs that serve local women and men facing breast cancer.

“We are so proud to have the support of this community as we help our friends, coworkers and neighbors who are facing breast cancer, and work for continued progress against breast cancer through research,” said Helen Chesnut, Komen St. Louis executive director.

In Missouri, more than $452,000 will be invested into breast cancer research efforts in the state.

These funds include more than $447,000 to Adetunji Toriola, M.D., Ph.D., of Washington University School of Medicine to investigate the relationship between mammographic density and the RANK pathway, which was recently demonstrated to play an important role in the growth of breast cell types that contribute to breast density in pre-clinical studies and therefore may impact breast cancer risk.

A full list of Komen’s 2015 research grants can be found here. (Grants are contingent upon signed and executed contracts with Komen.)

In addition to funding breast cancer research, Komen has invested more than $1.95 billion into community health outreach and global programs that serve hundreds of thousands of women and men annually through breast cancer health and support programs that screen, educate and provide financial, medical and psychosocial assistance.

For more information about Komen’s mission investment, please visit komen.org.

For more information about Komen St. Louis, please visit komenstlouis.org.

Must-See TV: “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies”

The documentary series, “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies,” is set to air on PBS over three nights, March 30 – April 1.

This three-part, six-hour major television event is presented by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, in partnership with WETA, the flagship public broadcasting station in Washington, D.C.

Based on the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer,” by Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., the series is the most comprehensive documentary on a single disease ever made. The film weaves a sweeping historical narrative with intimate stories of patients and an investigation into the latest scientific breakthroughs.

This “biography” of cancer covers the disease’s first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the 20th century to cure, control and conquer it, to a radical new understanding of its essence. The series also features the current status of cancer knowledge and treatment —the dawn of an era in which cancer may become a chronic or curable illness rather than its historic death sentence in some forms.

Learn more in this trailer: http://bit.ly/17OL1S2

Be sure to watch “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies” on PBS (KETC in the St. Louis area) at 8 pm Central Time on March 30, March 31 and April 1.

Follow along with Komen St. Louis on Facebook and Twitter as we share information on the history of breast cancer. Join the “virtual watch party” on March 30-April 1, and let us know your thoughts about the film.

Global Collaboration in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

At Susan G. Komen®, we believe that where a woman lives shouldn’t determine if she lives. So Komen is fighting breast cancer in countries across the globe to reduce breast cancer mortality worldwide.

Here are two examples of Komen global collaborations:

Africa: Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon

Breast and cervical cancers take a particularly devastating toll on women in developing countries. In fact, they’re the leading causes of cancer deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Komen is partnering with numerous U.S. and African organizations and working to put an end to these cancer deaths.

Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon (PRRR) was co-founded in September 2011 by Susan G. Komen®, the George W. Bush Institute, the U.S. Presidents’ Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

PRRR aims to cost-effectively integrate cervical and breast cancer services into existing health service delivery platforms, beginning by leveraging the PEPFAR infrastructure for HIV/AIDS. Programs are active in Zambia and Tanzania.

Susan G. Komen’s/PRRR’S overarching global objective is to save the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer by down-staging the disease at diagnosis and facilitating access to timely treatment. Early stage diagnosis of breast cancer is associated with significantly improved treatment outcomes.

Learn more: http://ww5.komen.org/WhatWeDo/AroundtheWorld/Africa/Africa.html

Latin America: Komen and the Caterpillar Foundation

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and leading cause of cancer deaths in women of Latin America. Several countries exhibit some of the highest mortality rates in the world. Susan G. Komen works with the Ministries of Health and local organizations in Latin America to help improve awareness of breast cancer and break down barriers to help women access breast health care.

In Latin America, Komen and the Caterpillar Foundation have partnered to improve detection of breast cancer and save lives by increasing awareness, strengthening services, and removing barriers to accessing early screening, treatment and cancer care in program communities.

The project initiated in 2011 as two-year collaboration with the Caterpillar Foundation and received additional partnership funding resulting in a three-year extension for activities to continue through 2016. Programs are active in Brazil, Mexico and Panama.

Learn more: http://ww5.komen.org/WhatWeDo/AroundtheWorld/Americas/LatinAmerica.html

We’re celebrating National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Connect with and follow Komen St. Louis and use the hashtag #bcjourney to join in the conversation.

Race for a World Without Breast Cancer

Every day of the year, Susan G. Komen St. Louis stays focused on its mission: to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.

The inspiration for this mission is a promise made between two sisters.

Thirty years ago, Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Suzy Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise launched the global breast cancer movement. More than three decades later, Susan G. Komen® has changed how the world talks about breast cancer and is the only breast cancer organization attacking the disease on all fronts: in community outreach, research, education, advocacy and global work.

Here in St. Louis, Komen’s promise inspires the organization’s mission on a local level: meeting the breast health needs of the women, men and families in our community – especially those most in need and most at risk. Komen St. Louis funds local breast health and breast cancer programs serving those who may not otherwise have access due to low income, lack of insurance or other barriers. Komen St. Louis also helps to fund groundbreaking global breast cancer research, including research happening right now in St. Louis.

Seventy-five percent of the net funds raised through the Komen St. Louis Race stays in the St. Louis community to fund innovative breast health and breast cancer screening, education and patient navigation programs. The remaining 25 percent goes toward groundbreaking global breast cancer research programs. Since 1999, Komen St. Louis funding has supported dozens of local organizations providing breast health services to those who may not otherwise have access.

More than 100 percent of the funds invested by Komen St. Louis since 1999 has remained in or returned to the St. Louis region.

The Susan G. Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure is one event, held on one day, that helps make possible this year-round work in support of our mission. Everyone who registers for the Race, makes a donation or helps to fundraise is making an impact in the fight against breast cancer.

On June 14, celebrate breast cancer survivors and honor those who have lost their battle with the disease. Help raise money for local breast health services and global breast cancer research. Help keep an important promise – a promise made between two sisters that now gives hope to so many. On June 14, let’s race for a world without breast cancer.

Join us for the 16th Annual Susan G. Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure on Saturday, June 14. Visit www.komenstlouis.org.

Why do you race? Share your story: prstories@komenstlouis.org.