Inside Prevention

Breast Cancer in African American Women

A team of researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York has found that among women with a first breast cancer, black women are more likely to have larger tumors and to have more positive lymph nodes than white women. Positive lymph nodes are associated with an increase in risk of the cancer spreading. Their research will be published in the September 15 issue of Cancer.

According to the analysis, black women were 24% more likely to have one or more positive lymph nodes at breast cancer diagnosis than white women.

African American women are also more likely to have triple-negative cancers, meaning the tumor is estrogen receptor-negative, progesterone receptor-negative and HER2-negative. Unfortunately, the treatment options for these tumors are much more limited. The report’s co-author, Russell McBride, suspects that "there are a number of negative exposures in the course of life (in African American women) that increase risk of triple-negative cancers."

While some researchers struggle to understand the differences in breast cancer—rates, tumor types, diagnosis and treatment—among races, other researchers are focusing upstream and asking, “How are environmental exposures playing a role in higher breast cancer rates for African American women?”

BCF and The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute want to get the word out about the environmental risks of breast cancer in the African American community. There are things we can do right now to reduce our exposures. Download the BCF/UPCI African American brochure and email us if you would like to receive hard copies of the brochure for use in your community.

Not MY Breasts

We launched a new network-building and fundraising campaign today called Not My Breasts.

We are engaging women (and men) around the idea that breast cancer can be prevented. Every time someone participates, $1 is donated to the Breast Cancer Fund's work on prevention.

The campaign is a fun, interactive Web site where you can make a personalized pledge to protect your breasts from breast cancer. You create a personal e-card based on your commitment to breast cancer prevention, sense of fun and artistic flair, which you can print, e-mail to your friends and even post on your own Web site if you wish. There are event simple tips you can take in your daily live to reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Check it out and, importantly, tell your friends.

A Mom's Plea

No matter what breasts have come to symbolize in different cultures, their mission has always been to feed babies.

Breast milk is undeniably the best food for developing babies: It supplies proper nutrition and immune defenses to help them grow into healthy, strong children. It also supplies toxic chemicals picked up from our environment, including flame retardants from furniture, carpeting, electronics and other household items. Those flame retardants, in turn, have been linked to an increased risk of cancer, thyroid disorders, developmental disorders and other health problems we want our children to avoid.

That doesn't mean that anyone should stop breastfeeding; rather, it's a call for public policy that doesn't allow dangerous chemicals into our homes.

Earlier this year the Breast Cancer Fund helped pass a bill in Washington State that will phase out a class of flame retardants known as PBDEs. And now California, which already has bans on some flame retardants, has the chance to ban another flame retardant called Tris. Mary Brune, founder of Making Our Milk Safe (MOMS) writes today about the proposed California law and why it matters for our families on the Huffington Post. Give it a read and see how you can get involved.

Of Families and Pink Bicycles

For the last three years, Speedgoat Bicycles has raffled off a custom pink bike to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund, donating $49,400 to breast cancer prevention. This year's lucky winner was Tom of Spokane, Wash.--congrats, Tom!

The cash is great, but Speedgoat is also reaching people who might never have otherwise heard of BCF, and our message resonates. Another entrant, Beth, didn't win, but sent Speedgoat her own story about breast cancer that really hit home with me:

"I just wanted to say thank you for this wonderful raffle that is benefiting the Breast Cancer Fund. Many organizations focus on the healing element of breast cancer, a very critical part of the disease; however, it is most encouraging for an organization to recognize the importance of prevention. I am excited about this raffle, two-fold. Not only will the money raised from this raffle go to the breast cancer fund to help fight environmental factors, it is also shown that exercise and activity is a major player in breast cancer prevention.

"I want to share my family story with you, another story in so many lives have been affected by breast cancer. In 2005, my mother passed away after a year of fighting breast cancer at the age of 60. Her older sister had passed away from breast cancer in 1989 at the age of 48. Her younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, two months after my mother passed away. Thankfully, today she is in remission.

"What is interesting about this situation is that the younger sister had her genes tested to see if they had the marker for breast cancer, and they did not. How could all three sisters have breast cancer and no genetic marker for the disease? There are many reasons for this, one being that we do not know everything about the disease and there could be additional markers that scientists are unaware of.

"Another reason is that, growing up, they lived near a DuPont paint manufacturing plant and could remember days on end where all you could smell was paint fumes. It angers me to know that there is the possibility that environmental factors caused the cancer, and these factors could have been prevented. However, it gives me hope to know that Americans are starting to realize the impact of the chemicals we put into our atmosphere and our ground, and that we do not yet know the full effects that these chemicals have in the long-run. It gives me even more hope for women because there is an organization that recognizes that we cannot fully eradicate breast cancer without changing the way that we live our lives and how we treat the Earth.

"For that I say thank you, so that other women and families do not have to endure the tragedy of breast cancer."

I couldn't have said it better, Beth. Thank you for reminding us all of what's at stake--and what needs to change.

Climb Photos from Shasta Are Up!

This year's Climb Against the Odds team members, 36 people who attempted Mt. Shasta on July 11, are on view online! We've been busily uploading our many amazing photos of the mountain, the town and the team--all 1,500 photos and counting. Check it out at www.flickr.com/photos/cao2007.