The quest for a cure
With nearly $1 billion spent, a cure for breast cancer seems as distant as ever
Last Modified: Sunday, October 7, 2007 at 11:51 p.m.
The statistics are frightening.
Source: American Cancer Society
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Source: The Estee Lauder Co.
In 2007 alone, more than 170,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer; 40,460 will succumb to the disease. And there are slightly more than 2 million women living in the United States who have been treated for breast cancer.
All this comes at a time when there is a heightened awareness of breast cancer and, as a result, more money being put toward research for treatment and the hope of a cure. Already, the monetary figure raised for the disease is approaching $1 billion, but bringing those 40,000 deaths closer to zero seems as distant as ever.
“It’s not a matter of money,” said Dr. Patrick Daugherty. “With more money and all the information and technology we have available, it’s still not enough to answer all of the questions we have.”
Daugherty and his partner, Hemant Patel, are two of the primary care physicians for local cancer patients at the Northwest Alabama Regional Cancer Center, and they estimate that breast cancer is among their top killers, second only to lung cancer. These numbers are similar to the national figures on cancer diagnosis and morbidity rates.
Despite the push for mammograms for all women by age 40 as well as breast self-exams, both of which have been key for early diagnosis and effective treatment, Daugherty maintains that diet and environmental factors will continue to keep a cure for the disease at bay.
“If you look at the instance of cancer in the United States, you can point to two factors: the rate of smoking and dietary habits,” he said.
Studies have shown that a poor diet, or one heavy in saturated fats and lacking in fruits and vegetables, and smoking can contribute to breast cancer. Recent research from a group of Kaiser Permanente doctors revealed the link between alcohol intake and an increased risk of developing breast cancer. But these are risk factors that women can control, Daugherty said.
There are other factors, however, that can’t be controlled and that’s where most of the research money go. They include:
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is probably the best known of all the breast cancer foundations. In its 25th year, the organization has become something of a national movement, sponsoring annual races and golf tournaments as well as partnering with 150 corporations to raise awareness of the disease. It was also the driving force behind October being designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
As a result, the high-profile nature of the organization, money floods into the Komen Foundation in the form of dollars raised through the sale of everything from pink M&Ms to pink KitchenAid mixers.
Dr. Cheryl Perkins, senior clinical adviser at Komen for the Cure said that, by the end of 2007, the organization will have invested nearly $1 billion in research and community outreach programs, but, she added, “the big questions are still without answers: what causes the disease and how it can be prevented.”
In the next decade, Perkins said that figure will double to $2 billion for education, community health programs and research, much of it coming from the Komen’s corporate partners.
And it appears these efforts are paying off. The American Cancer Society reports there are significant declines in deaths associated with breast cancer, much of which can be attributed to early diagnosis and appropriate drug therapy.
“Clearly, more women recognize the importance of regular mammograms, and cancers are being detected earlier, when they are much more treatable and survivable,” Perkins said. “More importantly, we also have many new and more tailored treatment strategies.”
A study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health revealed that both are effective in reducing breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women who are at an increased risk of the disease. Daugherty uses both at the cancer center.
“This is further proof that research money is going to good use,” he said. “A single cancer study can cost in the millions of dollars.”
Other programs, like the Sister Study: A Study of the Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Breast Cancer, is breaking new research ground by endeavoring to understand more of the links between the disease and those who get it, especially when a breast cancer diagnosis strikes more than once in the same family.
Brenda Ladun would love to see all of this research pay off for her.
As a two-time breast cancer survivor who has since relapsed with the disease, Ladun said a dollar figure is irrelevant as long as she and others continue to fight for their lives and a future hope of a cure.
“I’m encouraged about the strides they’re making towards finding a cure for breast cancer,” she said. “Cancer is tricky, and we have brilliant minds in research fields who are working extremely hard. Two people might have the same type of cancer cells in their body, but they react differently in each person. That’s what makes it difficult to figure out.”
Michelle Rupe Eubanks can be reached at 740-5745 or michelle.eubanks@timesdaily.com.
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