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The quest for a cure

With nearly $1 billion spent, a cure for breast cancer seems as distant as ever


By Michelle Rupe Eubanks
Staff Writer

Published: Monday, October 8, 2007 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, October 7, 2007 at 11:51 p.m.

The statistics are frightening.


Click to enlarge
Timeline of research
  • 1955: The American Cancer Society funds pioneering work by Charles Huggins that showed both prostate and breast cancer were related to sex hormones.
  • 1970s: The organization invested more than $1 million throughout the course of the decade to demonstrate mammography as the best tool for early breast cancer detection.
  • 1980: The American Cancer Society develops early detection guidelines for breast cancer
  • 1985: Dr. Bernard Fisher finds lumpectomy plus radiation to be as effective as mastectomy in improving cancer survival rates
  • 1998: Tamoxifen is shown to reduce the incidence of breast cancer by 49 percent in high-risk women in research conducted by Fisher.
  • 1998: The genetically engineered monoclonal antibody Herceptin is shown to improve survival for women with advanced breast cancer in research conducted by American Cancer Society Clinical Research Director Dr. Dennis Slamon.
  • 2000: Breast cancer death rates in women 20 to 69 years old decline by 25 percent since 1990. American Cancer Society researchers say early detection and improved treatment, especially with the drug Tamoxifen, are responsible.
  • 2006: Preliminary results from the Study on Tamoxifen and Raloxifene clinical trials reveal that Raloxifene is just as effective as Tamoxifen at reducing recurrence of breast cancer.
    Source: American Cancer Society

    Seven Tips to Combat Breast Cancer
  • Get screened. How often? Ask your doc.
  • Check yourself out. Report any changes to your doctor.
  • Veg out and be fruitful. Fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients can help.
  • Work out. Yoga. Gym. Sports. Do what you love.
  • Watch the scale. Extra pounds equal extra risk.
  • Butt out. Don’t smoke. Quit if you do.
  • Drink less, live more.
    Source: The Estee Lauder Co.

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    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:

  • Gender. Being a woman is the main risk for breast cancer, but men can also get the disease.

  • Age. Nearly eight out of 10 breast cancers are found in women over the age of 50.

  • Genetic risk factors. 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to changes in certain genes, most commonly the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Women with these gene mutations have an 80 percent chance of getting breast cancer.

  • Family history. Breast cancer is higher among women whose close blood relatives have the disease.

  • Personal history of breast cancer. A woman with cancer in one breast has a greater chance of getting a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast.

  • Race. White women are slightly more likely to get breast cancer than black women, but black women are more likely to die from the disease.

    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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