Through the support of Fight From the
Fairway donations, LIMR has been able to build upon their breast cancer
research. The long-term goal of their research is to improve breast
cancer survival by providing medical staff with better tools for early and
optimal course of treatment. Their working hypothesis is that breast
cancer can be characterized by the molecular markers they express. This
characterization can be used to predict clinical outcome and guide
treatment.
Recurrence and spread of tumor growth to lymph nodes and distant sites
(metastasis) are the major causes for poor survival among women diagnosed
with small ductal breast carcinoma. Today, most patients with ductal
carcinomas that are smaller than 20 mm and without spread to lymph nodes are
usually given the same standard treatment with a good prognosis for
disease-free survival. Still, approximately 20% of these patients will
either succumb to their disease or have recurrence because the current
markers predicting prognosis are inadequate, resulting in some patients not
being treated aggressively enough in a timely manner.
To identify new prognostic markets that will provide added confidence in
determining the prognosis for breast cancer patients, we have studied a
series of archival biopsy material. Last year we identified two new
markers that demonstrate a strong association with long-term disease-free
survival. Recently, we have focused or efforts on two other proteins
and found that one of these proteins has an even stronger association with
good prognosis. This newly identified prognostic marker has features
that make it a promising molecule as a model for the future design of
therapeutic agents to suppress and/or prevent recurrence and spread of
cancer.
This important and potentially life saving research would not have
taken place without the generous support of all of those involved in
the annual Fight From the Fairway and they are most grateful.
Your continued support will help them continue their research to
find treatments that
improve outcomes and quality of life for those with breast cancer. |
On behalf of
breastcancer.org, I would like to sincerely thank you for choosing
to benefit breastcancer.org through the Fight from the Fairway golf
tournament. We are deeply grateful to you and all those who
participate in the tournament and we are awed by all that you
accomplish! Your generous donations made a big difference by helping
to make it possible for us to continuously update and augment our
programs.
With funding
from friends like you, we are able to provide ongoing expansion of
our core breast cancer website content which totals over 3,000 pages
of medically reviewed information, monthly online Ask-the-Expert
conferences and transcripts, monthly Research News updates,
educational booklets and a vibrant online community. In the year
since Fight From the Fairway 2005, breastcancer.org has reached 8
million website visitors and has distributed over 500,000
educational booklets!
This
year, we are launching a project that will bring a whole new level
of opportunities to those who come to breastcancer.org seeking
medical information about breast cancer. Currently in the design
phase is a new Content Management System, a pivotal component of
breastcancer.org’s Strategic Technology Upgrade Initiative, that
will enable us to provide our visitors with a personalized
experience based on their own unique needs. This exciting
multi-year project maximizes the value of the more than 3,000
dynamic pages of medical content maintained on the site. The
benefits of this new robust technology will be dramatic for our
audience, and will be key to achieving breastcancer.org’s mission of
empowering millions of women and their loved ones around the world
to make the best decisions for their lives.
Now more than ever, women need a safe place to go for credible,
timely, relevant and understandable medical information. Major
research advances have given rise to a rapidly expanding body of
medical information, yet doctors have relatively little time to
educate patients and their loved ones about important treatment
decisions. breastcancer.org is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week to anyone around the globe—patient, survivor or loved one—and
without the barrier of an access charge.
Thank you all
for your precious support. Together we will continue to make a
major difference in the lives of millions worldwide
Sincerely,
Marisa C. Weiss, MD
President and Founder
breastcancer.org
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