Picture a woman you know who has had breast cancer. Most likely she is over 50, when most breast cancers occur. Although rare, breast cancer can strike young women and is the leading cause of cancer death (death from any type of cancer) among women ages 20-59. And if one of these young patient’s breast cancer metastasizes, it becomes incurable, with an average life span of just 33 months after diagnosis – cutting an already brief life far too short.
There is hope to one day cure this currently incurable form of breast cancer. Susan G. Komen recently announced a $375,000 commitment toward the innovative work of the Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Project, which empowers patients to accelerate research and advance our understanding of metastatic breast cancer. Funds from Komen will be used to analyze samples from young women with metastatic breast cancer who have joined the MBC Project – helping to identify molecular and genetic features unique to younger patients with breast cancer.
While the majority of funds raised by the local affiliate Susan G. Komen South Florida are dedicated to serving Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties, 25 cents of every donated dollar is invested in innovative research for finding cures for cases like these to save lives locally, and around the world. In fact, Komen is the world’s largest nonprofit funder of breast cancer research.
Led by Dr. Nikhil Wagle and colleagues at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the MBC Project directly engages patients with metastatic breast cancer using social media and partnerships with advocacy organizations and empowers them to share their medical records and saliva and tumor samples to help expedite important discoveries. Since the project’s launch in October of 2015, more than 2500 women and men with MBC, including from all 50 states and Canada, have enrolled in the study.
“We are incredibly grateful to have received this support from Susan G. Komen,” Wagle said. “This grant will help us study the young women and men who have joined the Metastatic Breast Cancer Project, a group of patients who often present with more advanced and aggressive tumors. We are proud to have joined with these and many other metastatic breast cancer patients, advocates, and advocacy organizations to launch this patient-driven research project – and look forward to making strides in improving treatments for patients with metastatic breast cancer in partnership with the patient community.”
For South Florida’s Dr. Claudia Mason, Komen’s dedication to finding a cure gives hope that women – and men – will one day know a world without breast cancer. "These amazing research efforts support Komen’s goal of reducing breast cancer mortality by 50%. Every donation counts towards this noble effort to save lives now and in the future."
