On the pulse...for women affected by breast cancer

On the pulse

Cancerkin’s News….
eBay success…
Cancerkin are celebrating their first digital fundraising success story! Over the rainy bank holiday weekend our luxury 10 bed villa in Portugal seemed a welcome invitation, and indeed for one lucky winner it was. After entering into the bidding, a Cancerkin supporter won the auction at the price of £2,000. All the money from this sale will go directly to Cancerkin and will be used to continue our work throughout 2010.

If you are an avid eBay user and would like to donate all or a percentage of your sale prices to Cancerkin please get in touch with h.ahmed@cancerkin.org.uk for more information. Alternatively if you have a product or service you would like to donate please contact l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk .

Hyde Park Walk
Thank you to all those who have entered so far. We are currently waiting for the T-shirts to arrive but we envisage that the entry packs will be sent to you in the next two weeks.

If you have not yet entered but would like to get involved our website has all the relevant information, including downloadable entry and sponsorship forms. Alternatively please contact l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk

In the News…
Could Broccoli really help aid the fight against breast cancer?
A study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research reveals that a component of the ‘superfood’ broccoli could help target cells which commonly fuel the growth of cancerous tumours.
According to researchers at the University of Michigan, a component of the vegetable, known as sulforaphane, could target and kill cancer stem cells as well as preventing new tumours from growing.

Current chemotherapies do not work against cancer stem cells. Researchers believe that eliminating the cancer stem cells is pivotal in the fight to control cancer. Prof Duxin Sun, the author of the study, said: "Sulforaphane has been studied previously for its effects on cancer, but this study shows that its benefit is in inhibiting the breast cancer stem cells.”

The research was conducted by treating mice that suffered from breast cancer with varying concentrations of sulforaphane. Using several methods to establish results, a marked decrease in cancer stem cells was found following sulforaphane treatment; the cancer cells treated with sulforaphane were also unable to generate new tumours. Sulforaphane was then tested on human breast cancer cell cultures in the lab, finding similar decreases in the cancer stem cells. Researchers are currently developing a method to extract and preserve sulforaphane.
To read the full article please click here.

LaurenNewton 5th May2010
l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk