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

On the pulse

Cancerkin’s News…
Hyde Park Walk…
On behalf of everyone at Cancerkin I would like to say a very BIG thank you to everyone who attended our Hyde Park Walk on Sunday. It was a fantastic event; with beautiful weather, a buzzing atmosphere and the biggest turnout Cancerkin has ever seen. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed it as much as we here at the office did. All that is left for you to do is send in your sponsorships forms and money (in cheque form where possible) to: The Cancerkin Centre, The Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, Hampstead, NW3 3QG. There are three prizes (donated by Floris) up for grabs for the top fundraisers. To be in with a chance of getting your hands on these you MUST send your sponsorship money in before Friday 13th August. For those of you who have fundraised via Just Giving do not fear, your total will also be included in the prize draw.

There were a few items that were left behind on the day. If you think any of the following could be yours please drop me an email at l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk.
1. A pair of tortoise shell sunglasses, left on the O-Z registration desk
2. A DOMKE protective wrap, most likely an attachment to a rucksack- left in the bandstand
3. A ring found along the Serpentine route.

In the News…
Lisa Lynch: A young woman with breast cancer….
This week Lisa Lynch, shared the story of her invasive breast cancer diagnosis at the age of only 28 with the Guardian, ahead of the launch of her new book, ‘The C-Word’. In keeping with the digital media generation, the book was born out of the tales Lisa uploaded onto her blogspace ‘Alright Tit, where she wittingly documented, "the frustrating, life-altering, sheer bloody pain-in-the-arse inconvenience of getting breast cancer at 28." This however was no normal blog space, it managed to gain 140,000 hits within a year and soon captivated QI presenter Stephen Fry, who called her “funny and brilliant”.

Other than the sardonic, (and yet positive!) retelling of Lisa’s own experiences, The C-Word explores the difficult change in familial dynamics that face young women with breast cancer. By documenting the feelings that her parents experienced in her cancer journey, Lisa touches on a key question for many parents whose children are sick: is it any less painful for the parents of an adult child to have to cope with the news of such a devastating prognosis? Indeed Lisa’s mother said "I felt guilty that it wasn't me. It seemed so unfair. Just because your child has grown up and left home, it doesn't mean they are not your child”. Her father Ian adds: "As a parent you feel totally helpless."

Lisa’s story is a vibrantly honest one, and touches on some of the issues that we at Cancerkin want to help our young women to deal with. With the beginnings of a Young Women’s Group in place, it is our vision that we will help women like Lisa in dealing with issues such as: telling the parents, telling the children, career and job prospects, fertility, genetics, sexuality and body image. Our fundraising opera evening on Saturday 31st July will be raising money for our Young Women’s Group. If you feel that you would benefit from the group, would like to offer a donation towards the establishment of the group or would like tickets to our opera please email me at l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk.
Read the rest of Lisa’s inspiring story here

A common blood pressure drug found to increase risk of cancer
A new research study has found that Angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), commonly used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure and kidney damage pose a risk of cancer to anyone taking the tablets.

The research which was carried out at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio and published on line by The Lancet Oncology journal, included 13 trials of the drugs on more than 150,000 patients. The results found, according to researchers: “The increased risk of new cancer occurrence is modest but significant …[However] the finding of a 1.2 per cent increase in absolute cancer risk over an average of 4 years needs to be interpreted in view of the estimated 41 per cent background lifetime cancer risk.”

Senior Cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation , Judy O’Sullivan, said: “This analysis of previous research is inconclusive and anyone taking ARBs to treat their heart disease, or risk of developing it, shouldn’t stop based on this alone. Mark Lerwick of Cancer Research UK, too called for a more in-depth study but noted that: "It’s important that we try to understand all the side effects of drugs so that people can make an informed choice about their treatment. “ Read the full article here

LaurenNewton 18thJune 2010
l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk