On the pulse

Cancerkin news…
Internship Programme…
A couple of weeks ago we mentioned the planned revival of our Internship Scheme. Having advertised the positions of East London Project Intern and Office Manager/Administrator Intern on our website, various University websites and with the Government Graduate Talent Pool, we have just over a week until the application closing date on Friday 17th September. If you know of any sparky individuals who would be interested, or could benefit from the Cancerkin experience then please direct them to the ‘About Us’ section of our website where job specifications for both roles can be found. If you have any further queries or would like to apply (with a CV and covering letter) please email Lauren Newton at l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk .

In the news…
Advances in tackling aggressive forms of breast cancer...
Over the weekend The Telegraph reported that scientists believe they have made a breakthrough in understanding how ‘triple negative’ breast cancer develops. An aggressive form of breast cancer which tends to affect younger women, ‘triple negative’ breast cancer affects around 9,000 women of the 46,000 diagnosed with breast cancer each year and can currently only be treated by surgery and chemotherapy.

Triple negative breast cancer can not be treated with drugs such as Tamoxifen or Herceptin as the tumours that develop as part of the disease are not driven by the hormones oestrogen or progesterone or by the HER2 protein, (as is the case for most other breast cancer forms). The mortality rates for triple negative breast cancer are also higher than average when compared with other forms of breast cancers.

Scientists who conducted the recent study found that triple negative cancers develop in types of breast cells called intermediaries or progenitors – previously it was believed they were found in stem cells. Furthermore, these cells have not yet become completely functional cells, so inception is possible. Dr Matt Smalley, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer's Institute of Cancer Research in London, described the results of their laboratory study with mice as "a major advance in our understanding…it means we can now look very closely at where the disease forms and which genes are involved in that process. This knowledge will greatly improve the chance of finding effective new targeted treatments for breast cancer patients in the future." As a result of this research it is possible that drugs could be created which could stop the growth of tumours or possibly stop them developing at all. It is hoped that this in turn will impact on the number of women who die each year from breast cancer.

Read the full story here

Pre-emptive breast & ovary removal saves more lives than you think…
Recent research which followed nearly 2,500 women with certain genetic predispositions and mutations prone to developing breast or ovarian cancer, found that pre-emptive mastectomies, ovary and/or fallopian tube removals nearly eliminated the development of either cancer. Virginia Kaklamani, an associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University and a co-author of the study said: "This is the first study to prove women survive longer with these preventative surgeries and shows the importance of genetic testing when there is a family history of early breast or ovarian cancer,".

All of the 2,482 women who took part in the study had mutations of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, which significantly increases their chances of developing ovarian or breast cancer. Some of the results included: Women with mutations in either gene who opted for prophylactic mastectomies effectively eliminated their future risk of breast cancer; 7% of women in the study who did not undergo the surgery developed breast cancer in the same period.

Kaklamani said the study clearly showed the potential benefits of pre-emptive surgery as well as highlighting the importance of genetic testing to detect whether the gene mutations are present saying: "Primary care physicians, gynaecologists and women need to be more aware that these tests exist”.

Read the full article here.

Lauren Newton 7th September 2010
l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk