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

On the pulse

Cancerkin news…
October preparations…
Cancerkin would like to thank those people who have already picked up collection boxes to display in their workplace, children’s school, church or local shops. With plenty left it is never to early to get the ball rolling and help Cancerkin raise money and awareness during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you would like to get your hands on a collection box please email Lauren Newton at l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk .

In the news…
Cancer awareness hits government agenda…
The government has backed new campaigns alerting people to early signs of breast, bowel and lung cancer to the tune of £9million. It is estimated that these campaigns could help save around 10,000 of the 120,000 lives these cancers affect each year – matching the best survival rates in other European countries. The £9million backing would be available for 59 local campaigns from January 2011 and will focus on supporting projects that encourage people to visit their doctor with any concerns or early symptoms they may be experiencing.

Creative campaigns are gaining more and more coverage, with the government hoping that local areas will tap into social marketing mediums to get their message across, including sites such as Twitter and Facebook. An example of the imaginative campaigns the government hopes their investment will help promote is the coughing bus stop in Doncaster. Designed to highlight coughing as an early symptom of lung cancer the campaign led to an increase in the number of people who visited their GP for an X-ray. As a result, the number of cases diagnosed in one month rose by almost 60% (from 32 to 54) compared with the same month in the previous year.

Symptoms of breast cancer include changes to the size and shape of the breasts; and a lump, swelling or thickening in one breast or armpit. Skin changes can include puckering, dimpling, inflammation or redness of the skin, and there may be changes to the nipple, including rashes or discharge. Mr Paul Burstow as spokesperson for the government initiative said the aim of their investment in the campaigns was to save lives and achieve cancer survival rates that were among the best in the world: "We know that generally the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better the outlook. That's why our campaign will help people to be more alert to the early signs and symptoms of cancer and encourage them to seek medical advice as soon as possible..In England we are lagging behind European countries when it comes to the common but big killer cancers such as breast, bowel and lung…the NHS is spending at European levels but still not delivering European cancer survival rates.”
Read more about the campaigns alongside he early signs of all three cancers here

Rigorous exercise before cancer treatment is ‘highly risky’...
Scientists are recommending that those about to undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment relax and avoid intense activity for at least 48 hours before receiving treatment. The advice comes after a recent study found that psychological or physical stress on the body can aid cancer cells in resisting the effects of treatment; priming the cells for survival.

A series of tests found that a stress-sensitive protein called heat shock factor-1, which usually helps tissues and cells cope with stress actually activated another protein, known as Hsp27 that helped keep tumour cells alive even after they were exposed to radiation and chemotherapy. Hsp27, which helps to block cell death, interacts with a third protein, p21, which allows cells to repair themselves and keep dividing. When the cells were put under stress, levels of Hsp27 reached their height within 48 hours, suggesting the protein is highly active in the two days following any stressful event that activates heat shock factor-1.

Dr Ilangovan, a lead researcher on the project said ‘It is not proven in a clinical setting but our hypothesis leads us to strongly caution cancer patients about avoiding stress because that stress might trigger recurrence of cancer cell growth.’ Arlene Wilkie, director of research and policy, Breast Cancer Campaign said ‘This early research should be treated with caution as it has only been tested on cells in a laboratory and not on cancer patients. It is unrealistic that people who are about to undergo cancer treatment will be able to avoid stress. If you have any concerns talk to your doctor or nurse.’
You can find the rest of the article here

Breakthrough in breast cancer amongst women with BRCA1 gene...
Cancer Research UK scientists have identified a DNA region which can increase or decrease the high breast cancer risk associated with the BRCA1 gene. After studying the genomes of over 2,300 women with the BRCA1 gene, the findings were uncovered by Dr Antonis Antoniou from Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidomilogy at the University of Cambridge and published in Nature Genetics. Dr Antoniou said: We’ve found a DNA region that acts like a volume control – to turn up or down the risk of developing breast cancer from faults in the BRCA1 gene. Our discovery is the first step in a much larger study to identify genetic factors that modify breast cancer risk in women carrying BRCA1 mutations, and ultimately could help assess the risk for each woman and monitor for the disease.”

Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK’s director of cancer information, said: “We’re dedicated to unravelling cancer risk so we can provide doctors with better tools to identify who is at risk and help select the best treatment. This research provides evidence that by carrying out genome wide association studies in certain subgroups - such as people with BRCA1 mutations - we can identify other breast and ovarian cancer risk factors which have previously been missed.”

On average, around 65%of women carrying a faulty BRCA1 gene will develop breast cancer - and around 40% ovarian cancer - by the age of 70.

To read the full article please go to the Cancer Research website

Lauren Newton 23rd September 2010
l.newton@cancerkin.org.uk