On the pulse

Cancerkin’s News…

Message from Victoria....


Dear Supporters and Friends

Wishing you all a scrumptious Festive Season and much joy in the New Year from us all (left to right Henry, Victoria, Habeeb, Asini and Laura). It has been another wonderful year with so much to thank you all for. I am so lucky to have the most dedicated, hard working staff, all of whom have a great sense of humour and the most supportive Trustees. A big thank you also to all of you who came through our doors to enjoy our services. Every one of you have had the most positive effect on us all and have inspired us to do more to make Cancerkin an even more inviting sanctuary in 2011. I look forward to returning in the New Year to work with you all and continue to grow Cancerkin.

With my very best wishes

Victoria

Art Classes

Cancerkin is pleased to welcome Milena Petrova who will be conducting 4 introductory art workshops in January next year. These workshops aim to be a liberating experience for patients where they can discover the freedom to explore their creativity. The workshops will be held on Tuesdays at 11am-12.45pm on 18th January, 25th January, 1st February and 8th February. No previous art experience is necessary.

If you would like to book a place at the workshops or require additional information, please contact our office manager, Habeeb on 020 7830 2323 or at h.ahmed@cancerkin.org.uk.

Finally, please note that the Cancerkin Centre is closed from Friday 24th December to Monday 3rd January inclusive.

In the news…

Radiotherapy effective for women with DCIS…

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer. It occurs when cells in the ducts of the breast have become cancerous but do not spread to the surrounding breast tissue or to other parts of the body. The survival rate of this kind of breast cancer following treatment is high at around 98 percent but the risk of DCIS recurrence, development of an invasive breast cancer, or development of a new cancer in the other breast remains. A new study, known as the UK, Australia and New Zealand (UK/ANZ) DCIS trial, has found that the use of radiotherapy after surgery may significantly reduce the risk of developing invasive breast cancer for such women. The study furthermore found that tamoxifen after surgery may protect against the risk of breast cancer development in the other breast.

The study recruited 1,710 women between 1990 and 1998 and followed their progress over a long period of time. In terms of radiotherapy after surgery, the study’s most recent results found that the risk of new invasive breast cancer in the same breast fell by 70 percent, the risk of DCIS returning fell by 60 percent, but the risk of developing a new cancer in the opposite breast was unaltered. Meanwhile, tamoxifen did not affect the risk of developing invasive breast cancer in the same breast as the original DCIS, but did reduce the risk of DCIS recurrence by 30 percent and the risk of a cancer developing in the other breast by 65 percent. However, it seemed that women who received treatment by tamoxifen in addition to radiotherapy did not gain further benefits.

Kate Law, Cancer Research UK's director of clinical research, said of the study’s latest findings: "These important trial results prove that a small but significant number of women may benefit from radiotherapy after surgery to reduce the risk of their DCIS coming back or developing into invasive cancer. Modern radiotherapy is a cornerstone of today's cancer treatment and in fact helps cure more people of the disease than cancer drugs.”

To read more about the study, please click here..


Victoria Todd & the Cancerkin Team