On the pulse


Cancerkin’s News Update…

Portugal Villa up for auction on eBay

One of our generous supporters has once again donated the use of her Portugal holiday villa, to be auctioned off in aid of Cancerkin. Located near Porto in the North of Portugal, the stunning villa sleeps up to 10 and has its own swimming pool, outdoor seating and dining area and lots of outdoor space.

A week’s stay in the villa will be auctioned off on eBay. The auction will be open for bids from Thursday 12th May 2011 at 8pm and will run for 10 days until Sunday 22nd May 2011 at 8pm. This is a fantastic opportunity to support Cancerkin whilst securing a fabulous treat for your family or a group of friends. Please help us spread the word and tell everyone you know about the auction!

Click here for more details and pictures.


Hyde Park Walk 2011

Entries for Cancerkin’s annual sponsored Hyde Park Walk on Sunday 19th June 2011 are coming in thick and fast! If you have not yet registered, there is still plenty of time to do so – we will be taking entries right up to the day of the walk. If you would like to request an entry form, please contact call Laura on 0207 830 2323, or download a form from our website.


Good luck Joy!

Joy Okoye will be running the Neolithic Marathon this Sunday 1st May 2011 to raise funds for Cancerkin and three other charities. We wish her the best of luck for the day!


Therapies update

This week we say goodbye to reflexologist Jenni Stone. We thank her for all her hard work over the years and wish her the best for the future!

Please note that Art Therapy, Kundalini Yoga, Nia Technique, Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga classes will all restart next week from Tuesday 2nd May, following a break over the April holiday period.



In the news…


New research into body’s defence against cancer

Cancer Research UK’s science blog this week discussed the ways in which the body defends itself against the development of cancer. A fascinating new piece of research into these processes, reported in Science Journal Medicine, has discovered a way in which cells protect themselves that could potentially offer opportunities for the development of new methods of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

As explained in the blog, there are a number of processes that allow the body to locate and destroy cancerous cells. We generate tumour-prone cells everyday and in order to prevent these from developing into cancer, injured cells produce ‘tumour suppressor’ proteins which kill or stop the division of such cells. In addition to this, they are targeted by white blood cells produced by the immune system.

A team of US researchers, led by Professors Mina Bissell and Wen-Hwa Lee, have now identified a protein also produced by the immune system that kills breast cancer cells whilst leaving healthy cells unharmed. Whilst examining the relationship between breast cancer cells and their healthy counterparts, they found that the protein interleukin-25 (IL-25) exclusively killed cancerous cells but had no effect on healthy ones. Further investigation revealed that cancer cells often have a protein known as IL-25 Receptor (IL-25R) on their surface, which causes the cell to die when it comes into contact with IL-25. Healthy cells do not produce IL-25R so are protected from this process.

Researchers believe that cancer cells produce IL-25R during the development of breast cancer as a means of distinguishing themselves. IL-25 is then produced by healthy cells to keep the cancerous cells in check. Although much more research needs to be done into the process, scientists think it could provide the basis for diagnostic tests and treatments for breast cancer in the future which target IL-25R. As the blog points out, similar studies into the protein HER2/neu led to the development of the now widely used breast cancer drug Herceptin.

To read the blog in full, please click here.


Laura Smith

28th April 2011

On the pulse


Cancerkin’s news…

Lymphoedema clinic’s coming of age

Last Tuesday, Cancerkin’s lymphoedema clinic celebrated its 21st Birthday! The clinic has now been providing a gold standard care to breast cancer patients with lymphoedema for over two decades and, as a result, it consistently receives outstanding levels of feedback. In our 2010 patient survey, it was scored 10 out of 10 by 92% of its patients.

Our lymphoedema therapists are supported by a dedicated team of six volunteers who manage the smooth day-to-day running of the clinic and are loved by patients and staff alike. Together with our CEO Victoria Todd, we would like to extend our thanks to these fantastic women - Helen Bennett, Evelyn Ellis, Pat Gussetti, Monika Hashmi, Melanie Kornitzer and Renate Tingay - for all their hard work over the years. Thank you!


Hyde Park Walk 2011

Registration is now open for Cancerkin’s annual sponsored Hyde Park Walk and we have already received lots of entries! If you have not yet received your invitation and registration form, it will be in the post to you this week, otherwise do contact l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk to request a form. This year’s walk will take place on Sunday 19th June 2011 at 10.30am and we hope to see as many of you there as possible!


Lectures in June

We are pleased to announce that in June, we will be holding two lectures here at the Cancerkin Centre, which will be open to all our patients and supporters.

Mr Mohammed Keshtgar FRCSI FRCS (Gen) PhD, Consultant Surgical Oncologist at the Royal Free and Whittington Hospitals will present the first lecture on 6th June 2011 at 3pm, which will be followed by a question and answer session.

The second lecture will be given by Dr Anmol Malhotra MB BS BSc(Hons) MRCP FRCR, Consultant Radiologist and Clinical Lead at the Royal Free. It will take place on 28th June 2011 at 11am. Dr Malhotra will talk about recent developments in breast imaging before taking questions from the audience.

To reserve a place at either of these events, please contact Laura on 0207 830 2323 or email l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk.



In the news…

New study into cancer and alcohol

As discussed in last week’s edition, the role that alcohol plays in determining breast cancer risk has been well documented. Research shows that the more a woman drinks, the more her risk of developing the disease increases. It is also known that alcohol consumption increases risk of mouth, throat, bowel and liver cancer.

A new report published in the British Medical Journal this week shows that at least 13,000 cases of cancer a year in the UK are caused by alcohol. Research as part of the Cancer Research UK-funded European Prospective Investigation of Cancer study (EPIC), which looks into the links between diet and cancer, has examined how drinking different amounts of alcohol affects cancer risk and has combined this with figures of how much British people drink. Researchers found that alcohol had the biggest effect on cancers of the mouth, food-pipe, voice-box and pharynx, lying at the cause of around 6,000 cases a year. It was found to cause more than 3,000 cases of colorectal cancers and around 2,500 cases of breast cancer each year.

As Cancer Research UK’s press release on the report highlighted this week, the results have worrying implications. Naomi Allen, a Cancer Research UK epidemiologist working on the EPIC study, said: “This research supports existing evidence that alcohol causes cancer and that the risk increases even with drinking moderate amounts. The results from this study reflect the impact of people’s drinking habits about ten years ago. People are drinking even more now than then and this could lead to more people developing cancer because of alcohol in the future.” Government figures from the Office of National Statistics published last week support this and show that an increasing number of women are drinking well over the recommended limit of alcohol for a week. As we saw last week, even one drink a day can increase a woman’s breast cancer risk and so these statistics are of great concern.

To read more, please click here.


Laura Smith 15th April 2011

On the pulse

Cancerkin’s news…

Hyde Park Walk 2011…

Registration is now open for Cancerkin’s annual sponsored Hyde Park Walk - your invitation and registration form will be in the post as we speak! This year’s walk will take place on Sunday 19th June 2011 at 10.30am and we do hope to see as many of you there as possible. For more event details and extra registration forms, please visit our fundraising events page here.

Dance therapy…

From next week, Cancerkin will be offering weekly Dance therapy classes with Marina Benini MA RDMP, Lecturer in Movement Studies and Dance Movement Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths Unit of Psychotherapeutic studies. They will be held on Mondays from 11.30am to 12.30am, beginning 11th April 2011. Please contact Habeeb on 020 7830 2323 or at h.ahmed@cancerkin.org.uk to register your interest.


In the news…

Alcohol and breast cancer

An interesting article was posted on the Susan G. Komen for the cure website this week, giving a useful summary of research into the relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. As the article explains, it is clear that drinking alcohol excessively is harmful to our general health and can increase breast cancer risk. What is less commonly known is how drinking in moderation impacts upon breast cancer risk and upon those who have already had breast cancer.

Research has found that even a few drinks a week can modestly increase breast cancer risk. The more a women drinks, the more her risk increases. Analysis of 53 separate studies into alcohol has found that for each drink consumed per day, risk increases by seven percent, with those who drink two or three alcoholic beverages a day having a 20 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer than non-drinkers. There are a number of ways in which alcohol affects breast cancer risk. As explained in the article, alcohol is highly calorific and is often a contributing factor to excess weight gain. Heavier women tend to have higher levels of oestrogen in their blood, which can in turn increase breast cancer risk. However, alcohol has been to found to impact risk independent of body weight – it can affect the way the body processes oestrogen, causing levels to rise and thus increasing risk. Studies suggest a diet rich in the nutrient folate, or folic acid, can reduce breast cancer risk related to alcohol consumption. Folate allows the body to copy and repair DNA, but drinking alcohol can reduce levels in the blood making incorrect copies of DNA more likely when cells divide, potentially leading to the growth of cancerous cells.

The article states that, for a healthy woman, drinking some alcohol (less than one drink a day) can have health benefits, for example lowering risk of heart disease and hypertension. However, it is not yet know if drinking alcohol in moderation has any such health benefits for breast cancer survivors. The results of studies into the relationship between alcohol and the risk of breast cancer recurrence and breast cancer mortality are mixed - some show there is an increased risk whilst others show there is none. What the article does make clear is that the benefits outlined above can be gained through exercise and healthy diet instead of alcohol, and that excessive drinking does not have health benefits for anyone, only health risks.
To read the full article, please click here.


New Guidelines for Breast Cancer Treatment

This week, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) released new draft guidelines for healthcare providers on the treatment of breast cancer. The draft outlines 13 ‘quality standards’ including guidance on referring suspected cases to a screening unit, offering ultrasound to those with early invasive breast cancer; and proving adequate removal and good aesthetic outcome for those who undergo surgery. The standards will provide objective guidance to patients and medical professionals on how good care should look. The aims of the quality standards are to ‘prevent people from dying prematurely, to ensure that people have a positive experience of care, and to treat and care for people in a safe environment and protecting them from avoidable harm.’

Included in the standards is detailed guidance on providing access to surgery and hormone therapy for early invasive breast cancer patients, irrespective of their age. As reported in On the pulse in February and March, recent studies into breast cancer treatment in the elderly have revealed that those over 70 are much less likely than those under 70 to receive surgery as treatment for their breast cancer. A recent NICE study found that less than 60 percent of breast cancer patients over 70 received surgery as part of their treatment, compared with 96 percent of middle-aged patients. As a result, the new standards state that the proportion of patients over 70 who receive surgery, as well as endocrine therapy, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, will now be monitored.

Dr Fergus Macbeth, Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE said: “Sadly, breast cancer affects a large number of women in England, so this standard is an important step in helping those responsible for the treatment of patients with this condition to deliver the best care possible.” Dr Rachel Greig, Senior Policy Officer at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “These draft guidelines could be a step forward in ensuring that important information is more accessible and user friendly for healthcare professionals and patients. We want to ensure that all breast cancer patients have every chance to beat this disease. Therefore we hope these standards will safeguard best practice and provide clarity on the level of care expected for the treatment of breast cancer.”

To read a Telegraph report, click here. For further information about the draft quality standards on the NICE website, please click here.


Laura Smith 8th April 2011

On the pulse


Cancerkin’s news…

Hyde Park Walk 2011 update

Registration is now open for Cancerkin’s annual sponsored Hyde Park Walk - your invitation and registration form will be in the post as we speak! This year’s walk will take place on Sunday 19th June 2011 at 10.30am.

We hope to make 2011 the biggest and most successful walk yet, so please spread the word to your families, friends, colleagues and schoolmates. The walk is a great fun event for people of all ages and fitness as you can walk, jog or run the 10k course twice round the Serpentine. We already have a number of teams signed up to who will be walking and fundraising together - why don't you set up a team too?

The Hyde Park walk is a very special occasion for many of our walkers, as every year all are invited to walk in honour or in memory of a loved one if they choose.

For more details and for extra registration forms, please visit our fundraising events page here.


Drama workshops coming soon…

Back by popular demand, Christine Fox will be holding weekly drama workshops beginning Friday 6th May from 10.30am to 12pm. Do you want to work creatively? Have fun? Explore ideas through music, drama games and improvisation? Maybe hone the acting skills last exercised at school? Well now’s your chance! There will be ten sessions to start with culminating in a possible performance for those who are interested. Please note that workshops will take place every Friday until 15th July, excluding Friday 24th June. To reserve a place, please call 0207 830 2323 or email Laura, at l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk.


Cancerkin wants you!

Cancerkin wants to recruit a new member to its team in the full-time role of patient co-coordinator. If you are a bright and enthusiastic individual with plenty of initiative and administrative experience, we would love to hear from you. You can find more details about the position on the ‘jobs with us’ section of our website www.cancerkin.org.uk. If you or someone you know is interested in applying, please forward a CV together with a covering letter saying why you want the job to info@cancerkin.org.uk.


In the news…


Future developments in breast cancer prevention

A review published this week in the Lancet Oncology Journal and composed by an international panel of cancer experts has concluded that women with an above average risk of developing breast cancer should be offered preventative measures and closer monitoring. It was agreed by the panel that if current trials into methods of predicting breast cancer risk are successful, certain drugs could be used for preventing breast cancer in women with an elevated risk, much in the same way as statins are given to those at risk of heart disease.

As stated in the report, there is strong evidence to suggest that drugs such as Tamoxifen are effective in preventing breast cancer in high risk women. The results of large international trials into this particular drug indicate that the risk of oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer is reduced by around a third in women at an increased risk of the disease. Other drugs including raloxifene, lasofozifene, arzoxifene and aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole and exemestane, also show positive results but require further investigation.

By finding ways to predict risk and therefore identify who may respond to such treatments, those who are most likely to benefit can be targeted. One of the strongest indicators of breast cancer risk is breast density as displayed on a mammogram. Those with dense breast tissue are around four times more likely to be at risk of the disease than those with the least dense tissue. This could therefore be used to determine who is at risk, as well as to indicate positive response to treatment, displayed by a reduction in breast density. Early trial results into Tamoxifen have shown that when the drug decreases breast density, cancer risk also decreases. As chair of the panel, Professor Jack Cuzick, explains: “if this is confirmed in long-term studies, breast density could become a powerful way to identify high-risk women who could benefit from preventive treatments.”

He added: “Although drugs such as tamoxifen and raloxifene are licensed in the US, we know that neither is widely used, mainly due to concern around the potential side effects, and an inability to predict breast cancer risk accurately. We hope that in the future it may be possible to assess women’s breast cancer risk as part of routine breast screening and offer personalised advice about risk reduction and medicines for preventing breast cancer.”

To read more about the review, please click here.


Laura Smith 1st April 2011
l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk