On the pulse

Cancerkin’s news…


New arrivals at Cancerkin

This week we are thrilled to welcome Una Reynolds, our new patient service co-ordinator, and Misako Ishii, our new reflexologist, to the Cancerkin team.

Una will be here to help with all enquiries about our services, making and changing appointments and information on new therapies. If you have any questions for Una, you can contact her on 0207 830 2323 or at u.reynolds@cancerkin.org.uk.


Portugal Villa up for auction on eBay

As you may know, Cancerkin will be once again be auctioning off a Holiday in a luxury villa in Portugal, the use of which has been generously donated by one of our supporters. A week’s stay in the villa will be auctioned off on eBay from Thursday 12th May 2011 at 8pm until Sunday 22nd May 2011 at 8pm. Please help us spread the word and tell everyone you know about the auction!

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. If you have not yet booked your family summer holiday, this is a perfect opportunity to secure a stay in a fabulous location and to support Cancerkin at the same time. Click here for more details and pictures.


Hyde Park Walk update...

We are currently recruiting volunteers to our team of marshals for the big day on Sunday 19th June 2011. The team will have the important job of directing our walkers around the course and making sure every thing runs smoothly. If you are interested in getting involved, I would love to hear from you – please email l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk or call 0207 830 2323.

Fundraising packs are now being sent out to our Hyde Park Walkers. If you are wondering how to kick off your fundraising efforts, we recommend that you set up a JustGiving page. Creating your page is a quick and easy process, and you can then email the link to friends, family and colleagues. You can also put it on your Facebook or Twitter page and use your status to tell people about how to donate. Don’t forget to enter your page under the Royal Free Cancerkin Breast Cancer Trust. Your sponsors will then be able to donate directly online. Click here to setup your page.

If you have not yet registered for the walk, there is still plenty of time to do so – we will be taking entries right up to the day. To download an entry form, please visit our website.


In news…


Discovery of new genes linked to ER positive breast cancer

Scientists at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at the Institute of Cancer Research in London have this week announced the discovery of three new genes linked to the most common form of the disease, oestrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer. Their research, published in the online journal PloS Genetics, looked at 104 patients with this type of breast cancer, in order to find which genes were most closely linked to the oestrogen receptor, the main driver of hormonal breast cancer. They found that three genes, known as C6ORF96, C6ORF97 and C6ORF211, were linked to but worked separately from the oestrogen receptor. For this reason, treatments such as tamoxifen, which target the oestrogen receptor, were unlikely to affect the activities of the three newly discovered genes.

The team of researches found that gene C6ORF211 was shown to drive the growth of tumours. They see this gene as the most likely target for new treatments. C6ORF97 was shown to be an indicator of a tumour not coming back, and also a good predictor of response to tamoxifen. Less is known about C6ORF96 but more research is being done. The genes’ discovery was a surprising find for the team as they are located directly next to the oestrogen receptor gene, one of the most well studied areas of the human genome. A member of the research team Dr Anita Dunbier said of this: “We found these genes in a place we thought we knew a lot about - it is like finding gold in Trafalgar Square.”

37,000 women are diagnosed with hormonal, or ER positive, breast cancer in the UK every year. This accounts for four in every five cases of the disease. It is thought that understanding these genes could lead to the development of new ways to treat and prevent hormonal breast cancer. Professor Mitch Dowsett, who led the Breakthrough Breast Cancer team, said: “This research is exciting because it shows that while the oestrogen receptor is the main driver of hormonal breast cancer, there are others next door to it that also appear to influence breast cancer behaviour. We now need to better understand how they work together and how we can utilise them to save lives of women with breast cancer.”

To read the announcement made by Breakthrough Breast Cancer in full, please click here.


Tamoxifen as a preventative medicine for high risk women

At the beginning of April, On the pulse discussed a new report into recent developments in breast cancer prevention. Results of a large international study into Tamoxifen indicated that the drug could be prescribed to high risk women as a method of prevention. The results of the IBIS1 study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggested that the risk of oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer was reduced by around a third in women at an increased risk of the disease. Professor Jack Cuzick, a Cancer Research UK epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London said that up to 10 per cent of all women could benefit from taking such drugs before the first signs of breast cancer even develop, in a similar way to how those at risk of heart disease are prescribed statins.

New analysis of the same research, which looked at 1,000 women at high risk of developing breast cancer, has revealed however that only half of the women given the hormone therapy appeared to benefit from taking it as a preventative medicine. Of those taking Tamoxifen, 46 percent saw their breast density drop by 10 per cent or more over a 12 to 18 month period, a sign that risk has decreased. The remaining 54 per cent whose breast density did not fall by 10 percent in the same period did not see a decrease in risk.

In response to this, Prof Cuzick said that tamoxifen should be not be written off as a preventative drug. If women showed no reduction in breast density after 12 to 18 months, they should switch to another drug rather than "hoping for the best". Tamoxifen is not currently licensed to be used as a preventative medicine in the UK but the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will discuss widening its use later in the year.

To read the full article from The Telegraph, please click here.

Laura Smith 6th May 2011