On the pulse


Cancerkin's News Update.....


Hyde Park Walk sponsorship…

Sponsorship money from those who took part in our Hyde Park Walk on 19th June is now coming in thick and fast – many thanks to those who have sent it in to us so speedily. Please note that the deadline for returning monies is Monday 15th August. On this day we will add up the grand total and announce our top three fundraisers by the end of that week. Each winner will be awarded with luxury products kindly donated by Floris. Please remember to make all cheques payable to Cancerkin and avoid sending cash in the post. Please contact l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk if you have any queries about sponsorship.

If you still have not taken a look at pictures from the walk, please head head to our Flickr or Facebook pages now! Please tag your friends and ‘like’ the photos and the Cancerkin page while you’re there. We’d love you to share your pictures and your experiences of the day with us, so please contact me at l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk – the best stories and photos will be posted online!


Bon voyage, Habeeb!

This week we say goodbye to our Office Manager Habeeb Ahmed. Habeeb started as an intern at Cancerkin in 2009 before taking on the role of Office Manager at the beginning of 2010. He is leaving us to go travelling before he pursues a career in aid and development. We are very sad to see him go but wish him the best for his travels and every success and happiness in his future endeavors!


June lectures at Cancerkin

Dr Anmol Malhotra MB BS BSc(Hons) MRCP FRCR, Consultant Radiologist and Clinical Lead at the Royal Free Hospital gave a fascinating and informative lecture on breast imaging in our second June lecture on Tuesday. Dr Malhotra talked about his role in the breast screening process as a Radiologist and explained the signs a Radiologist looks for when assessing a patient. He described the latest developments in breast imaging techniques that aim to speed up the diagnostic process, including discussion of mammograms and their effectiveness. We would like to thank him for sharing his time and expertise with Cancerkin’s patients and supporters in what was a thoroughly enjoyable lecture.


Therapies reminder…

Please note that pilates classes will be taking a break over the summer. The last session before the break will be on Thursday 7th July 2011 at 1.30pm, and classes will recommence on Thursday 8th September 2011 at 1.30pm.


In the News.....


Potential new treatment for oestrogen-negative breast cancers

Of the 48,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year, five percent of these will have a specific type of tumour known as an oestrogen-receptor-negative molecular apocrine tumour. Oestrogen-receptor-negative breast cancers such as these can be difficult to treat as they do not respond to hormone treatments like tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors. In more common oestrogen-positive tumours, oestrogen receptors in the cancer cells are switched on by the hormone, fuelling their growth. Oestrogen negative tumours do not have the protein receptors required by hormone to be effective, leaving these women with fewer treatment options.

Scientists at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute have discovered that patients with this kind of difficult to treat tumour could in fact benefit from prostate cancer treatments which target a different receptor. Androgen receptors, a key trigger of prostate cancer, are fuelled by the androgen hormone, testosterone, in a similar way to which oestrogen receptors are fuelled by oestrogen. Researchers found that in oestrogen-receptor-negative molecular apocrine tumours, androgen receptors can also switch on genes that are usually switched on by the oestrogen receptor, fuelling breast cancer growth. As the research is still in its early stages, it is not yet known what fuels the androgen receptor, whether it is testosterone or testosterone, or if the receptor fuels cancer growth independently without the presence of a hormone.

Lead author, Dr Ian Mills, at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute, said of the research: “This important discovery suggests that patients with a type of oestrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer may potentially benefit from therapies given to prostate cancer patients, which could transform treatment for this patient group in the future. But at the moment this laboratory research is still at an early stage. We don’t know if oestrogen or hormones from the androgen family such as testosterone also have a role to play in fuelling the disease in this patient group. The challenge is to pin down these answers through further laboratory and clinical research.”

To read more from Cancer Research UK, please click here.



Una Reynolds

1st July 2011