The last of the tickets…
Tickets are now SOLD OUT for ‘The Last of the Duchess’ on 31st October 2011. We have been so pleased with the response to the event and look forward to seeing you all in October!
All those who have purchased a ticket will receive a letter of confirmation in the coming weeks. You will need to bring this with you on the night. The performance will start at 7.30pm with drinks served for ticket holders from 6.30pm. There will also be a raffle at the interval with fabulous prizes including a holiday in a villa in Portugal. Please contact Laura on l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk if you have any questions about the evening.
East London ‘Experienced Patients’…
Friday saw the graduation of our six newly trained ‘Experienced Patients’ who will be forming a network of support in East London for women living with breast cancer. Congratulations to them all once again for completing their formal training. If you are interested in finding out more about our ‘Experienced Patients’, please contact Asini on 0207 830 2323 or a.wijewardane@cancerkin.org.uk.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Cancerkin…
As you may already know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As well as hosting a performance of ‘The Last of the Duchess’, Cancerkin has lots of other plans for October to help promote breast awareness as well as fundraising to continue our services:p>
We will be holding a fundraising stall at the Royal Free Hospital outside the Atrium on Wednesday 12th October 2011 from 10am to 3pm, during which we will hand out information on breast awareness and on Cancerkin’s services.
On Tuesday 25th October at 11am Katie Walker, Clinical Lead Dietician (Nutrition Support) at the Royal Free, will be speaking at our monthly patient support group for those with breast cancer. She will give a talk on healthy eating and take question from the audience on any dietary related queries. If you are interested in attending, please contact Una on u.reynolds@cancerkin.org.uk.
As always, we so are grateful to those who support Cancerkin through their own fundraising drives and initiatives. If you would like to organise your own event in honour of Cancerkin during October, here are a few ideas: you could hold a cake sale at work; you could have a car boot sale at the weekend; or you could donate the proceeds of your eBay auction to Cancerkin. If you know of a local business or store that might like to hold a collection can or to plan a fundraiser for Cancerkin, then do get in touch. For more information, please contact Laura on l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk.
In the News.....
Breast cancer screening programme under the spotlight...
In recent years, a number of studies have been conducted into the impact breast screening programmes, such at those operating in the UK, have on reducing breast cancer mortality rates. At the beginning of August, On the pulse reported on one such study, conducted by a group of European scientists who compared data from countries that had introduced screening at different times but had experienced simultaneous improvements in survival rates. They concluded that the decrease in breast cancer deaths was due to ever improving treatment options and health care systems, rather than due to breast screening. This week the press has focused once again on this subject following the release of a new report conducted by the Nordic Cochrane Centre, which further criticises breast screening programmes. Lead author of the study, Professor Peter Gotzsche at the University of Copenhagen, has claimed that breast screening actually leads to a 50 percent over diagnosis of breast cancers. This means that as a result of screening, some tumours are treated that would never have progressed or led to illness.
The NHSBSP has been quick to dismiss the claims made by this most recent study, stating that the public health benefits of screening outweigh any risks. Professor Julietta Patnick, director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, said: "We know that 97 per cent of women with screen-detected cancers are alive five years later compared to just over 80 per cent of women diagnosed without screening, and screening lowers a woman's risk of having a mastectomy." The NHS breast screening programme (NHSBSP) currently invites all women from the ages of 50 to 70 to have a mammogram every three years. Plans to extend this to women from the age of 47 to the age 73 are currently in the pipeline. The NHS estimates that screening helps to reduce breast cancer deaths by a third and cuts the risk of having to undergo a mastectomy.
To read The Independent’s take on the report, please click here.
Laura Smith
2nd September 2011
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