On the pulse - 7th October 2011

On the Pulse


Cancerkin's News Update.....


A trip to Floris...

This week, the Cancerkin Team accompanied the three winners of our Hyde Park Walk top fundraisers competition on a trip to Floris, where they were presented with their prizes. Linda Cohen, Debra Franses Bean and Sue Glasser received gifts from Floris and Pizza Express, and were then shown around the historic premises and invited to tea with Marketing Director Edward Bodenham. We would like to thank Floris and Pizza Express for providing the prizes, and to thank Edward on behalf of our winners and our team for his kind hospitality – a lovely afternoon was had by all!


Breast Cancer Awareness month...

Please come and support our annual breast awareness stand on Wednesday 12th October 2011 from 10am to 4pm, outside the Atrium at the Royal Free Hospital. We will be handing out information on being breast aware and about Cancerkin’s services and there will be lots of books, gifts and cakes for sale.


Volunteers needed...

We are looking for volunteers to help manage the awareness stall and hold collection tins so please do get in touch if you are able to help. You can contact Laura on 0207 830 2323 or email l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk.


October talk…

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.


Cancerkin & Maggie’s Centre ‘Getting Started with Cancer Treatment’ Workshop

Cancerkin is very excited to announce a joint venture with cancer support service Maggie’s Centre. Cancerkin will be hosting a ‘Getting Started with Cancer Treatment’ workshop on Monday 31st October from 10:30am to 1:30pm. The workshop has been specifically designed by the team at Maggie’s for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer within the last twelve months. The aim of the workshop is to help with better understanding treatment, managing side effects and being as healthy in mind and body as possible, during and after treatment. The workshop will be led by one of Maggie’s Cancer Support Specialists. Places are limited, so if you would like to attend, please contact Una on 020 7830 2323 or u.reynolds@cancerkin.org.uk.



In the News.....


Beta-blockers and breast cancer....

An increasing amount of research is being done into understanding and finding effective ways to prevent breast cancer spread. Whilst most women will be successfully treated for the initial breast tumour, in around 30 percent of cases, metastasis will then occur when cells leave the original tumour and move around the body.

A recent Cancer Research UK study to investigate whether beta-blockers may be able to prevent breast cancer from spreading and improve survival has shown promising results. Beta-blockers are drugs routinely used to treat high blood pressure and anxiety. Previous research into the drugs and their possible uses in the treatment of breast cancer published last year found that breast cancer patients taking beta-blockers before their operation had a greater likelihood of survival several years after their treatment. The latest research is built on earlier findings of a mechanism in which beta-blockers can potentially stop cells moving and thus cancer from spreading.

Scientists working on the trial are excited about taking this research further to see whether beta-blockers actually do improve survival in a large population of breast cancer patients. Dr Des Powe, Cancer Research UK-funded scientist from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said of the study: “This study will be sufficiently large to determine whether we should progress to clinical trials and identify which type of beta-blockers have the strongest effect.” Dr Julie Sharp, senior science information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “As beta-blockers are already a known drug this could be a very interesting development, which has the potential to save a large number of lives and we hope to have to see study results within the next year.”

To find out more, click here.


The pain of male breast cancer…

On Wednesday this week, BBC4 reported on new research conducted for healthtalkonline.org showing that men with breast cancer suffer avoidable isolation and embarrassment because of the wide-spread belief that only women get the disease.

Leading the research, Professor Kate Hunt of the Medical Research Council’s Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, commented that the ‘pinking’ of breast cancer has become a universal sign of support for breast cancer research in October. However she commented that ‘some blue in those pink bows’ would help to remind everyone that men get breast cancer too.

About 350 men in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, compared to approximately 48000 women. Men, however, tend to be diagnosed with more advanced breast cancer, at older ages and with lower survival rates. Whilst a man is seven times more likely to develop testicular cancer every year, in comparison to breast cancer, the mortality rate is the same.

BBC4 reported that the symptoms for men are the same as for women – a lump, inverted nipple and sometimes discharge. They also reported that men often suffer from some of the same experiences as women during treatment such as hot flushes, loss of libido and weight gain.

The research is expected to go live on healthtalkonline.org on October 20 and will include interviews with men who have had breast cancer as well as information on the condition.

To find out more, click here.


Laura Smith 7th October 2011
l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk