Warning: Cancer For Sale

I sometimes think that the criticism of "the pink ribbon" movement is too harsh. Many other cancer groups damn the pink ribbon, the month of October, and the fundraising efforts of major breast cancer advocates such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I think awareness and fundraising are important, so I don't agree with all the rants. However, I do agree with I2Y's recent post that the commercialization that we are seeing in recent years is pretty outrageous. In other words, the ridiculous adoption of the pink ribbon on all kinds of products has gone too far. The consumer is being bamboozled, which is unfortunate for the legitimate companies that are making significant contributions. But look at the labels of these "pink" products. What are they donating? How is your purchase really helping? I support companies that commit to something like "20% of all proceeds from the sale of this item will be donated to xxxxx". Read that again -- "20% of ALL proceeds". There is no limit, no cap, and your purchase will make a difference in the bottom line.

Now compare that to a recent bamboozle I saw at our local supermarket. We were walking down the dairy aisle when we came across a huge bin of cute, soft, cuddly stuffed bears. Some of them had a pink ribbon on them, some of them were all pink. I picked one up and squeezed it. Do I buy this cute thing for a good cause?? It was $8. Not bad. I read the tag more closely. This company will donate $2 from the sale of this bear for up to a total of $10,000 to breast cancer research and education. Now wait a minute! That SCREAMS profit margin and not charitable donation. Selling 5,000 bears for charity. They probably scammed that off of consumers in the first month this thing hit the store aisles. Now it's all jut profit in their pockets. I was pissed. I threw the bear back in the bin, upsetting my husband, who happens to have real empathy for stuffed bears and was worried that I hurt the bear. What makes this story worse is that a few days letter I get a phone call from a co-worker who saw this very same bear bin in this very same store. She was excited to tell me of this great opportunity to "help the cause". When I told her the bamboozle, she couldn't believe it. I can only hope that she will become a smarter consumer and stop supporting this "cancer for sale" attitude that so many companies think is okay to propagate.

I also beg these companies that cap their donations, plaster their products with pink as a marketing ploy, and don't clearly explain what they are giving to STOP watering down the pink ribbon. STOP turning breast cancer awareness into a marketing trap. STOP profiting off of peoples' desires to help. STOP taking advantage of ignorance. STOP sellling cancer.

Breast Fest

I have been following this movie festival since earlier this year. I really wanted to make a film to enter the competition, but didn't have the time to organize it. I am keeping this on my list for the future, though. I voted for the winning film, Dead Girl Walking.

Breast Fest Film Fest

Hope For Triple Negatives?

Ran across this article about a vaccine that targets the MUC-1 protein in breast cancers, which studies are showing most triple negative breast cancers express. Wow, there might be something out there for us Triple Negs after all!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081212141847.htm

And then go on and read this article to understand why it is so important to have something like that vaccine. And now that I am sufficiently freaking out, I will stop reading.

A Tweet To A Blog

Just when I think I can't be surprised by the power of social networking...yep, something happens that surprises me. After several months, I went back to my twitter account and used it for taking notes during a Symposium. The next day, a friend twittered a workshop that I couldn't go to and I got insights I otherwise wouldn't have. I was pretty happy with that, and wanted to keep some activity up, so I decided to pick my research blogs back up and twittered a few links to remind myself to post them. I didn't think anything of it. Today I got a note that I had a new follower on my twitter. I checked the profile, and it is a breast reconstruction surgeon in San Antonio. Must have picked up my tweet on the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Now that is pretty cool. He appears to be an active blogger and posts lots of great information, so I will advertise his blog while I'm thanking the amazing aspects of social networking. He also is on Facebook.

Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog, http://breast-cancer-reconstruction.blogspot.com/

Message Sent To The Lymphatic Research Foundation

I would like to know how I could become more involved in advocating for lymphatic research, particularly as it relates to lymphedema induced by breast cancer treatment. I am in Champaign, Illinois, the home of the University of Illinois and Mills Breast Cancer Institute. I am a patient advocate with the North Central Cancer Treatment Group. Apart from donating, what can an individual like me do to advocate for research and improved treatment?

Thank you,

xxxxx

Ovarian Cancer Clinical Trial

To bring up with my oncologist in January, but there is at least one criteria that I may not meet:

Phase II Randomized Study of Levonorgestrel in Patients at High Risk for Ovarian Cancer (Levonorgestrel in Preventing Ovarian Cancer in Patients at High Risk for Ovarian Cancer)

http://www.cancer.gov/search/ViewClinicalTrials.aspx?cdrid=532268&version=HealthProfessional&protocolsearchid=4876012

Another to bring up:
National Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program Blood and Genetics (NCT00531778)
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00531778?term=NCT00531778&rank=1

Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation Scholarships

Scholarship applications for the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium will be taken starting April 2009.

Patient Advocacy

Last month I started my journey along Patient Advocacy. I joined the Patient Advocate program through Carle Clinic and Mills Breast Cancer Institute. The program is part of the North Central Cancer Treatment Program (NCCTG), associated with Mayo. Patient Advocates play an active role in cancer research by bringing the patient perspective to the investigative and clinical environment. As a patient advocate, I get the opportunity to attend scientific meetings, review trial protocols, and make presentations to interested groups of scientists and clinicians. I joined the Patient Advocacy group specifically to bring the Young Adult issues to the forefront of research.

Some patient advocate stories: http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.show/id/2/article_id/885 http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.show/id/2/article_id/895

News from San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2008

http://media.curetoday.com/htmlemail/sabcs/
(Be sure to check out all 3 Days of updates!)

Something to take note of: Zometa, a bisphosphonate that is used to prevent bone loss, has been found to have positive effects on preventing cancer-recurrence.

Article in the Washington Post (Dec. 11, 2008) also mentions benefit to pre-menopausal women:

"In June, doctors were stunned when a big study found that Zometa _ given to prevent bone loss caused by certain cancer treatments _ also greatly cut the risk that cancer would recur in women who developed the disease before menopause"