The Community Word

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The month was established to educate the public on breast cancer issues and research, as well as how it’s impacting a vast number of women. Organizations and companies hold events to raise awareness about the disease and money to support research. Additionally, many corporations sell pink ribbon products where proceeds from sales are donated to breast cancer research and education programs.

Second to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women. Each year, more than a million cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women throughout the world. One out of eight women in the U.S. will have breast cancer, and one out of 210 breast cancer diagnoses occur in women under age 40. The American Cancer Society estimates that 182,460 new cases of invasive (Stages I-IV) and 67,770 new cases of a non-invasive and early form of cancer will be diagnosed among women just this year.

Breast cancer is the also second leading (behind lung cancer) cause of death among American women, and the American Cancer Society estimates that 40,480 deaths will occur in 2008.

The good news is the survival rate has increased over the past 18 years, with large increases in women under age 50. Over the last 30 years the 5-year survival rate has increased by 12 percent, and over the last ten years, the survival rate increased by 4.6 percent. All stages of breast cancer now have an 89 percent 5-year survival rate. There are currently approximately 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

While there is no known direct cause of breast cancer, some risk factors are identified to increase a women’s chance of getting the disease. Both genetics and lifestyle play a role in risk factors associated with breast cancer. Perhaps the two most well established risk factors for breast cancer are being female and aging. Family history is another well-known risk factor. About 5-10 percent of breast cancer occurrences are due to genetic predisposition. About 20-30 percent of women with breast cancer have a family member with the disease. Other risk fac-tors associated with breast cancer include: consuming one or more alcoholic beverages a day; never having a child; having a first child over age 30; being overweight, especially after menopause; high breast tissue density; use of oral contraceptives within the past 10 years; post menopausal hormone therapy; and physical inactivity.

Early detection is an important step for beating the disease. Among women whose cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, 98 percent survive more than five years. Women should conduct monthly breast self-examines and promptly seek medical attention if anything feels abnormal. Additionally, women should regularly schedule clinical exams with their health care provider. Starting at age 40, women should receive annual mammograms.

There is no certain way to prevent breast cancer, but knowing the risk factors and conducting regular self-examinations and clinical check-ups will result in early detection and a high rate of survival.

Peoria native Susan G Komen died from breast cancer in 1980 at the age of 36, and her sister Nancy Brinker established Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 1982. Komen for the Cure is “the world’s largest private source of funding for breast cancer research and community outreach programs” with a mission to “eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.” They intend to reach their goal by monetarily supporting innovative cancer research and treatments, as well as providing education and community outreach programs.

Throughout the year, Komen for the Cure sponsors many different events and drives to raise money for breast cancer research and education. Monies raised from these events fund national research, as well as local education programs as determined by local Komen for the Cure affiliates. The organization’s biggest fundraising event is the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The race is usually a 5K walk/run that occurs in multiple cities throughout the country.

The 2008 Peoria Race for the Cure was held May 10 this year and sponsored by the Peoria Memorial Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Of the money raised from the Komen Peoria Race for the Cure, 75 percent supports awareness, education, screening, and treatment within Central Illinois and 25 percent goes to the Komen for the Cure National Grant Program, which funds innovative and groundbreaking breast cancer research and treatment options.

Since the establishment of Komen Peoria in 1992, more than $5 million has been granted to local organizations. Komen Peoria gave $486,827 to a number of local groups in 2008 with monies raised from the 2007 Race for the Cure. Recipients of a Komen Peoria grant in 2008 include, Cancer Center for Healthy Living, Inc., Heartland Community Health Clinic, Illinois Oncology Research Association, and Proctor Hospital.

Peoria Komen and Komen for the Cure, are hosting events through the month of October to celebrate breast cancer awareness.

One is a breast cancer symposium sponsored by UICOMP’s Department of Surgery and Peoria Komen for the Cure that will be held Saturday October 4 at the Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino. The symposium will educate doctors and other healthcare professionals about diagnoses, treatment, and management of breast cancer. In addition to the conference, a meet and greet event called ‘GET SMART…about breast cancer’ is scheduled for Friday, October 3. The featured guest is Douglas R. Murray, MD, a surgical oncologist who specializes in breast cancer. The cost for the meet and greet event is $40 per person, with complimentary tickets for breast cancer survivors.

Passionately Pink for the Cure is a month-long event sponsored by Komen for the Cure where groups wear pink for a day to raise awareness and money for breast cancer. It’s easy to participate: gather a group (co-workers, friends, family, etc), pick a day during the month to wear pink, and make a personal donation of $5 to the Cure, while encouraging others to donate. Groups should register with Komen for the Cure to receive their free packet containing posters and flyers advertising the event, as well as pink ribbon pins for each participant. Visit:

www.passionatelypinkforthecure.org for more information.

Many companies choose to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month by selling pink ribbon products, and then donating a percentage of the purchase price or proceeds to an organization that supports breast cancer research and education.

Komen for the Cure is the most popular organization that receives funding from the sale of pink products. In 2005, pink products made up $35 million of the organization’s $200 million annual revenue. Of course, each company determines which organization receives funding from the sale of pink products, as well as the amount given to each organization.

Yoplait yogurt runs its Save Lids to Save Lives campaign every year. For every pink lid off a yogurt container that is sent back to the company, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to Komen for the Cure. The company makes a minimum donation of $500,000 and a maximum donation of $1.5 million. Each container of yogurt sells for about $1.

Mars Direct, Inc. will donate 10 percent of each purchase of their Promise Blend M&Ms. Each bag contains pink and white milk chocolate candies printed with “the Cure” and the ribbon logo. The candy can be purchased online at www.mymms.com/sgk. Mars Direct also promises to donate 7 to 10 percent of retail sales of “special gift” items sold at all M&M’s World Stores (located in New York, Las Vegas, and Orlando). The company pledges to make a minimum donation of $650,000 to Komen for the Cure in 2008.

Other examples of pink ribbon purchases available in October include: Pink Ribbon Post-It Notes – 35 cents will be donated to City of Hope Cancer Research Center; York Mints Designer Tins – 100 percent of proceeds will go to Young Survival Coalition; Pink Ribbon Tic Tacs – 5 cents will be donated to CancerCare, with a maximum donation of $100,000; Pink Triple Pack Chapstick – 20 cents for each pack goes to Komen for the Cure, with minimum donation of $100,000.

When making purchases to support breast cancer research and awareness, buyers should beaware of how much money actually goes to cancer organizations. Not all companies are too clear on how much of a product’s sale supports breast cancer, and not as much money may go toward research as buyers may think.

Think Before You Pink (www.ThinkBeforeYouPink.org) is an organization sponsored by Breast Cancer Action and is intended to education the public about buying pink Breast Cancer Awareness month products. They believe sometimes it’s better to directly donate money to a breast cancer charity than purchase a product buyers don’t necessarily need or want just to support breast cancer.

The organization suggests some critical questions to ask before purchasing a product solely on the basis of supporting breast cancer:

How much money from the purchase actually goes toward breast cancer? Sometimes it may be more beneficial for buyers to directly donate money to breast cancer organizations and not rely on companies to donate for them.

What is the maximum amount that will be donated? Many companies have a maximum cap on donations.

Which breast cancer organization does the money go to and what types of programs does it support? Buyers should question what sort of organizations the money goes to. For example, do local or national programs benefit from the purchase? Buyers should also question what kind of research the donation supports. Oftentimes, money goes to common research projects that are over funded, while there are many innovative research projects that remain drastically under funded.

The creators of Think Before You Pink do no intend for buyers to shy away from purchasing any of the pink products during the month of October; however, they believe people should make informed purchases. They believe people should “contribute to the cause; not cause marketers.”