Komen announces nearly $33 million in new research funding to support bold goal

SUSAN G. KOMEN® ANNOUNCES NEARLY $33 MILLION IN NEW RESEARCH FUNDING TO SUPPORT BOLD GOAL OF CUTTING BREAST CANCER MORTALITY BY 50 PERCENT

 Kansas Researchers Receive $650,000 in Research Funding

DALLAS – September 19, 2016 – Building on its bold goal to reduce current breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. over the next decade, Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, today announced $32.7 million in new research grants for 2016. Awarded across 23 states and 7 countries, the projects span the entire continuum of breast cancer research, including research into metastatic disease, novel treatments for aggressive types of breast cancer, new technologies and health equity – areas that will make a significant impact in achieving the 50 percent goal.

The grants include $650,000 in new funding for research at the University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute in Kansas, bringing Komen’s total research investment in Kansas to $10,191,251 since 1982.

“For nearly 35 years our organization has been a leader in the fight to end breast cancer, changing how people think about, talk about and treat this disease. Now, with a sharpened focus on our organization’s new strategic direction, we are delighted to announce new research funding that will play a significant role in making our bold goal a reality,” said Komen President and CEO Judy Salerno, M.D., M.S.

“Not only will these grants accelerate our understanding of key areas in breast cancer research, but they include funding for early-career investigators. As federal research dollars become increasingly difficult to secure, these awards give promising young researchers an opportunity to establish their careers, and help ensure breakthrough breast cancer research continues for years to come,” Dr. Salerno added. “Their work is essential to achieving our vision of a world without breast cancer.”

Grants from Komen’s nearly $33 million 2016 research portfolio* – including more than $16 million to early-career investigators – will focus on promising areas in research that have the greatest potential to save lives, including:

• 38 grants expanding our knowledge of metastatic breast cancer and how to stop it.
• 15 grants looking into novel treatments for aggressive types of breast cancer (specifically, triple negative, Luminal B and inflammatory breast cancer).
• 21 grants advancing our ability to detect primary and recurrent breast cancer at its earliest stages.
• 12 grants identifying the causes of breast cancer disparities and testing ways to overcome barriers to care.

Komen’s Investments in Kansas

Komen’s research program is funded in part by contributions from Komen’s nationwide Network of Affiliates, which direct 25 percent of funds raised locally to Komen’s national research program, while investing the remaining 75 percent into community outreach programs that serve local women and men facing breast cancer.

Since 1994, Komen Kansas City has funded more than $16 million to community programs serving local women and men, while contributing more than $4 million to Komen research.

“We are so grateful for the friends, family and neighbors who fight for the cures alongside us, helping to reduce the number of breast cancer deaths in Kansas and Missouri, both on the ground and through groundbreaking research,” said Carli Good, Executive Director of the Greater Kansas City affiliate.

In Kansas, researchers will receive $650,000.

The University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute

• Komen Scholar Danny Welch, Ph.D., will receive $200,000 to study the role of genes that suppress the ability of breast cancer cells to spread to other parts of the body (metastasis). By understanding why and how metastasis happens, new targets can be identified for therapy and guide treatment decisions.

• Christy Hagan, Ph.D. will receive $450,000 to examine how inflammation fuels hormone-responsive breast cancers. Dr. Hagan will determine if anti-inflammatory drugs should be added as a treatment option with current anti-hormone-based therapies.

These new funds bring Komen’s total research investment to more than $920 million since opening its doors in 1982, the largest of any nonprofit outside the U.S. government. In addition to research, Komen and its nationwide network of Affiliates serve women and men in thousands of communities. To date, more than $2 billion has been invested in community programs that provide education, screening and treatment support.

About Susan G. Komen®
Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization outside of the federal government, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $920 million in research and provided more than $2 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs. Komen has worked in more than 60 countries worldwide. Komen was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy’s life. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at ww5.komen.org/social

About Susan G. Komen® Greater Kansas City
Susan G. Komen® Greater Kansas City is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in the local community. Through events like the Komen Kansas City Race for the Cure®, Rock the Ribbon and the Pink Promise Conference, Komen KC has invested more than $20 million in community breast health programs throughout 17 Kansas and Missouri counties and has helped contribute to the more than $889 million invested globally in research. Visit komenkansascity.org or call 816.842.0410. Connect with us on social media: facebook.com/komenkansascity; twitter.com/komenkansascity or instagram.com/komenkc.

Focus on Breast Cancer Education: What is Breast Cancer?

In a healthy body, natural systems control the creation, growth, and death of cells. Most of the time cells divide and grow in an orderly manner. But sometimes, cells grow out of control. This kind of growth of cells forms a mass or lump called a tumor. Tumors can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumors are not cancerous. The cells of a benign tumor do not invade nearby tissue or spread to any other parts of the body. Malignant tumors are cancerous. These tumor cells can invade nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body. A malignant tumor that develops in the breast is called breast cancer.

Tumors in the breast tend to grow slowly. By the time a lump is large enough to feel, it may have been growing for as long as 10 years. However, some tumors are aggressive and grow much faster.. That is why regular breast cancer screening to find early changes is so important. If breast cancer is found early, there are more treatment options and a greater chance of survival.

Between 50 and 75 percent of breast cancers begin in the milk ducts (canals that carry milk from the lobules to a nipple opening during breastfeeding) and 10 to 15 percent begin in the lobules (spherical-shaped sacs in the breast that produce milk) and a few begin in other breast tissues.

It is important to understand the differences between invasive breast cancer and non-invasive breast cancer, called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). (Although DCIS is non-invasive, without treatment, it can develop into invasive breast cancer.) These differences affect treatment and prognosis.

Non-invasive breast cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow inside the milk ducts.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) occurs when abnormal cells grow inside the milk ducts but have not spread to nearby tissue or beyond. The term “in situ” means “in place.” With DCIS, the abnormal cells are still “in place” inside the milk ducts. DCIS is a non-invasive breast cancer (you may also hear the term “pre-invasive breast carcinoma”). Although the abnormal cells have not spread to tissues outside the ducts, without treatment, they can develop into invasive breast cancer.

Invasive breast cancer occurs when abnormal cells from inside the milk ducts or lobules break out into nearby breast tissue.  Some less common invasive breast cancers include: inflammatory breast cancer, Paget disease of the breast and metaplastic breast cancer.

Cancer cells can travel from the breast to other parts of the body through the blood stream or the lymphatic system (a network of lymph nodes and vessels throughout the body). They may travel early in the process when the tumor is small, or later when the tumor is large.

The lymph nodes (small clumps of immune cells that act as filters for the lymphatic system) in the underarm area (the axillary lymph nodes) are the first place breast cancer is likely to spread.

Metastatic breast cancer is Stage IV or advanced breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other organs in the body (most often the bones, lungs, liver or brain).  This is not a specific type of breast cancer, but rather a stage of breast cancer. Although metastatic breast cancer has spread to another part of the body, it is considered and treated as breast cancer. For example, breast cancer that has spread to the bones is still breast cancer (not bone cancer) and is treated with breast cancer drugs, rather than treatments for a cancer that began in the bones.

Learn more: http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/WhatisBreastCancer.html and http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content_Binaries/806-368a.pdf