Finding a cure now...so our daughters won't have to.

Posts Tagged ‘News’

Chemo Brain is Real

Posted By on June 15th, 2011 at 9:00 am | 0 comments.

Written by Barbara Good, Ph.D.

For years, women in cancer support groups and those discussing their treatment with sympathetic friends or relatives have referred to a syndrome they call “chemo brain,” the somewhat amusing-sounding but all too real experience of many who undergo chemotherapy in the course of cancer treatment. At times complaints from cancer patients about forgetfulness, lack of coordination, or the inability to find certain words during speech have been looked at by some in the medical profession as a result of the stress of cancer treatment, or fatigue, or both.

A recent study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle now lends credence to the idea that the symptoms cancer patients describe appear, in fact, to come at least in part from cancer treatment and that they may last for periods up to five years or more. The patients examined had undergone chemotherapy as part of bone marrow or stem cell transplants to treat blood cancers, but the researchers believe their findings to be applicable to breast cancer patients and to those who have undergone chemotherapy for other types of cancer. Verbal memory and motor problems lasted longer than five years in some of the patients examined, but information processing, multitasking, and executive function tasks seemed to be regained within five years.

Targeting Breast Cancer: Adult Stem Cell Research

Posted By on May 16th, 2011 at 12:54 pm | 2 comments.

Over the last few years, much discussion and debate in the media has focused on using stem cells in medical research.  The issue has centered on the use of fetal stem cells, their possible use in research to cure or better treat a wide variety of diseases, and the ethical questions surrounding such research.  However, stem cells are not only found in fetal tissue; adult stem cells exist in the mature human body.

Stem cells were discovered in the breast in 2003 by researchers at the University of Michigan. They are defined as cells that “have the ability to continuously divide and develop into various other kinds of cells/tissue.”  It is possible that when a cancer re-emerges after hormonal therapy and chemotherapy, even in a woman with ER-positive breast cancer, the culprit may be stem cells that have not been affected by the treatment.  In recent laboratory research, investigators have tested the drug sorafenib (Nevaxar®), a drug used in the treatment of kidney and liver cancers, and found that this agent eliminated more breast cancer stem cells and blocked tumor formation better than 4 other drugs tested. It is now being examined in clinical trials.  This approach to cancer treatment, which deals with the disease at a cellular level through the targeting of genes and proteins, is one that we will see more of in the coming years as therapeutic options begin to focus on individual patient and tumor characteristics.

For more information about this research, click here. Or, more information about stem cells can be found here.

Photo Exhibit Opening Tonight in Huntingdon, PA

Posted By on May 12th, 2011 at 8:14 am | 0 comments.

York County Photo Exhibit OpeningThe PA Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC) is pleased to work with the Huntingdon County Exhibit Committee and J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital to bring its traveling photo exhibit 67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania, to Huntingdon County from May 12th through May 22nd.  The photo exhibit will be displayed in the Main Lobby of the J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital located at 1225 Warm Springs Avenue in Huntingdon.

An opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, May 12th at 5 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. The pink van and PBCC staff will be on hand to kick-off the 110th showing of the photo exhibit. This will be our first visit to Huntingdon County!

This work of art features women from each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, along with a message about how breast cancer has touched their lives.  The women reflect the diversity of Pennsylvania, and their stories reflect the impact of breast cancer on themselves, their families and their communities.  The exhibit encourages women to learn about early detection and celebrates life, courage, hope and dignity of women and families who have battled breast cancer.  67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania is sponsored by the PBCC and funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Pat Halpin-Murphy, President and Founder of the PBCC, encourages everyone to visit the exhibit.  “Breast cancer is not a rare event separate from the fabrics of our everyday lives.  It impacts our mothers, daughters and friends.  We must educate ourselves about this disease and fight to find a cure now…so our daughters won’t have to.”

“The Alliance for Breast Care (ABC) at J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital is honored to host the 67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania exhibit,” said Dr. Maria Pettinger, Medical Director of Radiology at J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital. “This opportunity is limited to a few locations in the Commonwealth each year. We want to encourage not only the residents of Huntingdon County to take advantage of this inspirational exhibit, but also the people from the surrounding counties to experience the strength and courage of those who have faced breast cancer.”

 

Need Help Getting Health Insurance or Services? Call PA Health Law Project

Posted By on April 15th, 2011 at 9:05 am | 0 comments.

The PA Health Law Project is a statewide center devoted to helping low income, elderly, and disabled Pennsylvanians access quality health care. If you are having trouble applying for Medical Assistance (MA), the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or if there are no health care providers in your health plan who can meet your needs, contact the PA Health Law Project to learn how they can assist you.

PHLP’s team of 8 attorneys, 3 paralegals, a physician and a social worker help thousands of people each year. They answer questions, provide advice, negotiate agreements, and represent clients at administrative hearings and in court. PHLP services are free to qualified individuals.

The PA Health Law Project has participated in the PBCC’s seminars about the Commonwealth of PA’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment program (BCCPT) across the state and at our annual conferences. Their expertise about accessing quality health care is invaluable.

If you or someone you know needs help, contact the PA Health Law Project helpline at 1-800-274-3258 or visit www.phlp.org.

2011 Refunds for Research Awardees Announced

Posted By on April 15th, 2011 at 9:01 am | 0 comments.

Through the generosity of Pennsylvania taxpayers, the PBCC’s Refunds for Breast Cancer Research program awarded grants to three PA based cancer researchers to further their study. Melanie Flint, Ph.D., Steffi Oesterreich, Ph.D., and Azadeh Stark, Ph.D. each received $50,000 to continue their respective research endeavors to unlock more of the mysteries of breast cancer.

Dr. Flint and Dr. Oesterreich are both researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Dr. Stark is employed by the Center for Health Service Research at Geisinger Medical Center. This is the first PBCC Refunds for Research grant award for all of the three recipients.

Many thanks to each Pennsylvania taxpayer who has contributed all or part of his or her state income tax refund to support the Refunds for Research program to help bring us closer to our goal of finding a cure for breast cancer now…so our daughters won’t have to.

FrontLine, PBCC’s Print Newsletter: Spring 2011 Edition Online

Posted By on March 30th, 2011 at 3:54 pm | 2 comments.

The Spring 2011 edition of the PBCC’s print newsletter, FrontLine, is now available online! Thanks to Issuu, this newsletter is available to everyone though various websites including Facebook and PABreastCancer.org. Over the next few editions, we will be working to increase online content for FrontLine including videos, photos, and more!

Currently, FrontLine is mailed out to over 57,000 households and businesses across the state quarterly. If you receive FrontLine in the mail and wish to instead receive correspondence from the PBCC electronically, email us! We’ll be happy to make the change.

Enjoy the Spring 2011 edition!

PA Breast Cancer Coalition Awards Two Research Grants Through the Income Tax Refund Campaign

Posted By on March 22nd, 2011 at 11:31 am | 6 comments.

2011 Refunds for Research Check Presentation at the Hillman Cancer CenterPITTSBURGH, Pa. – The PA Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC) has launched its annual Refunds for Research campaign to fund Pennsylvania cancer researchers. By simply checking YES on line 35 of the PA-40 tax form, any taxpayer can donate all or part of their state income tax refund to breast and cervical cancer research. Every penny contributed goes directly to PA breast and cervical cancer researchers as they work for a cure. By donating, the taxpayer will join the thousands of Pennsylvania tax filers who have contributed over $2.7 million for PA-based cancer research.

Through this program, the PA Breast Cancer Coalition is pleased to announce two recipients of research grants for 2011. Melanie Flint, Ph.D. and Steffi Oesterreich, Ph.D., both of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and members of the Magee-Womens Research Institute, have been awarded $50,000 grants to assist in their research process.

“Thousands of donations of every size made by Pennsylvania residents make the Refunds for Research grants possible. The generosity of the people of this state for the program has been overwhelming,” said Pat Halpin-Murphy, President and Founder of the PBCC. “This simple and effective program, and the support of so many, reinforces our commitment to finding a cure for breast cancer now…so our daughters won’t have to.”

The PBCC worked with the state legislature to enact the Income Tax Check-Off for Breast & Cervical Cancer Research which is currently the most popular refund donation option in Pennsylvania. The funds raised through this initiative support the outstanding breast and cervical cancer researchers in our own backyard.

The PA Breast Cancer Coalition represents supports and serves breast cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania through educational programming, legislative advocacy and breast cancer research grants. The PBCC is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure now…so our daughters won’t have to. For more information, please call 800-377-8828 or visit www.PABreastCancer.org.

A last hurrah at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees

Posted By on August 17th, 2009 at 11:51 am | 0 comments.

The final stop on our 11 stadium tour took the PBCC staff to PNC Field, the home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. We had a full schedule with 12 teams stepping up to the plate. Many of the batters had heard about the Derby through local press, and that helped to get the word out! Thank you to the Scranton Times-Tribune, WNEP-TV, and WBRE-TV for your help!

There was fierce competition amongst the teams. But check out the final standings:

PeoplesNational Bank Team 2 – 1,155 points
Wilkes University Team 1 – 1,100 points
Team Sen. Bob Mellow – 1,075 points
Wilkes University Team 2 – 910 points
Berwick High School – 815 points
S/WB Yankees Front Office – 730 points
First National Community Bank – 525 points
Scranton Times-Tribune – 485 points
PeoplesNational Bank Team 1 – 485 points
Scranton Federation of Teachers Team 1 – 380 points
Scranton Federation of Teachers Team 2 – 350 points
WNEP-TV – 340 points

Out of our 12 teams, we had a few home run hitters! Joe Ferretti from PeoplesNational Bank Team 2, Jim Davis from Team Sen. Bob Mellow, Randy Dengler from Wikes University Team 1, and Chris Wychock from Wilkes University Team 2 all hit a homer!

A HUGE thank you goes out to the countless number of volunteers from various organizations including Blue Cross of NEPA. Also, another thank you to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees for their hospitality! Check out all of the photos from Friday!

In a couple weeks I will get up a summary about the entire season! The final stats are still being tabulated!

A fair share of home runs at the Reading Phillies

Posted By on July 30th, 2009 at 6:53 pm | 0 comments.

Summer has finally arrived in Pennsylvania. What would a beautiful summer day be without a Home Run Derby? The PBCC crew and volunteers took First Energy Stadium by storm today and pumped everyone up for the Derby! PBCC Lehigh Valley Vice President Sandy Cray was on hand to be the voice for the day to lead our teams and volunteers toward the homers.

A total of eight teams came out today to take a swing against breast cancer. Quite a few batters hit home runs! I’ll get to that list later. But take a look at the team scores!

Fleetwood Bank – 3.075 points
Reading Express Indoor Football Team 1 – 1,805 points
Reading Express Indoor Football Team 2 – 1,555 points
Berks County Bar Association – 1,415 points
Team Rep. Dave Kessler – 1,285 points
Team Kristyna Eagle – 1.185 points
Tyson-Schoener Elementary School – 1,175 points
The Reading Hospital Regional Cancer Center Radiation Avengers – 935 points

On the Fleetwood Bank team, all four batters hit home runs! Dewey Oriente hit 6, Cody Kulp and Mike Bisenius hit 5, and Tyler Mertzer hit 2! Check out the team with their pink and white home run baseballs! Carmelo Ocasio and Matt Sola from Reading Express Indoor Football Team 1 both hit one homer. And Ian Cooper from Reading Express Indoor Football Team 2 hit one out of the park too!

Screwball from the Phillies hung out with the crowd for a bit. He even went out and fed baseballs into the pitching machine! Thank you to everyone who came out today in Reading! It was a blast! Check out all of the photos on Facebook!

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE DERBY IS ON!!

Posted By on July 29th, 2009 at 8:29 pm | 0 comments.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Home Run Derby has been rescheduled for Friday, August 14th at PNC Field.

If you were on a team, you should have received a phone call already! If you were volunteering, you will be called soon!

There are still spots available to volunteer and have a team! Grab a few friends and come out to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees at PNC Field on Friday August 14th to support the PA Breast Cancer Coalition! Call 1-800-377-8828 today!