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A Message from Dr. Love
Wow! Wow! Wow! That’s what this month has been like for me: one astounding moment after another.
As you know, on October 1, I launched the Love/Avon Army of Women on The Today Show with hundreds of women standing alongside me dressed in pink Army of Women T-shirts. We were a sight to behold! That evening, I was on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Wiilliams, and the next day, I was featured on ABC World News. Then, it was on to a celebration of the Army of Women with the thousands of New York Avon Walkers.
The enthusiasm and energy for this initiative were everywhere. By the time you receive this, there will be close to 250,000 women who have joined the Army of Women, putting us well on our way to our goal of one million volunteers. And the scientists are just as excited! Many have told me personally that they can’t wait to work with the Army of Women volunteers or to take part in an Army of Women Town Hall.
Help us keep the momentum going! MORE>
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Hot Topics
The company deCode Genetics recently announced that it would begin selling a new genetic test that, it says, can assess a woman’s lifetime risk of developing the most common types of breast cancer.
Currently, genetic testing is primarily used in women with an extensive family history of breast and ovarian cancer to see if they carry one of the breast cancer genetic mutations, called BRCA1 and BRCA2. These mutations account for about 5 percent of all breast cancer cases. But women who have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation have up to an 85% chance of developing breast cancer. In contrast, the average lifetime risk for a woman of European descent is about a 12%.
The new DNA test, called deCode Breast Cancer, is performed on a blood sample or a cheek swab. It must be ordered by a physician for their patient. (A woman can’t order it directly from the company herself.) The result is given as a numerical “score” that represents your personal lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
MORE >
Join the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s Pledge to End Breast Cancer and demonstrate your commitment to eradicating breast cancer. NBCC’s goal is to obtain 250,000 pledges—in honor of each woman who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
You can take the pledge by:
Installing the Facebook Voter Pledge application or becoming a “fan” of the NBCC Pledge to End Breast Cancer
Signing the Pledge on the NBCC Blog Breast Cancer Caucus: Your Source for News About the Presidential Election and Breast Cancer.
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Cause for Love
boscia preservative-free skin care teams up with the Foundation for the second year in a row to help move us Beyond a Cure. Enjoy 15% off any purchase of $35 or more on boscia.net when you enter the promotional code drlove1 before checkout. (Offer expires 10.31.08) In addition, 10% of the proceeds from the sales of boscia Rose Blotting Linen will be donated to the Foundation to support our breast cancer research.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, myShape will donate 25% of the proceeds from all sweater sales placed during the month of October to the Foundation. myShape, Inc.® is a unique women’s fashion site that provides an easy way for its members to shop effortlessly for styles that fit and flatter. Show your support by registering at www.myShape.com today. It’s fun, it’s free, and it’s a great way to shop for clothing that embraces your unique shape and style.
Artemis Woman became a Foundation partner in 2007. To support the Foundation’s research program, Artemis Woman donates 10% of its sales from its Heel Smoother Pink and Topaz Foot Butter on www.ArtemisWoman.com.
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Research Update
The Army of Women will send out its first “Call to Action” to its nearly 250,000 volunteers on Tuesday, October 28.
This Call to Action will be looking for women who are eligible for The Sister Study. The Sister Study is the only long-term study of women aged 35-74 whose sister had breast cancer. It is a national study to learn how environment and genes affect a woman’s chances of getting breast cancer. A total of 50,000 women will join the effort to find the causes of breast cancer.
Don’t miss the first Call to Action! Join the Army of Women today!
The Foundation is looking for 30 Californian women who have been diagnosed recently with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to take part in a groundbreaking new research project that involves injecting a small amount of a chemotherapy drug into the affected breast duct. Study participants will then have their DCIS surgery four to six weeks later. The breast tissue collected during the surgery will be carefully examined to see the effects of the drug on the DCIS. If the study successfully shows that the drug has an impact on the DCIS, it could lead to a nationwide clinical trial of intraductal therapy for DCIS.
This research project, which was funded by the California Breast Cancer Research Program, is being conducted in collaboration with Ellen Mahoney, MD, and the Humboldt Community Breast Health Project. Research participants will need to travel to Eureka, Calif., for the treatment and the surgery. Please call Ashley Casano at (310) 230-1712, Ext. 32, or send her an email for more information.
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