Rachel Kirk of Sisters Network of Northeast Ohio and a board member of the Breast Cancer Fund of Ohio was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Its believed to be benign, but she's still completing tests to get more information. She asks that we all keep her in our prayers. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Rachel. For those who wish to send her a card, her address is:

Rachel Kirk
15571 Remora Blvd.
Brook Park, OH 44142

Brook Park, OH 44142

Bishpenol A - found in harder plastics found in water bottles, baby bottles and CD cases, is considered a pseudo - estrogen, mimicing the effects of estrogen in the body. This latest study shows that the chemical can be absorbed by breast cancer cells, causing them to grow. More at the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20060825/hl_hsn/plasticschemicalmightpromotebreastcancer

From the New York Times 8/17/2006:

"A surgeon who was appointed by President Bush this week to lead the National Cancer Institute said Wednesday that he had great hopes for finding new nontoxic cancer drugs but that given a shrinking of resources, some of the institute’s programs would probably have to be phased out.

In an interview, the appointee, Dr. John E. Niederhuber, also said that Mr. Bush’s limits on federal financing of embryonic stem cell research were acceptable for now but that they might someday slow cancer discoveries.

Dr. Niederhuber, in an expected appointment, was named by Mr. Bush on Tuesday to become the 13th director in the history of the cancer institute. He has been running the institute since last fall, however, when his predecessor, Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, was appointed acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. ..

Dr. Niederhuber picked his words carefully when asked in the interview about the president’s stem cell limits. After several efforts, he finally concluded: “I think the research questions that we have before us are quite doable under the current constraints. However, I anticipate that these constraints could be limiting as our knowledge increases.”

The more pressing question is how the institute will adjust to a changed fiscal outlook. From 1998 through 2003, spending at the National Institutes of Health doubled. In recent years, however, budgets have flattened. And since expenses have risen, cuts are needed.

Dr. Niederhuber said he hoped to invest more in high-tech drug discovery machines, and made clear that he intended to continue supporting cancer centers at universities across the country.

“The cancer centers have been and continue to be the crown jewels of the N.C.I.’s programs,” he said.

He declined to specify cuts but said that through a collaborative process, he would identify programs “to phase out.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/17/washington/17cancer.html

We received an email update from Patrick Terry of Genomic Health on all the good news about their research and the OncotypeDX test and TAILORx clinical trials. Many of you will remember Pat, who was our keynote speaker at last year's Breast Cancer Symposium. Genomic Health makes the OncotypeDX test for newly diagnosed patients whose breast cancer is node negative and ER/PR positive. The breast tumor test gives patients a score that predicts their risk of recurrence, helping many women who might have had chemotherapy to avoid it. The test proves that risk of recurrence is based on the genetic makeup of the tumor, not necessarily the size. Conversely, it can also find that some women with small tumors may still have a high risk of recurrence.

The TAILORx trial is gaining momentum as more cancer centers begin accruing patients. The trial is for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients who have node-negative, estrogen receptor positive, breast tumors. Those who have their tumor tested with the OncotypeDX genomic assay test and have recurrence scores that fall in the mid-range will be randomized into groups to receive either Tamoxifen therapy or Tamoxifen and chemotherapy. The trial not only will determine the effectiveness of Tamoxifen in treating ER/PR positive women, it will also establish a large bank of breast tumor tissue that can be used for research in years to come.

Genomic Health also presented new research results at ASCO that showed the Recurrence Score of early stage breast cancer patients who had the OncotypeDX test and had chemotherapy benefitted from the test. The study showed that women who had a low Recurrence Score (RS) had little benefit from chemotherapy, while those with high RS's reaped a large benefit from chemotherapy and hormonla therapy.

Follow the links for more information about the TAILORx trial and the OncotypeDX test...

http://www.genomicupdate.com/210NewPub.aspx

http://www.genomicupdate.com/110TAILORX.aspx

Visit the BCFO web site and learn about how your organization can apply for funds to provide support and assistance to breast cancer patients. Deadline for the Letter of Intent is August 25, 2006.