Charity Launches Emotional Campaign Which Vows To Stop Women Dying From Breast Cancer By 2050
Charity Vows To Stop Women Dying From Breast Cancer By 2050
Natasha Hinde— The Huffington Post UK
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A major charity has vowed to stop women from dying of breast cancer by 2050.
Breast Cancer Now, a super charity merging Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, has revealed its ambitious (but not impossible) goal of preventing women from dying of the illness in 35 years time.
In a poignant campaign called 'The Last One', which was released on 15 June, women who have been affected by breast cancer reveal that they won't be the last to: lose a breast to the disease, go through endless tests, or be forced to tell their children the devastating news.
The emotional clip ends with a woman saying that she won't be the last to die of breast cancer. But adds that one day, "there will be a last one".
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Speaking to HuffPost UK Lifestyle about the campaign, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, Baroness Delyth Morgan reveals: "32 women will die from breast cancer today in the UK, and if we are to fund the research needed to put an end to breast cancer by 2050, we need to act now.
"We will only be able to achieve this through the dedication and generosity of our supporters and through collaboration with others: scientists, clinicians and the rest of the sector."
According to the charity, breast cancer kills a thousand women every month in the UK alone.
With the help of the public, Breast Cancer Now has vowed to fund the brightest researchers from across the UK and Ireland to see its vision realised.
It will also work collaboratively across the sector to bring together all those affected, in a bid to fund research, share knowledge and, ultimately, find answers.
"We want to fund word-class research across four key pillars of interest: risk and prevention, early detection and diagnosis, treatments and secondary breast cancer," says Baroness Morgan.
"We believe it’s through this multi-faceted approach, attacking the disease from every angle, that we will be able to finally stop women dying from the disease by 2050."
Of course, it's quite a big thing to say that you can potentially stop women from dying of such a common type of cancer in 35 years time. But, for Baroness Morgan, it could certainly happen if achievable targets are set.
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Breast Cancer Signs And Treatment
What Are The Symptoms?(01 of10)
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"A new painless, firm breast lump with irregular margins is a potential symptom of breast cancer," says Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, a breast cancer researcher at the Mayo Clinic. "The cancer diagnosis is confirmed following a biopsy of the lump." She notes that usually, women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer are healthy and don't feel sick at all. (credit:LarsZahnerPhotography via Getty Images)
Other Symptoms(02 of10)
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Another potential symptom/sign of breast cancer, Pruthi notes, is a new onset of persistent redness on the skin overtop the breast with an orange peel appearance. This would also need a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer. (credit:Image Source via Getty Images)
Metastatic Cancer Symptoms(03 of10)
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"If the cancer is very advanced (metastatic) then the symptoms may also include weight loss, bone pain, headaches, nausea and persistent cough," Pruthi says. (credit:pamela burley via Getty Images)
What Are The Risk Factors?(04 of10)
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Some commonly associated risk factors, Pruthi says, are menstruation before age 11, menstruation after age 54, a first pregnancy after age 35 and a family history of relatives diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. (credit:AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Are There Any Lifestyle Risk Factors?(05 of10)
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"There is evidence in the literature that obesity after menopause, lack of regular exercise, consuming greater than more or more alcoholic beverages daily, and a high fat diet can all be associated with a higher breast cancer risk," Pruthi notes. But, she points out, "women need to know that any woman can get breast cancer even in the absence of any of these risk factors." (credit:Adrian Samson via Getty Images)
Can I Eat Anything To Prevent It?(06 of10)
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There are no specific types of diets, Pruthi says, but rather women are encouraged to eat fruits, vegetables, fibre, and minimize their alcohol and fat intake, as well as get regular exercise. (credit:lola1960 via Getty Images)
How Do Doctors Determine Treatment?(07 of10)
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"The most current treatment of breast cancer has taken on a individualized approach and is dependent on the biology or aggressive features of the breast cancer," Pruthi explains. "Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and this means that are many sub-types and different degrees of aggressiveness. So staging, which typically takes into account common prognostic features such as tumour size and if lymph nodes are involved, are no longer the only factors doctors use to determine treatment options." (credit:Christopher Futcher via Getty Images)
So What Do They Look At?(08 of10)
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"Today the biology of the tumour is also characterized by molecular markers (also known as predictive markers) such as if the estrogen or progesterone receptor is positive or negative and if the HER 2 protein is positive or negative," she says. "This helps decide who will benefit from a specific chemotherapy regimen, hormonal medications known as antiestrogens or who may need both chemotherapy and hormonal treatment." (credit:BluePlanetEarth via Getty Images)
What About Preventative Mastectomies?(09 of10)
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"Preventive mastectomy is an option for women at very high risk for developing breast cancer because they are BRCA 1 or 2 gene positive or if someone has hereditary predisposition to getting breast cancer but chooses not to have the genetic testing done," Pruthi says. "It is prudent that women who are considering this surgery know their family history in detail. Based on the moderate or strong family history, your doctor would recommend you meet with a genetic counselor to go over the family pedigree and help decide who should test for the breast cancer gene, when to test and how to interpret the genetic test results before proceeding with this preventive surgery." (credit:Jesús Jaime Mota via Getty Images)
Are Other Preventative Treatments Available?(10 of10)
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"High risk women who have had precancerous breast biopsies or strong family history may also be eligible to take preventive medications such as tamoxifen, raloxifene or exemestane to reduce breast cancer risk," Pruthi adds. (credit:art-4-art via Getty Images)
"There are a number of milestones that we aim to reach on our way to 2050," she says.
"For example, by 2025, as a result of increased research, we believe 25% fewer people will develop secondary breast cancer, and that we will have identified those at increased risk of breast cancer, so thousands more women each year will be diagnosed early.
"By 2030 we believe we will have identified what causes different tumours to grow and progress, so we can select the best treatment for every patient. And that over half of those diagnosed with secondary breast cancer will survive beyond five years.
"And by 2050 we believe that we will be able to prevent 30% of breast cancer cases, and that everyone who gets breast cancer will live – but this will only be possible if we all act now.”
Fiona Hazell, director of communications and engagement at Breast Cancer Now, adds: "Breast Cancer Now won’t stop until breast cancer has taken its last life; something we are confident we can achieve by 2050 if we get the support we need.
"We have the brightest scientific minds across the UK already working hard behind the scenes to discover how to prevent breast cancer, how to detect it earlier and how to stop it taking lives.
"We want everybody who’s been touched by breast cancer to join us and stop lives being lost to this terrible disease for good."