Thursday, October 3, 2013

The gap in breast cancer research

There is a growing gap in breast cancer research. Get past all the pink awareness bullshit and look at research that is currently going on. There has been lots of progress in the past four or five years where scientists are beginning to understand the complexities and unpick some reasons on how cancer cells work divide and spread. But they also realize the most important research gap is to find out how cancer progresses.

They identified 10 key gaps that need be plugged:
  • better understanding of genetic factors
  • pinpointing sustainable lifestyle changes
  • targeted breast screening to those who will most benefit
  • understanding how breast cancers grow and spread
  • understanding how cancer cells with different characteristics form within a tumour
  • tests to measure how well patients will respond to chemotherapy or radiotherapy
  • improving drug regimens
  • developing better imaging techniques
  • practical support
  • tissue donation and analysis
I completely support a change in direction in research to learn how cancer progresses instead of just focusing on the cause or treatment of it.

As this has been identified now, I hope to see changes in this direction in the future.

1 comment:

Vera said...

Hello!

I've started the petition "President Barack Obama: Fund research on the mouse mammary tumor virus." and need your help to get it off the ground.

Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? Here's the link:

http://www.change.org/petitions/president-barack-obama-fund-research-on-the-mouse-mammary-tumor-virus

Here's why it's important:

A significant proportion of human breast cancers – 40 percent – contain gene sequences that are very similar to that of a retrovirus that is known to cause breast cancer in mice. The research behind a potential human mammary tumor virus is marching forward steadily, as Drs. Pogo, Etkind, and Melena study the statistical analysis and biochemical pathways of the potential virus.
A virus works by first replicating in a primary cell and infecting supplementary cells as it grows and divides. Human breast cells divide with the circulating estrogen hormone. When the breast cell with the viral gene sequence divides, it releases viral particles that poison other breast cells and causes a cycle of infection.


If we can determine that the mouse mammary tumor virus causes as much as 40 percent of breast cancers, we could focus on creating a vaccine to prevent the disease in women. This could lead to a significant gain for The Pure Cure: the primary prevention of breast cancer.
However, we need further funding to determine whether this virus could potentially cause breast cancer in women. We implore President Obama and his administration to focus their research spending toward the mouse mammary tumor virus. If we can find the causes of breast cancer and potentially create a vaccine to prevent breast cancer, we could save the lives of hundreds of thousands of women around the country.
Over the last five years, Dr. Kathleen T. Ruddy, breast cancer surgeon and Founder of the Breast Health and Healing Foundation, has focused all her efforts onto moving forward with this research and preventing the disease. The documentary filmmaker Steve Zukerman is currently developing a film about Dr. Ruddy's efforts and the researchers working on the possibility that a virus may cause breast cancer. The movement toward primary prevention is marching forward. Will you join our cause?


Thanks!
Vera Viner

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