Thank you to everyone involved for making the Breast Cancer Summit held in the Senate Hearing Room in Washington, DC on October 9, 2009 a resounding success.
The Pink Virus Project: Looking for an Answer video created by Maggie Greyson
Photos from the Breast Cancer Summit in Washington DC
Taken on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. during the Pink Virus Summit held on October 9, 2009.
Précis of the Breast Cancer Summit for the Pink Virus Project: October 9, 2009
Is a virus involved in human breast cancer?
Scientific Presentation:
Dr. Paul Levine, Professor, GWU, Washington, DC Dr. Levine began by reviewing the existing proof of viral causes of human cancer: human papilloma virus and cervical cancer, hepatitis virus and liver cancer, Epstein-Barr virus and Burkitt’s lymphoma. Dr. Levine’s own research shows evidence of the mammary tumor virus in 75% of women with Inflammatory Breast Cancer in Tunisia. Dr. Levine also reported that 75% of women in the United States he studied showed evidence of the mammary tumor virus. Dr. Levine recommends two additional studies to enlarge his data, one in the United States and one in Africa where Inflammatory Breast Cancer is more common.
Scientific Presentation:
Dr. Beatriz Pogo, Professor, Mt. Sinai University, NYC Dr. Pogo's research shows evidence of mammary tumor virus in 36% of allwomen with breast cancer that she tested. Of note: there was no evidence of the virus in normal tissue from these patients, strengthening the evidence that the virus may be involved in the development of breast cancer. Over 90% of the women with evidence of the virus in their breast tumors also showed evidence of the virus in their bloodstream. Of the women Dr. Pogo studied who developed breast cancer during pregnancy, over 60% of them showed evidence of the mammary tumor virus. Dr. Pogo showed slides of the virus itself.
Scientific Presentation:
Dr Polly Etkind, Virologist, Montefiore Medical Center, NYC Dr. Ekind’s independent research also shows evidence of mammary tumor virus in 37% of all women with breast cancer she tested. Dr. Etkind also found evidence of the mammary tumor virus in women who had both breast cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Dr. Etkind discussed the higher rate of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in women with a prior history of breast cancer and the possible involvement of the mammary tumor virus in both diseases.
Comments on Presentation:
Dr. Fatah Kashanchi, Retrovirologist, GWU, Wash, DC Dr. Kashanchi, a well-respected virus researcher with multiple grants from the NIH, offered his questions and comments at the conclusion of the scientific presentations. He stated that the research of Drs. Levine, Pogo and Etkind were well done and compelling and that "they were on to something" with regard to the involvement of the mammary tumor virus in human breast cancer. He suggested additional research studies directed at augmenting and broadening the research done thus far.
September 15, 2009
The Breast Health and Healing Foundation To Convene Groundbreaking Breast Cancer Summit in Washington D.C. On October 9, 2009
Leading Researchers and Scientists Will Gather to Discuss the Latest Research Findings Including: Does a Virus Cause Breast Cancer In Women?
September 15, 2009 Belleville, New Jersey - The Breast Health and Healing Foundation, (BH&HF) www.breasthealthandhealing.com today announced it is collaborating with the Cary Medical Center to convene a Breast Cancer Summit in Washington D.C. on October 9, 2009. Cary Medical Center is participating in the project with the help of the Davis Family Foundation. The Summit will gather together leading researchers and scientists who are in the forefront of the fight to find the underlying causes of breast cancer. The Breast Health & Healing Foundation is organizing the Summit. Research findings and future announcements will be reported through the Pink Virus Project, an initiative of the Breast Health & Healing Foundation that will link research on the viral cause of human breast cancer to the public and the press.
The October 9, 2009 Summit will consist of two events.
From 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. organizers, sponsors, researchers, scientists, breast cancer survivors, media and other stakeholders will meet in the Senate Hearing Room in the Capitol building. Dr. Kathleen T. Ruddy, a breast cancer surgeon and founder of the Breast Health and Healing Foundation, will deliver opening remarks and set the agenda for the day. Following her remarks, select researchers and scientists will report on the progress of their research and plans for the future.
From 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. the Summit will reconvene at the Marriott Hotel located on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. Small break out groups will form, consisting of the scientists working together with the other participants, to help formulate the strategic plan for answering the question: Does a virus cause breast cancer in women? Strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results (SOAR) assessment of the Pink Virus Project will be done within these small groups; this will be followed by a large group discussion of the strategic plan and conclude with a synthesis of the day’s work. The second Breast Cancer Summit for the Pink Virus Project will be announced at this time. Refreshments and the opportunity to share notes and network will be provided following the afternoon session.
"Everyday breast cancer claims the lives of scores of women around the globe. It’s estimated that in 2009 more than 1.3 million women worldwide will contract the disease and tens of thousands will die from it. Despite tens of millions spent on research the epidemic continues to grow and grim statistics remain a reality,” said Dr. Kathleen T. Ruddy. “Now is the time to marshal our resources, refine our approach, and direct our efforts towards finding the underlying cause of the disease."
About the Breast Health & Healing Foundation
The Breast Health & Healing Foundation is a 501(3)(c)tax exempt non-profit foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to discover the specific causes of breast cancer and to use that knowledge to prevent the disease.
About the Cary Medical Center Cary Medical Center is 65-bed acute care hospital located in Caribou, Maine, and America’s northeastern most City in the heart of the ‘County’ Aroostook. The hospital is also the site of a Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic and the Maine Veterans Home and Residential Care Center. Cary also manages a 9-bed ICFMR in Van Buren, Maine. Cary Medical Center is a national leader in healthcare quality and patient safety and National winner of the 2009 HealthLeaders Media ‘Top Leadership Teams’ small hospital division. Dr. Kathleen Ruddy is Director of the Breast Health and Healing Service at Cary Medical Center.
About the Davis Family Foundation The Davis Family Foundation is a public charitable foundation established by Phyllis C. Davis and H. Halsey Davis of Falmouth, Maine, to support educational, medical and cultural/arts organizations located primarily in Maine. The foundation was established following Mr. Davis's retirement as President and Chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. Their overriding goal for the foundation was simple and straightforward: “to make grants where they will do the most good and where our gifts make a real difference.” The foundation has provided over $37.3 million in grants since its grant making activities began in 1986 in support of Educational Organizations, Medical Organizations, and Cultural/Arts Organizations.
Contact:
Larry Dell, Breast Health and Healing Foundation larrydell@comcast.net
973-986-1433
Breast Health & Healing Foundation has identified the following research into the causes of breast cancer, work that we encourage and support:
Is aberrant hypermethylation an early event in breast cancer?
Sullivan RF, New York University Cancer Institute, New York, NY
SNP microarray analysis of genomic alterations in infiltrating ductal carcinoma and infiltrating lobular carcinoma.
Tan CC, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
Apocrine metaplasia and the development of ER-negative breast cancer.
Lee S, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Traditional Practice Alliance, Sacramento, CA
Molecular alterations in columnar cell lesions of the breast.
Dabbs DJ, Magee-Women’s Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
Protein acetylation and hormone-independent breast cancer.
Cui Y, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Diet and global DNA methylation in breast cancer.
Germano PBMR, Universidad Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brasil
Molecular pathogenesis of breast cancer in women of African ancestry.
Ikpatt OF, Usman Danfodio Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria
Institute of Medical Research and Training, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
Differential gene expression in normal breast tissue from African American and Caucasian women.
Field LA, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C
24.Genetic alterations associated with early hyperplastic precursors of breast cancer.
Lee S, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Lifestyle approaches to breast cancer risk reduction: insights and opportunities.
Bernstein L, USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA
Risk factors in breast cancer, a myth – an Indian experience.
Pant CS, Col Pant’s Imaging Centre, New Delhi, Delhi, India
