Events

Gopher football game dedicated to breast cancer awareness, Masonic Cancer Center

The Gopher football home game Saturday, October 4 against Indiana will be dedicated to breast cancer awareness and the Masonic Cancer Center. Head Coach Tim Brewster and all of the coaches will be wearing pink pins and all of the Gopher football players will wear pink wristbands in honor of their wives, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and girlfriends. Goldy Gopher will also sport a pink ribbon. A photo of Director Douglas Yee, M.D., Brewster, and Goldy will be displayed on the Metrodome scoreboard; and facts about breast cancer and research at the Masonic Cancer Center will be displayed on the scoreboard during timeouts.

Twin Cities Breast Cancer Awareness Conference: Living with Breast Cancer

"Living with Breast Cancer," the Breast Cancer Awareness Association's seventh annual Twin Cities Breast Cancer Awareness Conference will be on October 11 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The event is an educational conference dedicated to learning, supporting, sharing, encouraging, and communicating with others in the community whose lives have been impacted by breast cancer. Among the presenters at the conference are Masonic Cancer Center members Barbara Bowers, M.D., who will present "Knowledge is Power: Updates in Oncology," and Dan Kaufman, M.D., Ph.D., who will present "Potentials and Possibilities: Stem Cell Therapy." Visit the conference Web site for more information and to register.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on October 11 at Lake Nokomis North Beach in Minneapolis is sponsored by the American Cancer Society to raise money and spread the word about fighting breast cancer. There is no registration fee and no fundraising minimum. These noncompetitive walks range in distance from three to five miles, and men, women, and children of all ages are encouraged to participate. Registration begins at 8 a.m; walk begins at 9:30 a.m. For more information and to sign up, visit the American Cancer Society Web site or contact 651-255-8100, mnstrides@cancer.org.

Learn About Breast Cancer

• Breast Cancer Awareness (MP3)
  Listen to Masonic Cancer Center researcher Kristin Anderson, Ph.D., discuss breast cancer risk factors in this Public Health Moment produced by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
• Breast Cancer Quiz
• Breast Cancer Information
  Information about risk factors, screening, treatment, clinical trials, support groups, and breast cancer care available at the University of Minnesota.
• Women's Cancer Research Program
  Learn about research being done at the Masonic Cancer Center to improve breast cancer screening and treatment.
• "Targeting the Estrogen Recepton in Post-Menopausal Women with Breast Cancer: Strategies, Benefits, and Risks"
  Masonic Cancer Center Director Douglas Yee's presentation at the Women's Health Research Conference, Sept. 17, 2007.
• Cancer U: Breast Cancer
  Presentations from the Sept. 27, 2007 event.

Feature Stories

Can a treatment for leukemia and lymphoma work for breast cancer?
Sarah Cooley, M.D., represents the newest generation of researchers making discoveries at the Masonic Cancer Center. In her research, she is taking an innovative approach to treating breast cancer by applying a cell-based therapy that has previously been used primarily in patients with hematological malignancies.

Breakthrough research for breast cancer
University of Minnesota cancer researchers have gained international recognition for their work on figuring out how to meld two sophisticated technologies—magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRI/MRS)—to achieve more accurate diagnoses and better treatment for breast cancer. Their research over the past eight years has culminated in a recently opened national clinical trial involving women with breast cancer.

Taking charge against cancer
Sue Grcevich quickly made the transition from the shock of a breast cancer diagnosis to focusing on the task of treatment, including taking part in a clinical trial.

Additional Resources

• NCI: What You Need To Know About Breast Cancer
• NCI: Breast cancer treatment information for patients
• NCI: Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool
• NCI: Cancer Risk: Understanding the Puzzle — Breast Cancer
• Biology of the Mammary Gland
• Minnesota Cancer Facts and Figures 2006 (PDF) (Breast cancer information begins on page 24.)
• National Breast Cancer Coalition
• Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation 
• Some excellent consumer-oriented books about breast cancer are available in the Consumer Health section of the University of Minnesota's Bio-Medical Library.

Support Breast Cancer Research

Herberger's is promoting breast cancer awareness in October by featuring pink-ribbon merchandise and reminding customers that they support breast cancer research at the Masonic Cancer Center every time they make a purchase with the Herberger's "Rose" charge card.

Visit the Make a Gift section to learn more about how you can support breast cancer research at the Masonic Cancer Center.