May 2017 Newsletter

Dear Reader,

ZBC has partnered with Dr. Larry Kushi at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research for more than a decade. The Pathways Study seeks "to provide more objective information to help guide women as they make decisions following a breast cancer diagnosis by collecting and analyzing data about a woman's genetic background, tumor characteristics and lifestyle choices immediately after diagnosis. It also studies various genetic factors and their role in treatment and survival as well as whether certain molecular changes in the tumor may be markers for prognosis.

The Pathways Study is a prospective cohort study of women diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) medical care system, with outcomes including quality of life, recurrence and death. One of only a few epidemiologic cohort studies that was designed from the outset to examine breast cancer prognosis, women were identified at the time of pathologic diagnosis, and enrolled from January 2006 through May 2013. The 4,505 cohort members are racially and ethnically diverse,with 358 (7.9%) African American, 557 (12.4%) Latina, and 578 (12.8%) Asian women enrolled.

From its inception, the Pathways Study, a multi-institution collaboration, has focused on lifestyle and molecular factors that may influence breast cancer prognosis. We have collected substantial information on food intake, physical activity, dietary supplement use, complementary and alternative therapies, and patient reported factors such as quality of life, social support, and doctor-patient communications.

The study is now entering its third major phase and Catherine Thomsen and I were honored to be part of the official launch that took place in Oakland, California on May 30th and 31st, 2017. 

Zero Breast Cancer has been retained to coordinate a Community Advisory Board (CAB) to identify and prioritize research directions, give input on proposed studies and translate research findings for study participants and other breast cancer survivors. The CAB consists of 18 members including 12 study cohort members, 2 clinicians, 2 patient navigators and 2 advocates.  The CAB will meet quarterly and members will be provided with training, have the opportunity to contribute ideas and concerns, to brainstorm and to guide the development an educational campaign to share practical implications from study findings.

This current phase is anticipated to be complete by 2021. We very much look forward to providing periodic updates on the progress of the study as a whole and the CAB in particular.

Yours in health,

Rose Barlow 

Executive Director

When dealing with breast cancer, and looking to prevent breast cancer, the vast amount of information and the decisions that need to be made can be overwhelming. In 1999, Dr. Marisa Weiss, a renowned breast oncologist, founded breastcancer.org to address these needs. As a non-profit organization, breastcancer.org is dedicated to providing the most reliable, complete, and up-to-date information about breast cancer. It is an excellent resource.

To read the review click here!

ZBC recently delivered wellness materials to Mount Diablo and Ygnacio Valley High Schools, both located in Concord, CA. In addition to high schools in Marin, Oakland and San Francisco, these schools add to the demographics of those that we are reaching out to with students ranging from sixty-five to seventy-two percent Hispanic and Latino per campus. Also, according to their School Accountability Report Cards (SARC), about eighty percent of youth at each campus are considered to be socioeconomically disadvantaged. We hope our materials are able to support these teens as they continue to learn about health and wellness, and that we can help change the face of breast cancer in their community!

We are honored that Zero Breast Cancer was the non-profit of the month for April in the 2017 Peter Levi Plumbing and Cooling calendar that is distributed to over 20,000 homes in Marin. We are grateful for the generous donation of over $1,800 as a proportion of April's profits. Thank you Peter and Cheyenne Levi!