Pink October 2012 - Cancer Research Malaysia
Transcription
Pink October 2012 - Cancer Research Malaysia
Message from CEO P ink ribbons, pink T-shirts, pink brooches, pink keychains – it is any surprise that the entire month of October is often called Pink October? Pink October is a call to action – for all women to be breast aware, and to raise funds for research to find a cure. Every minute, one woman dies of breast cancer. We all know someone who has faced breast cancer: a mother, a sister, an auntie, a friend. Are we winning the battle against breast cancer? The good news is that we now know more about breast cancer than we did before. Today, with screening and better therapies, more than nine out of ten women can survive more than five years if the cancer is detected early. But, there is still more to be done and we need all the help we can get. I am delighted to welcome Professor Dato’ Dr Yip Cheng Har as CARIF’s Lead Clinician for Breast Cancer Research (see page 2). We both believe that cancer research is moving faster than it has ever done before and we can all look to a brighter future: First, new genetic technologies are enabling us to identify the culprit genes that cause breast cancer. Although Asians make up 60% of the 7 billion people in this world, we make up less than 5% of genetic studies. CARIF is filling the gap in Malaysia: since 2003, our genetic counseling and research team have been conducting research to study these. Funds raised from our core donors and from the Estee Lauder Breast Cancer Campaign, we have been offering free services for families with breast and ovarian cancer (see more on page 4). Second, we now know that breast awareness and screening results in earlier detection and saves lives. Using funds from the Sime Darby LPGA Golf Tournament, we launched the “More than a Mammo” programme in October 2011, and to date, more than 1,200 women have already come forward for a subsidized mammogram at RM50 (see page 6) and to participate our research to help us understand more about screening in Asian women. Finally, new genetic technologies is enabling us to identify how individual genes cause cancer cells to divide, become immortal and spread to other parts of our bodies, wrecking havoc wherever they go. This knowledge is being used to develop new ‘targeted therapies’ to save lives (see more on page 3). OCT 2012 br ou gh t to yo u by C A N C ER RE SE A RC H IN IT IA TI VE S FO U N D AT IO N (C A RI F) All of this “high-tech” stuff is making a difference and deserves our support. But in Malaysia, there are still barriers for the simple things: many people still lack knowledge about cancer prevention and treatment, they fear cancer therapy more than cancer itself and most of us worry about health care costs. Using funds from Sime Darby LPGA, we have developed Patient Navigation Programme – to help newly diagnosed patients cope and to help them make decisions (see page 5). We are doing our part and we need your help and support. Come and join us – raise awareness, take part in our research programmes, and raise funds to help us find better ways to prevent and cure breast cancer! YOU. ME. WE CAN BEAT CANCER Prof Dr Teo Soo Hwang Chief Executive and Breast Cancer Research Group Leader w w w. c a r i f . c o m . m y LEAD CLINICIAN for Breast Cancer Research CARIF is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof. Dato’ Dr Yip Cheng Har as the Lead Clinician for Breast Cancer Research at CARIF. Prof Dato’ Dr Yip is a Consultant Breast Surgeon at Sime Darby Medical Centre and prior to joining SDMC, she was a professor in the Department of Surgery and Head of the Breast Surgery Unit at the University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. As the Lead Clinician for CARIF, Prof Dato’ Dr Yip will be working closely with Prof Dr Teo to translate laboratory findings to the benefit of Malaysian breast cancer patients. Prof Dato’ Dr Yip completed her Medical Degree at the University of Malaya in 1981. She pursued Prof Dato’ Dr Yip works closely with the breast cancer support groups and non-government her surgical training and obtained her FRCS (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons) in 1985. She joined UM as a lecturer in the Department of Surgery and was appointed as a full Professor in 2000. She runs an active clinical practice and is recognised as one of the leading breast surgeons in the region. organizations to promote health awareness and early detection of breast cancer. She is the Vice-Chairperson of the Malaysian Breast Cancer Council, an advocacy group for breast cancer in Malaysia, and is a technical advisor to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association, the main breast cancer support group in the country. She has been appointed an expert in cancer control by the World Health Organisation and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and has been on expert panels in international organizations such as the International Cancer Control Conference, and the Breast Health Global Initiative. Prof Dato’ Dr Yip is the Chairman of the Development Committee of National Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Breast Cancer in Malaysia, which issued its first guideline in December 2002. She is a pastpresident of the Association of University Surgeons of Asia (2003-2005), past President of the Asia Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention and is currently a council member of Breast Surgery International. In 2010, she was elected the President of the College of Surgeons of Malaysia, the first woman to hold such a position. She was awarded the UICC 2009 Reach to Recovery International Health Professional Award for her work with breast cancer, and was also awarded the Malaysian “Greatest Women of Our Times” award in Oct 2009. In May 2012, she was awarded the DPMP, which carried the title of Dato’ from the Sultan of Perak. UNFORTUNATELY, NO WOMAN IS FREE FROM THE RISK OF BREAST CANCER. FORTUNATELY, EARLY DETECTION AND NEW ADVANCEMENTS IN RESEARCH CAN SAVE LIVES . 2 OCTOBER 2012 Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina Actress and Film Producer, Enfiniti Productions B eing a family member and having someone close to you as your mother who is affected, it makes you very angry and hopeless thinking about why and how there is no cure. There have been days that I felt hopeless and helpless. I am sure out there lies a cure for cancer. I really hope CARIF can give us that glimmer of hope that one day soon, we will find a way to slay this ugly monster. Professor Dato’ Dr Tunku Sara Tunku Ahmad Orthopaedic Surgeon and cancer survivor I t was quite a surprise to me, as it is to most people, that I have cancer. For a while, I used to tell people that it was a blessing in a way because it brings you close to God and also it makes you realize that there are a lot of things you didn’t acknowledge earlier which you should be thankful for. Now, I remember what is important and make sure that my priorities are correct. CARIF is a very unique organization. It is an enterprise which is gone into research. Which is unique in the world let alone in Malaysia. I think in Malaysia it was a bit tough to start with because it was such a new thing, raising funds and starting off the whole thing was not easy but I think my dad (Tan Sri Tunku Ahmad Yahaya) really enjoyed it and made it one of his priorities and it is making a difference. I am quite proud of my dad that he actually did this thing which is something worthwhile. He has done a lot of worthwhile things. This is one the things really makes a difference in human life. I am alive today probably because of targeted therapy – which is not a sledge hammer of general chemotherapy. It’s something that target particular cells and I think that that is the way to go in cancer research. To me “Hope Lives Here” probably means that there is hope in the patient, hope in the doctor, hope in the research and all these little bits of hopes when joined together can really make huge impact on solving cancers. Some patients can be cured and some diseases can be cured but it needs to be more universal. www.carif.com.my 3 CARIF’S BREAST CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAMMES D id you know that as of the end of last year, there are 7 billion people living on Earth? Did you know that six out of every 10 people living on Earth are Asians, and that the majority of Asians live in low and middle income countries? During our mother’s and grandmother’s times, breast cancer was almost unheard of. But now, unfortunately, breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. It is estimated that this year, 1.4 million women will be told that they have breast cancer. Pick 19 women at random. Chances are, one of these women will at some point in their lives develop breast cancer. That is how common the disease is in Malaysia and how randomly it strikes. Around 4,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, most of them aged between 35 and 60 years, with 40% of those affected under 50 years old. If we were to draw the world map according to the population density, then all Asian countries would be inflated and North / South America / Australia would appear really shrunken CARIF has 3 research programmes to combat breast cancer: The Genetics Programme, The Patient Navigation Programme (Page 5) and The More than a Mammo Programme (Page 6) 1. The Genetics Programme The purpose of our research is to find out why some individuals and their family members are more likely to get cancer. So far, more than 1,500 breast cancer patients have participated in this Malaysian Breast Cancer Genetic Study and women who have high risk of having inherited an altered breast cancer gene (called BRCA1 and BRCA2) are offered free genetic counselling and genetic testing services (see next page for story from a Malaysian patient who was found to have a genetic alteration in the BRCA1 gene). 2. The Patient Navigation Programme In this programme, we are developing Patient Decision Aid and Patient Navigator video in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil. We hope these tools will help guide newly diagnosed patients through the maze of decisions and treatment options and empower them to make their own treatment decisions. 3. The More than a Mammo Programme Launched in October 2011, this programme offers Malaysian women a subsidised mammogram at RM50. But more than just a screening programme, the women are also participating in CARIF’s research to find out more about how genes, lifestyle and mammographic density alter an individual woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. 4 OCTOBER 2012 Patient’s testimonial Participant of the Malaysian Breast Cancer Genetic Study H aving gone through treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, it was incredibly upsetting to find that 25 years later, I am now diagnosed with breast cancer. The worst part was realising that the cells had spread to the bones: I had Stage 4 cancer. The usual reaction that I received was tears from relatives and sympathetic hugs from friends. I was going to DIE? Oh dear! Anyway, I consoled myself that people could die just crossing the road and getting hit by a bus. I have young children who at the time were both in primary school. I had no choice but to rely on my own strength to deal with the treatment and the consequences of having cancer. Family support helped me deal with the sickness and nausea and sorting through my life. It seems to me that more and more people develop cancer. The knee jerk reaction that relatives and friends have is to recommend all sorts of treatments, from cleaning up the lifestyle and eating patterns to consuming weird powders and wearing volcanic matter medallions!! I believe cancer research will help to clarify reasons for development of cancer to enable the public to understand what type of behaviours or hereditary genes can raise the risk of cancers. Research for earlier identification of symptoms and more effective and less painful treatment is crucial. Very few people can afford the high costs of treatment and the more advanced a cancer is, the more expensive medical treatment will become. If cancer is caught at its early stage, the monitoring and treatment is understood to be more effective. To me, CARIF’s theme of ‘Hope Lives Here’ reflects the determination to achieve effective and positive steps to address monitoring and treatment of cancer. The basis for CARIF gives hope to cancer patients and their families and friends that there are people who care for them and that these people are in a position to actually get things done. I am grateful for the work done by CARIF and am certain that this work will be appreciated by greater numbers of the public through its efforts to address cures for cancer. PATIENT NAVIGATION PROGRAMME When I heard the words “You have cancer”, I went numb. I felt my world just ended. In the Patient Navigation Programme, CARIF has partnered with University Malaya, Breast Cancer Welfare Association, a number of doctors, nurses, survivors and patient support groups to develop Patient Decision Aid and Patient Navigator video in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil. We hope these tools will help guide newly diagnosed patients through the maze of decisions and treatment options and empower them to make their own treatment decisions. ���� �� � �� � � � � ���� �� �� ��� � ���� � � �� � �� � � � � �� � � �� � � � �� �� � � � � �� �� � � � �� � ��� � � � � �� � � � � �� � �� ���� ��� �� �� � �� �� � � � �� � �� � � �� ���� � �� � �� ��� �� For details and to get a copy, please contact Maheswari at maheswari.jaganathan@carif. com.my or call 03 5639 1874. www.carif.com.my 5 I n October last year, using funds raised through the Yayasan Sime Darby — LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tournament, we launched the “More than a Mammo” programme to recruit 1,000 women to study the link between mammographic density, genes and lifestyle factors. “In just 6 months since its launch on 11 October 2011, more than 1,000 women have already come forward to participate, and so we are delighted to announce that we are extending the programme to another 1,000 women. Hopefully, we will reach 3,000 women by the end of 2012” said Prof Dr Teo Soo Hwang, CEO of CARIF and Principal Investigator of the programme. “Although there is sufficient evidence that screening can reduce deaths due to breast cancer in countries like USA and Europe, there is little data in Asians. Also, there is an urgent need to develop more sensitive and specific methods for the identification of women at higher risk. Through the “More than a Mammo” programme, it will be possible to begin to address some of these questions.” “We are delighted that so many women have already come forward for mammographic screening for only RM50 and nearly half of these women have never had a mammogram before. However, we have noticed that very few Malay women come forward for screening and we hope to encourage more Malay women to come forward for screening,” said Prof. Dr. Teo. To participate in Phase 2 of the programme, you must be a Malaysian woman, aged 40 years or older, have no personal history of breast cancer and have not had a mammogram for 6 OCTOBER 2012 BE A CHAMPION RECRUITER! Bring your friends and family members to participate in the “More than a Mammo” programme and stand a chance to win a luxury spa for 2. Get an entry form from CARIF or the Breast Care Centre to participate. For every 10 women that you have enrolled in the “More than a Mammo” programme, you will receive one lucky draw ticket. Hurry now — the competition ends on 31 December 2012! the past 12 months. To make an appointment, please call Sime Darby Medical Centre Breast Care Centre at 03 5639 1340 or visit the Breast Care Centre, 1st floor, Outpatient Centre, Sime Darby Medical Centre. For more information about the research study, email shivaani. [email protected]. MAMMOGRAMS: X-RAYS OF THE BREAST In these X-rays, the white areas are connective and epithelial tissues. Some women have more white areas (dense breasts) and other women have less white areas (less dense breasts). We now know that genes and lifestyle factors can affect mammographic density, and in turn, mammographic density is an indicator of breast cancer risk. We currently know very little about mammographic density in Asian women. Through the “More than a Mammo” programme, we aim to learn more mammographic density to help us to develop better ways to fight breast cancer. Did you know: • • Mammograms are the most reliable way to detect breast cancer at an early stage • Most Malaysian women do not have a regular mammogram and the majority of breast cancers present at a late stage. • Women with high mammographic density have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Through the More than a Mammo research study, we are finding out how genes and lifestyle affect mammographic density and risk of breast cancer. Women over 50 years old should have a mammogram every 2 years. Women aged 40-50 may also benefit from having a mammogram. Women with a close relative with breast cancer should consider screening at an earlier age. Participants registering for the More than a Mammo programme at the Breast Care Center, SDMC Subang Jaya. www.carif.com.my 7 YAYASAN SIME DARBY LPGA PINK OCTOBER CAMPAIGN S ime Darby is proud to announce the third edition of the Sime Darby LPGA Charity Gala dinner, held in conjunction with the 2012 tournament, and in support of Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation (CARIF). In recognising the need for cancer research and education in Malaysia and globally, Sime Darby has committed the proceeds of the various fund-raising activities held throughout the tournament solely to the cause. This year’s theme, “Hope Lives Here” is an empowering message highlighting both CARIF’s and Sime Darby’s pledge to creating a future free from fear of cancer, through medical research, education and awareness. Come and take part! Play Your Part 1 Purchase a Table at the SIME DARBY LPGA CHARITY DINNER AND AUCTION Don’t miss out on the rare opportunity to rub shoulders and dine with the Rolex Ranking Top 9 and the LPGA money list Top 10 players, happening Wednesday 10 Oct 2012 at Sime Darby Convention Center. Platinum tables priced at RM20,000 will be graced with the presence of two top lady golfers, or take up a Gold table for RM10,000. Guests will be able to participate in live and silent auctions of rare and autographed golf memorabilia by top LPGA players. You will also stand a chance to own exquisite jewellery from Habib Jewels. For more information on table sales, please contact Sarah Hussin at 03 7849 5122. LPGA Stars launch More than a Mammo Programme in Oct 2011 2 Join SIME DARBY LPGA PINK SATURDAY Sime Darby LPGA Pink Saturday with LPGA players wearing pink ribbons and pink gear to raise awareness about breast cancer. Visitors are encouraged to don pink outfits for the day. CARIF will have pink pins, ribbons, earrings and other pink merchandise on sale. Funds raised will go solely towards Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation supporting CARIF’s early detection and prevention “More than a Mammo” programme and “Patient Navigation” — a programme that helped newly diagnosed patients cope and help them make decisions. 8 OCTOBER 2012 C O M IN G U P ESTEE LAUDER BREAST CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN T he year marks the 20th anniversary of the global Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign, with the 2012 Campaign theme Courage. Believe in a world without breast cancer. Know we’re here until it’s true. This year’s bold, empowering message highlights the Company’s 20 year commitment to defeating breast cancer through education and medical research. Come and take part! Play Your Part 1 Come for the PINK RIBBON CHARITY WALK AND LANDMARK ILLUMINATION Happening at the National Science Museum from 4pm to 8pm, on Saturday, 29th September 2012, a total of 2,000 participants are expected to take part in this 3.5km charity walk. RM50 per entry. 2 Purchase a flight at the PINK RIBBON CHARITY GOLF Happening Wednesday, 17th October 2012 at the East Course of the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, entry is RM900 per person or RM3,600 per flight. Each golfer will also take home a goody bag as well as stand a chance to win attractive lucky draw prizes. 3 Purchase EXCLUSIVE PINK MERCHANDISE Exclusive Estée Lauder Companies pink merchandise will be sold throughout the Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign, whereby 100 per cent of the proceeds will go towards charity. 4 Purchase a Table at the PINK RIBBON CHARITY BALL This black-tie event – happening Wednesday, 31st October 2012 in Shangri-La Hotel, KL – promises a night of fun, memories and most importantly, purpose. Tables are priced at RM20,000, RM10,000 and RM5,000. Highlight of the night is an exclusive showcase by Ramin Karimloo, performing a showcase dubbed West End Musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber featuring show tunes from Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard and Les Miserables. For more information on table sales, please contact Penny Ng, Annie Leong or Yen Chong at 03 2092 6000. Funds raised will go towards Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation, Breast Cancer Welfare Association, College of Radiology Malaysia and National Cancer Society Malaysia. Each of these non-government, non-profit organisations contribute towards fighting breast cancer through medical research, support for survivors, patients and family members, free or subsidised treatments and more. www.carif.com.my 9 TERRY FOX RUN 2012 DATE: 11 November 2012 VENUE: Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur (near Lake Gardens) T he Terry Fox Run was started by a young Canadian cancer patient, Terry Fox, who lost his right leg to cancer at the age of 18. Stirred by the suffering of cancer patients, especially children, he started to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Terry ran a marathon a day for 143 consecutive days (approximately 5,373 kilometres) before passing away from bone cancer at the age of 21. Today, the Terry Fox Run continues around the world annually to commerate Terry’s bravery and continues his legacy of raising funds for cancer research. In Malaysia, the Terry Fox Run is organised by a committee of volunteers and since 2003, CARIF has been selected as the sole beneficiary of funds raised. Come and take part! Play Your Part 1 GET AN OFFICIAL TERRY FOX T-SHIRT at RM30 each. T-shirts will be available by mid-October at various locations, including CARIF at the 2nd floor, Outpatient Center, Sime Darby Medical Center Subang Jaya, Cananadian High Commission and Wisma Tan & Tan, Kuala Lumpur. For enquiries or to book T-shirts, please call SookYee at 03 5639 1874 or email organizer@ terryfoxrunkl.org 2 ORGANISE A TEAM to join the run. Organise a team at your office and purchase corporate T-shirts which has your company name embroidered on the left sleeve. These T-shirts are priced at RM35, with a minimum order of 30 pieces. Order before 15 October 2012 to have a guaranteed delivery. 10 OCTOBER 2012 3 VOLUNTEER your time. Help us manage sales at public pick up points during the weekends before the run, or be a m a r s h a l l o n t h e r u n d a y, d i s t r i b u t e water bottles, clean up after the run, contribute photography services. Email [email protected] to sign up! C O M IN G U P RECENT AND FUTURE EVENTS: Asian BRCA consortium meeting CARIF and University Malaya hosted the 1st Asian Hereditary Breast Cancer Research Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on the 17th and 18th August 2012. This meeting brought together researchers and clinicians from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, with Dr Antonis Antoniou from the University of Cambridge attending as a guest lecturer. Although BRCA testing has been available for the past 15 years and it is estimated that more than 100,000 Caucasian women have already been tested, there have been few studies in Asians. “The Consortium brings together all the main researchers working in this area and hopefully, by putting our resources together, we can deliver better services to Asian patients” said Prof Dr Teo, who chaired the meeting. Craze Ultramarathon If you thought Frank Chong was mad to run the 89km Comrades Marathon in South Africa in June 2012 to raise funds for cancer research, he has gone one up and ran the 160.8km Craze Ultramarathon in Singapore for cancer research! Show your support by donating http://www.simplygiving.com/fundraising/ FrankforCancerResearch Making The Cut He has always been known as “cheung mo” (long hair in Cantonese) among his friends for his waist-length locks. But it looks like Geh Chee Minh’s friends will have to brainstorm for another nickname as he has opted for a crew cut to promote cancer research. The 28-yr old, who has kept long hair for the past 10 years, said he also cut his locks to show solidarity for cancer patients who lost their hair due to chemotherapy. By promoting his gesture on Facebook, Geh, a free lance photographer managed to raise RM19,190 as of 26 Aug 2012. “All the donations will go to the Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation (CARIF)” he said. “Initially, I was a bit afraid of cutting off all my hair, but after getting so much support, I have become much calmer,” said Geh, who had never had a crew cut before. Chee Minh has always been interested in cancer research, but seeing his two aunts and grandfather suffer from the illness made him even more passionate about the cause. “Next month, my friends and I will be going to India to participate in a 3,500 km rickshaw charity race to support water purification efforts there. As we go through the race, I will be taking pictures of the scenes in India. The photographs will be auctioned off in January next year and I will donate the proceeds to CARIF.” Donations are still open!! Please visit SimplyGiving website www.simplygiving.com/ MakingTheCut www.carif.com.my 11 Play Your Part 1. Buy a table at the Sime Darby LPGA event 2. Buy a table at the Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Charity Ball 3. Buy a flight at the Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Charity Golf 4. Take part in the Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Charity Walk and Landmark Illumination 5. Wear a pink pin and raise awareness about breast cancer 6. Come for mammographic screening if you are ABOVE 40 7. Donate to CARIF to support our breast cancer research and outreach programmes EXCLUSIVE PINK MERCHANDISE Pink T-shirt RM50 CARIF pins Size: S, M, L, XL RM10-RM20 10-RM20 each Earrings, mobile string & pin Teddy Bears RM25 each ach Set of 5 at RM100 Calendar 2013 RM20 Hand Towel Colour: White Notebook RM10 2 Designs – Images from the “Art of Science“ exhibition RM15 T-shirt RM30 Colour: Red, Blue, Pink Size: S, M, L, XL CONTACT US Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation (CARIF) 2nd floor, Outpatient Centre, Sime Darby Medical Centre, 1 Jalan SS12/1A, Subang Jaya, 47500 Selangor, Malaysia Tel: +603 5639 1874 Fax: +603 5639 1875 Email: [email protected]