(Photo by Louis McGill)
By Louis McGill, Andy Devine and Rob Larson
On her deathbed, a Peoria, Illinois, native named Susan Goodman Komen asked her sister, Nancy Goodman Brinker, to do everything possible to bring an end to breast cancer. Komen died, soon after, in 1980. She was only 33.
But that was over a quarter of a century ago. Since then, the disease that claimed Komen’s life has shot to the forefront of our national awareness, and the fight against it has gained much ground.
Breast cancer affects hundreds of thousands of American women every year. According to the Center for Disease Control, over 42,000 women in Illinois are diagnosed with breast cancer annually. Of those women, over 9,000—or 21 percent of those diagnosed—die from the disease.
Through the efforts of activists like Nancy Goodman Brinker, breast cancer charities have sprung up around the country. Some of the biggest, like Brinker’s Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, are multi-million dollar organizations.
Through these organizations, the battle against breast cancer has gone down two separate paths, with some organizations focusing more on awareness and support services and some funneling money through grants to researchers.
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation delivered roughly $35 million to breast cancer research between 2008 and 2009. The group specializes in grants ranging from several thousand to several million to researchers.
There are also non-profits that dish out to both breast cancer research and awareness almost evenly. Susan G. Komen for the Cure—the largest breast cancer awareness group in the world—is an example of such an organization. From 2008 to 2009, Komen raked in almost $160 million in total revenue, pouring $73 million into research and $51 million towards education and awareness.
Finally, some breast cancer awareness/research organizations focus strictly on awareness, like the much smaller Breast Cancer Awareness Network for Strength. From 2008 to 2009, the Breast Cancer Network of Strength spent over $10 million on awareness, support, and education programs.
According to Dr. Ellen J. Benjamin, an expert on non-profit governance and fundraising, both are crucial in the struggle to prevent and ultimately solve the problem of breast cancer.
“Different people have different ideas and, in the pluralism of our independent sector, we get to float lots of them.” Benjamin said. “That means that one person will say research is important do that, and someone will say service is important do that, and some will say the root cause is the problem and do that.”
The approach of both informing the public and researching the cure appears to be working. The incidence rate of female breast cancer fell seven percent between 1999 and 2006 in Illinois, from 135.8 per 100,000 people to 125.6.
(Click to enlarge maps)
- Incidence rates in the United States are decreasing in most states. (Based on an analysis of CDC data by Louis McGill)
Death rates in the United States are decreasing in most states. (Based on an analysis of CDC data by Louis McGill)
According to Natalie Boden, the director for communication and public relations at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, the solution lies in a balance between spreading the word and improving the science.
“Without a doubt,” Boden said, “research and awareness are both extremely important. There are many ways people can modify their behaviors to reduce their risk for cancer.”
The University of Chicago Hospitals is home to the university's Comprehensive Cancer Center. (Photo by Louis McGill)
According to Boden, these ways include quitting smoking, using sunscreen, eating right, knowing your family medical history, and getting regular cancer screenings. Information about breast cancer prevention is spread through awareness campaigns.
“Cancer is most curable when it is discovered early,” Boden said. “But when someone is diagnosed with cancer, it is the research that has provided the foundation for successful treatment.”
Research grants have allowed scientists to improve treatment, like the “overwhelmingly favorable results” discovered earlier this year at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute. Scientists at the institute believe they are close to procuring a breast cancer vaccine, but more testing is needed.
“Cancer is an extremely complex disease, and there is always a need for more funding.” Boden said. “While government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and private organizations such as the American Cancer Society have been very generous in supporting our cancer researchers, our clinicians and scientists have many more promising ideas that are waiting to be funded.”
