CRFA Presents Frontlines Awards for Breast Cancer Awareness

Publication
Article
Oncology NEWS InternationalOncology NEWS International Vol 7 No 12
Volume 7
Issue 12

WASHINGTON-Times change. Twenty years ago, the word cancer was barely mentioned in the media, and the words cancer and prevention were rarely put together, Carolyn Aldige, founder of the Cancer Research Foundation of America (CRFA), said at the Foundation’s Frontline Awards ceremony. The awards went to four women whose communications activities have been instrumental in raising awareness about breast cancer.

WASHINGTON—Times change. Twenty years ago, the word cancer was barely mentioned in the media, and the words cancer and prevention were rarely put together, Carolyn Aldige, founder of the Cancer Research Foundation of America (CRFA), said at the Foundation’s Frontline Awards ceremony. The awards went to four women whose communications activities have been instrumental in raising awareness about breast cancer.

Cathy Hainer, a reporter for USA Today, wrote about her experience with breast cancer in a series of features for her newspaper. She noted upon accepting her award that one of the installments featured a photo of her without hair, the result of chemotherapy.

Although publishing the photo seemed a risky move, it resulted in gratifying reader feedback. “Communicating with readers on a personal level has been my reward for writing the series,” she said.

Eleanor Nealon, the NCI’s director of the Office of Liaison Activities, could not attend, but in remarks delivered on her behalf, she urged the audience to remember the underserved women.

Cokie Roberts, co-host of ABC’s This Week With Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts, shared her personal experiences with breast cancer in her book, We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters. She pointed out that the disease claims 44,000 lives annually—more than all American combat-related deaths from the Vietnam War.

Betty Rollin, an NBC News correspondent, dealt with her breast cancer in her 1976 book, First, You Cry. In the intervening years, she has gained perspective. The female breast is “sexually useful, let’s face it,” she joked. “But, I mean, you don’t walk on it. You don’t hail taxis with it.” She said she realizes now, after battling the initial disease and a relapse, that she is very grateful to be alive.

Related Videos
Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, an expert on breast cancer
Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, an expert on breast cancer
The August CancerNetwork Snap Recap takes a look back at key FDA news updates, as well as expert perspectives on the chemotherapy shortage.
Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, talks about how fertility preservation can positively impact the psychosocial health in patients with breast cancer.
Daniel G. Stover, MD, describes how findings from the phase 3 NATALEE trial may support expanding the portion of patients who receive CDK 4/6 inhibitors as a treatment for hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.
Daniel G. Stover, MD, suggests that stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes may serve as a biomarker of immune activation and can potentially help optimize therapy with microtubule-targeting agents for patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, discusses how, compared with antibody-drug conjugates, chemotherapy produces low response rates and disease control in the treatment of those with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.
Hope Rugo, MD, speaks to the importance of identifying patients with aromatase inhibitor–resistant, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer who are undergoing treatment with capivasertib/fulvestrant who may be at a high risk of developing diabetes or hyperglycemia.
Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, describes the benefit of sacituzumab govitecan for patients with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer seen in the final overall survival analysis of the phase 3 TROPiCS-02 study.
An expert from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute describes which patients hormone receptor-positive,  HER2-negative breast cancer will benefit most from treatment with sacituzumab govitecan.
Related Content