Newsworthy Notes
Keeping research on course: Advocates needed
After testing positive for the cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1, which increases a woman's risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer, Liz Frank, a breast cancer survivor, encouraged her sister Joan Salmon to seek genetic counseling. As a result, Salmon's ovarian cancer was detected at a very early stage when cure rates are greatest.
Frank says because of this lifesaving event, her interest in science became keener than ever before. Now, she not only has a deep appreciation for how science translates into new treatments, but as a breast cancer research advocate, she is also playing an active role in how this process occurs.
A newly formed group of breast cancer advocates are working with researchers who are part of the Dana-Farber/ Harvard Cancer Center Breast Cancer SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) team and are seeking more volunteers to join them over the next year.
The advocates' role is to represent patient interests in the SPORE's work. For example, they sit in on research and strategy meetings, discuss how to address gaps in the research system, brainstorm with investigators on ways to improve clinical trials, and review patient surveys and consent forms. The belief is that their presence will help physician-scientists focus on ways to move discoveries to clinical applications more quickly.
"This is a wonderful opportunity," says Frank. "You can and do have an impact. As advocates, we change the conversation; we cause a shift – and ultimately we hope that leads to finding cures faster."
Potential advocates are women who are trained or interested in science or willing to learn, and who have had breast cancer or were intimately involved with the care of someone with the disease. Some of the commitments include attending monthly research meetings and quarterly advocates'work groups, as well as participating in seminars and conferences to increase scientific knowledge of breast cancer.
For more information on becoming an advocate, contact Liz Frank at: rfrankfam@aol.com.
