Spring 2008
Contents
Welcome!
Raising Awareness and Growing FORCE
Setting a Hereditary Cancer Research Agenda
Differences in Breast Cancer Risk Reduction
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis
(to search past issues of our newsletter)
Welcome: Uniting our Community
by Sue Friedman
As FORCE enters our 10th year, we’ve made astonishing strides as a community. We’re getting noticed, thanks to the continuous commitment and effort of our members and volunteers. As our outreach, donations and participation steadily grow we’re gaining more attention and more respect. Last December, for example, Time magazine ranked the FORCE-coined term “previvor” third on its “Top 10 Buzzwords of 2007 .”
Acknowledgment of our mission is critical because it underscores the need for BRCA research—our best hope for better future options for cancer prevention, detection, risk management and treatment. This issue of Joining FORCEs highlights important new research for our community, including risk-reduction differences between BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers, ovarian cancer survival in BRCA carriers, and the need for more information on Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis and other fertility options for highrisk women.
The need for more BRCA research is our call to action. FORCE is dedicated to the principle that we are important stakeholders in cancer research, and as such, we should have ongoing input into the direction of studies and access to research results. Our 2008 conference represents our community’s inaugural effort to establish hereditary cancer research priorities. I hope you’ll participate in this historic event by attending our conference. For more information or to register, visit www.facingourrisk.org/conference. Read more about the need for this session in the article on page 7.
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