Leading Breast Cancer Charities in UK and U.S. Team Up To Fight Breast Cancer on a Global Scale

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and Breakthrough Breast Cancer Announce Global Partnership

DALLAS – April 28, 2009 – Leading breast cancer charities Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and Breakthrough Breast Cancer in London, today announced a new partnership that expands the fight against breast cancer worldwide.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer will become the UK partner of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Global Promise Fund®, established in 2008 to fund breast cancer programs outside the United States.  Breakthrough and Komen will jointly raise money for the Global Promise Fund in the UK, with 75 percent of those proceeds committed to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and 25 percent to Komen’s Global Promise Fund for breast cancer programs outside the US.

 “Breakthrough Breast Cancer has an international reputation for cutting-edge research, effective influencing and high-profile breast awareness campaigns in the UK. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the leading advocacy organization for breast cancer in the world.  Together, our partnership will advance our mutual mission to end suffering from breast cancer wherever we find it,” said Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, added: “Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK – nearly 46,000 women are diagnosed with the disease every year. Globally, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 29 seconds and, every 68 seconds, a woman dies from the disease. Breakthrough’s collaboration with Komen puts us both in a stronger position to raise more funds for research and effect greater change worldwide, with the ultimate aim of achieving our vision of a future free from the fear of breast cancer.”

Fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UK’s leading charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education. It relies on voluntary donations to tackle the disease and needs to raise at least £19 million a year to support this vital work across the UK.  In 1999, it established the UK’s first dedicated breast cancer research centre at the Institute of Cancer Research in central London.  In 2004, it launched the Breakthrough Generations Study, the world’s largest, most comprehensive study into the causes of breast cancer.  Involving 100,000 women over 40 years, the study aims to provide the most detailed information yet on what causes breast cancer and, as a result, give an understanding of how the disease can be prevented in the first place .

Over the last 12 months, Breakthrough has also opened two new research units – one in Edinburgh and one, this month, in London and in the next year it will open a third unit in Manchester.  All three units will focus on a specific area of breast cancer research and all have strong links with a major cancer hospital or breast unit and research unit or university. 

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for everyone and energize science to find the cures.  Since it was set up in 1982, it has invested more than $1.3 billion in research and community programs in the fight against breast cancer, more than any other non-profit organization. 

 “Around the world, women face significant economic and cultural barriers that prevent them from getting the early detection and treatment programs that can save their lives,” Moddelmog said. “Partnerships like this one with Breakthrough are an important step toward using all of the world’s best resources to reduce suffering from this disease.”

Funding for international breast cancer research, community education and outreach programs
Komen began supporting outreach programs outside the US in 1999.  Since then, it has pursued its mission globally through grants to more than 50 countries, established three international affiliates and, most recently in 2008, and conducted seven international Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Series events. In addition to funding research and outreach projects domestically, Komen has provided more than $30 million in funding for international breast cancer research and more than $8 million for international community education and outreach programs.  

Komen and the Institute of International Education (IIE) launched the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness in 2007.  Komen’s Global Initiative is active in more than 20 countries around the world, working with local organizations on the ground to create culturally sensitive and sustainable breast health education, outreach and advocacy programs.

Breast cancer is predicted to kill as many as 11.6 million women over the next 25 years without intervention for better awareness, early detection, treatments, and, ultimately, cures for breast cancer.

Komen established its Global Promise Fund in March 2008 to raise funds for breast cancer programs worldwide, particularly in developing countries where 70 percent of new breast cancer cases are expected over the next decades.  Moddelmog and other Komen ambassadors have led delegations to Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean to lend expertise and support to the development of breast cancer awareness and treatment programs.

About Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UK’s leading charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education.   In 1999, Breakthrough established the UK’s first dedicated breast cancer research centre, The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre in association with the Institute of Cancer Research. The Breakthrough Research Centre now has 120 world-class scientists and clinicians tackling breast cancer from all angles – from understanding the normal growth and development of the breast, how breast cancer arises and how the cancer spreads, to treatment and ultimately disease prevention.  Scientists at the Breakthrough Research Centre have a range of expertise and approaches, and together they are working towards a common goal: a future free from the fear of breast cancer. Breakthrough has recently opened two new research units in Edinburgh and London, and will be opening a third unit in Manchester during 2009. Breakthrough needs to raise at least £19 million a year to support its vital research, campaigning and education work across the UK.