Israel Breast Cancer Initiative

Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to Participate

Denver, CO – Breast cancer knows no boundaries – be they age, gender, socio-economic status, race, creed, or geographic location. In Israel, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women with nearly 4,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

In October 2010, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® will bring together advocates, survivors and supporters from every corner of the globe in the historic Jerusalem to help launch the Israel Breast Cancer Collaborative. The Collaborative, in partnership with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Global Promise Fund, is designed to empower people with life-saving information and to raise funds for the global breast cancer fight. The Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is inviting Coloradoans to represent our state at this historic event.

Komen for the Cure will host an Israel Mission Delegation of philanthropists, dignitaries, survivors and activists to serve as mission Ambassadors. The delegation of mission Ambassadors will join Komen leaders the week of October 25, 2010 to participate in the launch of Komen’s Breast Cancer Collaborative efforts in Israel. Delegates will visit Komen grantees and learn directly from Israeli dignitaries about the burden of cancer on local families. Delegates will have many opportunities to experience the culture and heritage of this ancient city considered holy to three of the world’s major religions. The week will culminate in the inaugural Israel Race for the Cure, which will be held just outside the walls of Old Jerusalem, and will serve as the rallying cry for all people to join together around the common goal of ending breast cancer forever.

The launch of the Israel Breast Cancer Collaborative also highlights the higher breast cancer risk among Jewish women of Ashkenazi descent.  In the United States, breast cancer risk seems to be slightly higher among Jewish women than among other women. This increased risk is likely due to the high prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations in Jewish women of Eastern European descent. While BRCA1/2 mutations are rare in the general population, about 2.5 percent or an estimated 1 in 40 of Ashkenazi Jewish women carry a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. People who carry a BRCA1/2 mutation have a very high risk of breast cancer. A woman’s lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is about 12 percent if she does not have a BRCA1/2 mutation. For women with a BRCA1 mutation, however, the lifetime risk of breast cancer ranges from 60 to 90 percent. And, for women with a BRCA2 mutation, estimates range from 30 to 85 percent.

Komen delegates can choose from three Mission Delegation package levels ranging in price from $4,240 to $13,244 per person (USD). Funds raised from each Mission Delegation package include a donation to support the mission of Komen – to save lives and end breast cancer forever. For more information, call 303.744.2088.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Komen Denver Metropolitan Affiliate

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. The Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G Komen for the Cure is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in the local community. They join more than a million breast cancer survivors and activists around the globe as part of the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer. Through events like the Komen Denver Race for the Cure®, the Komen Denver Metropolitan Affiliate has invested $25 million in community breast health programs in 19 Colorado counties (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Park, Phillips, Sedgwick, Summit, Washington, Weld, and Yuma). Up to 75 percent of net proceeds generated by the Affiliate stay in the Denver Metropolitan area. The remaining income goes to the national Susan G. Komen for the Cure Grants Program to fund research. For more information, call 303-744-2088 or visit www.komendenver.org.