Friday cancer news: updates from the breast cancer front

Updates from the Stop Milking Cancer Campaign

The Stop Milking Cancer Campaign ends today, 24 September. Thanks to you, our readers and anti-cancer advocates,  Breast Cancer Action (BCA) attained and even surpassed their targets for this campaign.

If you recall the post a couple of weeks back, Stop Milking Cancer Campaign was launched on September 1 to call on rBGH maker Eli Lilly to stop manufacturing this cancer-causing hormone and break the “cancer profit cycle.”

Here is what BCA has to report about the campaign:

• We’re joined by 10 campaign partners, including Corporate Accountability International, Our Bodies Ourselves, Healthy Child Healthy World, and AllergyKids Foundation.
• We’ve reached our goal of gathering 6,220 signatures on the petition we’ll be sending to Eli Lilly’s leadership – that’s one for every day rBGH has been on the market.
• BCA plans to plaster our message to Eli Lilly in a very public way – on a billboard in Indianapolis, where Eli Lilly’s headquarters are located.
• We’ve had a robust presence on blogs, Facebook, and Twitter!

However, just because the target of 6,220 signatures (representing the number of days rBGH has been on the market) has been achieved, that doesn’t mean that we should stop here. The battle is far from over. BCA continues to collect signatures to be forwarded to Eli Lilly. Do your share! Sign up at www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org.

Breast Cancer Research Symposium

This weekend, you can join the Breast Cancer Research Symposium with the theme “From Research to Action: Tools for Change.” The event is for free and is open to everybody at the Oakland Marriott, Oakland, CA, on September 24-25. Topics covered:

•the basic biology of breast cancer

•new diagnostic tools and personalized therapies

•exploring ways to improve delivery of services new tools for researching disparities and their impact on breast cancer risk

•the influence of breast cancer research on statewide and national chemicals policy

•the role of advocacy and community research  in moving the breast cancer field forward

•ways for you to make your mark in the fight against breast cancer

About Breast Cancer Action

BCA is the watchdog that originally coined the term  pinkwashers, companies that claim to care about breast cancer but make or sell products and services  that are linked to the disease. The site www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org  informs consumers about pinkwashers and pinkwashing campaigns. BCA claims it does not receive any donation or any other form of financial support from companies who may be involved in pinkwashing.

BCA is turning 20 this year, “celebrating 20 years of activism on October 7th 2010.” Check out their site for tickets to the big celebration on October 7, 2010 at The City Club, San Francisco, CA.