Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 55. Each year, more than 211,000 new cases of breast cancer are expected in the United States. Fortunately, there are several organizations out there leading the way to cure breast cancer. These organizations are conducting their own research and sponsoring other research to ensure we find a way to cure breast cancer and save women's lives.
One such organization is The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The most recent advances from the BCRF in leading the way to cure breast cancer and find better treatments were presented at the 2005 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Two of the announcements in the fight to cure breast cancer represent advances in drug therapies and the third was a lifestyle recommendation that was shown to reduce the chance of reoccurrence of breast cancer.

While these new drugs and the lifestyle change recommendation are not a cure in and of themselves, they still represent the forward movement toward finding a way to cure breast cancer. The drugs, Herceptin and Avastin, have been shown to be helpful as adjuvant treatments to traditional chemotherapy. The lifestyle recommendation was to eat a low-fat diet. This was shown to reduce the risk of reoccurrence by 20% over 5 years in postmenopausal women.

Another organization leading the way to cure breast cancer is the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. According to their website, komen.org, for 18 years, they have provided funding for basic, clinical and translational breast cancer research and for innovative projects in the areas of breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment. They are credited as a leading catalyst in the fight against breast cancer and the fight to cure breast cancer. Specifically in terms of research, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation runs one of the most innovative, responsive grant programs in breast cancer research with a focus on research projects with potential for high impact that may not be considered by other agencies.

Yet another foundation dedicated to finding a cure is CureBreastCancer.org. This organization also funds ongoing research for treatments and finding a way to cure breast cancer. Not only does this organization support efforts in the United States, they also have a global presence in the fight to find a way to cure breast cancer. The latest effort is to take the breast cancer stamp worldwide to help raise awareness and funding to find a way to cure breast cancer.

While awareness is growing for breast cancer research, we must also remember the male counterpart - prostate cancer. There have been some recent advances in prostate cancer research, including hormone therapy prostate cancer treatment advances. These hormone therapy prostate cancer treatments are similar to those for women who have breast cancer, except it is testosterone which is targeted in men, whereas estrogen is targeted in women. Nonetheless, prostate cancer remains a little discussed topic. With further attention, the hope would be to work toward a cure for this cancer as well.

For both cancers, which are pervasive in our society, the key is continued funding and continued research. By donating time and/or money to the philanthropic foundations associated with each cancer, you can help get us closer to finding a cure.