I just saw something on Facebook that Komen is linking itself to the Metastatic Breast Cancer Project. Did anyone else see this or know anything about it?

Tina, I agree! I hate to see such a great project tarnished by the name of Komen . The article I read said they are making a large donation I take that exactly as you did, they are looking to clean up their image and promote themselves

Shocking facts about Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Pinktober is fast approaching and this year I'm launching a preemptive strike to combat the tidal wave of pink propaganda that's coming in a few weeks.

I've assembled some of the most shocking facts about the world's largest "breast cancer awareness" charity organization: Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

–Only 21% of money that Susan G Komen for the Cure raises goes to cancer research "for the cure". Simple math tells us that 79% of the money they raise isn't going to anything that could produce a cure. As if that wasn't bad enough, donating to cancer research is essentially giving free money to drug companies who make billions in profit every year, and don't need your money, and are only interested in research that can lead to a patentable highly-profitable drug that they can sell back to you. For more on this, watch my 500k view rant Why I Don't Race for the Cure.

-Komen has taken legal action against over 100 small non-profits for using the phrase "for the cure" in their fund-raising campaigns. How dare you sell cupcakes for the cure. Sue that little girl!

-In 2010, Komen partnered with KFC who sold pink buckets of chicken "for the cure". Apparently the folks at Komen don't know that fast food consumption is directly linked to obesity, and that obesity is the 2nd leading cause of cancer.

-In 2011, Komen created and sold a perfume called "Promise Me" containing potentially cancer-causing toxic ingredients coumarin, oxybenzone, and toluene. After criticism they pulled it from the market.

-In 2012, Komen Founder/CEO Nancy Brinker was paid $684,717, a 64% increase from her $417,000 salary in 2011. And this was AFTER a big drop in donations and half their 3-Day races were canceled.

-In 2012, Komen drew criticism from the medical community for using misleading statements and deceptive statistics in their ads promoting mammograms. Komen uses donation money to provide mammograms to women who can't afford them, which seems good, until you learn that a 25-year study of 90,000 women proved that mammograms don't save lives, and that what early detection campaigns are actually doing is overdiagnosing and funneling women into an industry of harmful overtreatment, resulting in unnecessary surgery, chemo, radiotherapy and hormone therapies.

-In 2013, Komen partnered with Real Water to sell pink water bottles, even though disposable plastic water bottles contain BPA, which is linked to breast cancer tumor growth.

-In 2014, Komen partnered with Baker Hughes to produce 1,000 pink drill bits to be used in their fracking operations with the cutesy slogan "Doing their bit for the cure". Fracking involves the use of 700 different chemicals, some of which, like benzene and formaldehyde, are linked to cancer.

-As a result of some of the shenanigans above, in 2014, Charity Navigator downgraded Komen to 2 stars (out of 4). Since that public embarrassment, Komen has been working to improve their rating. Nancy Brinker stepped down and was replaced with a much lower paid CEO. Their overall rating has come back up to 3 stars, but their financial rating is still 2 stars as of June 2016.

-Another organization that Komen funnels money to that has nothing to do with curing cancer is Planned Parenthood, which was founded by racist, eugenicist, sterilization proponent Margaret Sanger (google her) and is the single largest provider of abortions in the United States. Multiple studies (ignored by mainstream media) suggest that abortions significantly increase a woman's risk of breast cancer. I realized this might produce some anxiety for you, dear reader, but you need to know.

In 2012, under the leadership of senior vice president of public policy Karen Handel, Komen's board made the announcement that they had voted to stop funding Planned Parenthood because PP was under investigation by the federal government. After a backlash from abortion supporters and a media firestorm, Komen reversed their position. Karen Handel resigned and authored a book about the whole affair entitled Planned Bullyhood: The Truth Behind the Headlines About the Planned Parenthood Funding Battle with Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

And those are the reasons I have taken a firm position against donating to Susan G Komen for the Cure. I know that's a lot of heavy stuff, and I'm certainly not one to advocate dwelling on negativity, but we need to be aware of what's happening around us. If Komen changes their ways, my opinion of them could change as well.

The BEST way to help cancer patients is to put CASH MONEY in their hands to help with groceries, gas, medical bills, supplements, rent, utilities, child care, etc.

And that's what prompted the creation of the Pink Ribbons SCAM shirt, designed by yours truly, to raise awareness about Komen and to raise money for cancer patients. Proudly display your disdain for Komen and Pinkwashing and help spread the idea that we should "Give to patients not to Komen" (which is what the shirt says).

Ironic timing, but I just saw a post on Facebook about Komen holding its' first annual Metastatic Breast Cancer Symposium this year. It is scheduled to take place this fall in Philadelphia. Here is a link to the press release.Komen MBC Symposium

Am working on finding more reliable sources for the 5% figure and see that it's primarily based on this one study from the UK that is neither metastatic breast cancer specific nor recently updated.

Cancer metastasis as a therapeutic target

Unfortunately, the article is locked behind a paywall, so let's consult this related press release:

Only 5 percent of cancer research funds are spent on metastases, yet it kills 90 percent of all cancer patients

Date:

June 1, 2010

Source:

ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation

Summary:

On average, about 5 percent of total cancer research funding is spent on investigating metastases (the spread of cancer cells around the body) in Europe, yet metastatic disease is the direct or indirect cause of 90 percent of all cancer deaths, according to a new editorial.

More later on Think Before You Pink, Pink Ribbons film, Breast Cancer Action and other contributors to this information that may be misinformation!

I'm no apologist for Komen, but it's worth it to check out our facts and figures when we're trying to convince others of our correct understanding!

Best wishes all, Stephanie

Ally, interesting you mention that Nancy Brinker stepped down and the new CEO makes less. I checked on Charity Navigator yesterday and Nancy Brinker still was paid over $400,000 per year in the last set of financials reported (it was either 2014 or 2015) and she is not even CEO!!! She is the Chair of Strategy. The CEO makes less than her. The fact that she has become a multimillionaire by profiting off her sister's cancer death leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I am all about people making money in life but that ambition should not be carried out in the non-profit world. It just seems wrong.

Please, the post that Ally46 shared is from an unreliable source - http://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/shocking-facts-abou...

While we might enjoy kicking it around here, we will get laughed at, if we take it as pure fact, not speculation by an unreliable source that profits from fooling folks.

If we want to build a strong case for the 5% of cancer research funding goes to MBC argument, please let's rely on more reliable sources.

Unfortunately the ECCO article that I shared earlier about 5% of cancer research funding is neither MBC specific, US oriented nor recently updated. And it tells us NOTHING about Komen's funding of breast cancer research.

I've quoted and linked to additional sources below. Each source is separated by xxx, a single x separates quotes from that source.

xxx

Metastatic Breast Cancer Network (MBCN) shares the source of the 5% of cancer research funding going to MBC:

METASTATIC RESEARCH FUNDING: Estimated to be around 5% in Europe and less than that in US for metastatic research for ALL cancers. [Steeg, Patricia and Sleeman, Jonathan. "Cancer metastasis as a therapeutic target" European Journal of Cancer 46 (2010) 1177-1180.

xxx

Metavivor is a big proponent of 30% (of breast cancer research funding) for 30% - because 30% of those with breast cancer have or will later have MBC. http://www.metavivor.org/blog/mbc-statistics-revis...

This is from the Metavivor website:

2014 Update: The 5 percent figure appeared in the article "Cancer Metastasis as a Therapeutic Target" written by Patricia S. Steeg PhD and Jonathan Sleeman PhD. The figure was derived by analyzing reports and scanning for key words such as metastasis, dissemination, progression and invasion; thus the figure includes research to prevent metastasis and study the progression to metastasis as well as to control, stop or otherwise impact a metastasis that has already occurred. Country statistics ranged from a high of 11 percent in Switzerland to a low of 2.3 percent in the US. The entire article can be read in the European Journal of Oncology, 46th edition, pages 1177 – 1180 published in 2010. Steeg Sleeman Report

So where does most of the money go? It goes predominantly into prevention and early detection. If one looks at the funding distribution pie charts of various organizations, these two categories are inevitably included. What is not immediately apparent is that much of the funding designated for other categories, such as biology and etiology, is also spent on issues pertaining to prevention and early detection. By comparison, MBC research is so poorly funded that it rarely even appears on a pie chart.

xxx

We're getting closer!

Here's Snopes on:

Rumor: The Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization only gives 20% of their donations to cancer research and pays their CEO $684,000 per year.

The reference to Komen's applying only 20% of donated money to breast cancer research likely comes from a pie chart displayed in the "Use of Funds" section of Wikipedia's article about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which shows Komen's 2009-2010 Expenses: pie chart at link above.

x

While it may be true (or have recently been true) that breast cancer research comprises only a 21% share of Komen's program expenses, citing that figure as a criticism of the organization reflects a common misbelief that groups dedicated to addressing particular diseases (e.g., the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the ALS Association) exist solely or primarily to fund and direct research into curing and/or preventing those diseases. This perception is inaccurate: Komen and other groups like it have goals that include delivering a wide array of services to the communities they support beyond the funding of research, such as funding educational awareness and outreach programs, providing screening and diagnostic procedures, and arranging medical treatment and home care for persons currently living with those diseases.

A more relevant metric for assessing a charity's overall financial effectiveness is the percentage of the organization's budget that is actually spent on all the programs and services the charity delivers, and in this area the Charity Navigator charity evaluation site gives Komen an 80.3 rating (as well as a 96.0 rating for Accountability & Transparency). Charity Navigator does rank many other breast cancer charities higher than Susan G. Komen for the Cure, however.

x

And about that Planned Parenthood rumor - Komen reversed that decision after being criticized in 2012:

In 2012, Komen founder and CEO Nancy Brinker became the focus of controversy when she announced Komen would be pulling the grants the organization had been providing to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings, then quickly reversed that decision.

xxx

Breast Cancer Action has been continuously critical of pink ribbons, profiteering, Komen and research funding priorities.

Here's just one report on The Cancer Industry

Excerpt on funding for breast cancer research:

Breast cancer research is a multibillion-dollar industry. In just one year of funding — 2007 — the National Cancer Institute (NCI) spent $572.4 million on breast cancer research. That same year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent an additional $705 million. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation had total revenues that year of nearly $162 million. The Komen organization also claimed in 2007 that it had invested nearly $1 billion in breast cancer since its founding in 1980.

This is only the tip of the breast cancer research funding iceberg. You've heard of the Komen Foundation and the NCI, but very few people know about the hundreds of organizations that raise funds in the name of breast cancer research, or the private companies that invest in and pursue new drugs and devices for use in diagnosis and treatment.

A Google search for "breast cancer research funding organizations" turns up hundreds of results. At the federal government level alone, over 30 federal agencies are funding or conducting breast cancer research.

So, not only is a great deal of money being spent on breast cancer research, but hundreds of agencies are spending it.

Unfortunately, the work of these organizations is not coordinated. There is no way to tell whether the work being done by one research entity has already been done by another, or whether one set of researchers is in touch with others who might help advance its ideas. And very few research organizations are transparent about what they are researching or what the outcomes of that research might be, particularly when the results are negative.

Given the enormous cost of cancer research (researchers seek grants in the hundreds of thousands of dollars), the stunning amount of money devoted to it, and the lack of coordination among the researcher groups, it's impossible to know whether an individual's gift will be well spent — or make any difference at all.

This doesn't mean you can't do anything about research. Breast Cancer Action is making a positive impact on breast cancer research by:

• Pushing the researchers to find both less toxic treatments and true preventive measures.
• Advocating for research that doesn't simply focus on genes and biology but also includes social, racial, and economic injustices as root causes of breast cancer.

We report to our supporters on what is happening in research. and how they can make a difference in moving research in the best direction so that affected communities are represented and protected.

BCAction is the leader in transparency and accountability in the breast cancer world. When you make a gift to Breast Cancer Action, you'll know exactly where your money is going and what it's accomplishing. As the only national breast cancer organization that refuses to accept funding from companies profiting from or contributing to cancer, Breast Cancer Action is able to be very clear about what is — and isn't — happening in breast cancer research. And, because we're effective activists, we know how to make happen what needs to happen to save lives.

So, the next time you write a check to advance breast cancer research, consider writing it to Breast Cancer Action.

Breast Cancer Action is a big supporter of the Think Before You Pink campaign.

xxx

Friends, I hope this is helpful...it does seem like we're repeating the same old, same old and that it may be time to update our sources, so we can make strong arguments for more and better funding for metastatic breast cancer research funding. I've read hundreds of medical journal abstracts, articles and press releases in the 20+ years I've been living with advanced breast cancer.

It embarrasses me when we use unreliable sources (resources) to support our claims for equity. Surely we and our allies can do better at finding and sharing more reliable, accurate and up-to-date facts and figures.

As advocates and activists we can work together to promote our shared cause!

Healing regards all, Stephanie

Jen, I suppose you have already found their tax returns (990). http://ww5.komen.org/AboutUs/FinancialInformation....

I don't think you can tell how much is going to MBC research, although you can see how much is spent or granted to research. The descriptions are too general to know if its MBC related or other research. It is discouraging to see how much their salaries are. I guess we are in the wrong business!