Breast Cancer = big business

I hate the commercialization of the pink ribbon campaign.  Absolutely can't stand it.

I think that too many companies have jumped on the bandwagon and use pink ribbons simply for self-promotion.  I question how much money from many of these pink products is actually going to any BC cause.

I agree that more needs to be done to determine the causes of breast cancer; only by knowing the causes will we be able to make progress in reducing the number of cases of breast cancer.

But....

I also think that building awareness is important, if it causes more women to do BSEs and have mammograms.  Until this disease is eliminated - and that won't happen for a very long time - the next best thing is to try to detect every case of BC at the earliest possible stage, when it is most survivable. 

I also don't have any problem with funding that goes towards treatment.  After early detection, the next best thing is improved treatment, so that those cases of BC that are not detected early can be treated more effectively, resulting in fewer deaths and fewer side effects from treatments.  Developing tests and treatments that allow oncologists to most effectively treat (rather than under-treat or over-treat) each patient would be wonderful.

And I don't have problems with pharmaceutical companies developing, and therefore profiting from, breast cancer treatments.  Whether we like it or not, most new drugs come from pharmaceutical companies.  That's the way the system operates today.  If we were starting from scratch and I was designing a new system for medical research and drug development, would I build it around a big pharma?  Of course not.  Would I create a profit based system?  Not likely.  But we have to deal with reality.  The way the system works today is that if big pharma isn't incented to work on breast cancer treatments, there will be few if any new treatments.  

So for today, and for the next 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 years until we figure out how to prevent all cases of breast cancer, if we want fewer women to die from this disease, we need to develop new and better methods of detection, and new and better treatments.   

What happened to Charlotte Haley, I'd love to get more information on her.  Her campaign was a great idea only to be taken from her by big business that saw profits for themselves.  I'm making myself a hat that has the amount of women who have died from BC world wide and the ones expected to die this year. And I'm wearing a big pink scarve shaped like a noose.  I'm not waiting if people ask I'm talking and decided to start right away. Pearl 

Thank you for the info, I will definately check the sites and see what I can do. I'm just so tired of pink, pink, pink, and this Christmas well meaning friends again went pink.  Even though I've voiced my opinion on pink date books, angel, cups, etc.  But I didn't have a place to tell them to donate to in my name if they prefer it to be a gift. But honestly I just don't like the pink machine. Thanks now I know where friends can send donations that will really do something that goes towards bc.  And thanks for the information on Charlotte Haley.  Broke my heart that her brain child was taken from her. Pearl.  Take great care of yourself. Pearl

As I grow stronger after my operation last month, I intend to do some local organizing. The bcaction site has lots of great ideas and articles if you dig around it. It has the text of a resolution that was passed by the Berkeley City Council that I would like to see passed in my town as well. I'm trying to figure out who to approach to work with me. Here is the resolution:





http://bcaction.org/index.php?page=berkeley-resolution

Now that I've calmed down somewhat, I'm curious pinkribbonamy did you have a look at the sites that twinkly recommended above. Read them and you may have a change of heart about pink ribbon campaigns.  It also shouldn't matter if our type of cancer is politicallycorrect.  AIDS and HIV certainly wasn't and look how far they have come.  Honestly what are you thinking, do some reading, look for the truth. And pink ribbon campaigns aren't the only sites/companies/hospitals that promote breast self exams.  The key word for me in the ending of your first paragraph was "efforts". More needs to be done and companies shouldn't be giving 7% of earnings because they use pink. Again I'll repeat myself read the above sites and learn before you write something that hurt my feelings.Pearl

Twinkly,

I do agree with a lot of your concerns about how much of the money given to BC is actually going to effective programs, and I do feel that the pink ribbon campaign has way too many hangers-on, but I'm also pretty pragmatic and I think we have to deal with reality.  

Let's start with what you say the objectives of cancer funding should be.  You say that "we need to demand that monies raised for breast cancer research be distributed in a BALANCED way to include:

• 1. cure
• 2. prevention,
• 3. early detection, and
• 4. newer and better treatments."

Okay, let's take CURE, your number 1 priority.  How will we cure breast cancer?  By quickly and effectively treating it in a way that eliminates the cancer completely, thereby resulting in no risk of recurrence.  So to cure breast cancer, doesn't that mean we need better treatments?  Treatments that don't just temporarily stop the cancer but stop it for good.  Ideally, treatments that do this with the fewest side effects.  Isn't this what the pharmaceutical companies are working on?  When they look for new and better treatments, I'm sure they're not only pursuing those treatments that are sure not to be permanent cures.  So if a cure can come in the form of a drug or treatment, you'd better believe that the pharmaceutical companies want in.

Next, PREVENTION.  To prevent breast cancer, it helps to know the cause of breast cancer.  You don't just prevent it in a vacuum; you prevent it by first understanding what biological factors and changes, what physical behaviors, and what environmental triggers cause breast cancer, and then by stopping or controlling all these events.  Well, best I understand it, at this point, there are known to be hundreds if not thousands of causes of breast cancer.  And for each of us, the particular combination of factors that caused our cancer may be different.  That makes prevention pretty difficult. Still, progress is definitely being made when it comes better understanding what causes breast cancer.  Over the past year, new strains of genetic mutations that cause BC have been identified.  Over the past year, significant research has come out showing the breast density is a key risk factor to developing BC.   And more.... But still, I'm not holding my breath on this one.  Breast cancer was found in mummies - it's been around forever.  We may learn enough to be able to prevent many cases of BC, but I doubt that we'll ever be able to eliminate it as a disease.

Ah, unless we consider another approach to PREVENTION.  What about a vaccine?  Something that works in the breast to prevent cancer cells from developing, whatever the original cause of the cancer.  That might have promise.  Well, isn't this something that a pharmaceutical company would be interested in?  Wasn't it a pharmaceutical company that came up with the HVP vaccine for cervical cancer?   

Now what about EARLY DETECTION?  Isn't the fact that DCIS was once rare but now represents 25% of all new BC diagnoses a sign that early detection is working?  Or at least, getting better?  DCIS is, after all, the only BC that is 100% curable.  If DCIS is removed and there is no recurrence in the form of IDC, the survival rate will be 100%.  And what about all the new forms of testing that have been coming out, or are being more widely used?  Digital mammograms.  MRIs.  Maybe one day, a blood test.  And if a blood test for BC is developed, who is likely to be behind it?  Yup, unfortunately, a pharmaceutical company.

Lastly, there's NEW AND BETTER TREATMENTS.  Ah, but that's been covered.  That's where we will get our CURE.

So, when I look it at, I don't see the same problems that you see.  Does the money all go where it should?  No.  Are companies taking advantage of the pink ribbon campaign?  Absolutely.  Are the pharmaceutical companies only in it to make a profit?  Of course.  But in the end, is progress being made?  Yes.  Enough?  Not by a long shot.  To me, however, the way to make progress is by working within and through the system that exists, not by changing the system.  That's simply too much work.  Ineffective.  I interpret the situation from Alberta as an example of how to work within the system.  The fact is that in addition to the scientists at the pharmaceutical companies, the other area where significant research is being done on breast cancer is at the universities & hospitals.  Their work is funded by the government, by the pharmaceutical companies (them again), and by donations (including funds from pink ribbon campaigns).  So if a group can raise funds for a  university to conduct a particular study, this isn't working outside the system, it's a creative way to work within the system.

By the way, I feel strange defending the pharmaceutical companies.  That's not my intent.  The fact is that over the years, I've known quite a few people who work at pharmaceutical companies.  Without exception, I don't have anything good to say about any of the many executives I've met.  But I've also known medical directors and scientists, and these are definitely people that I want on my side in the battle to treat, cure and prevent breast cancer.

The crux of it is that this is a complicated issue.  To me, it's too simple to say that Breast Cancer = Big Business and this is all bad.  A little bad, maybe. 

twinkly a touch of chemo brain, last sentence first paragraph, I meant to say , and they've spent alot of money thinking it would cheer me up and that they were donating to a great cause and helping research as well, but my curiousity always remained, how much really does go to b.c. Pearl

Allysnow:  Thanks for the site more education for me and thanks I feel the same way you do.  I will write in depth a little further just got company. Pearl Still wish pinkribbonamy would read all of this.

The problem with the pink campaign is that it diverts our attention from the causes of cancer. Getting mammograms doesn't keep us from getting cancer in the first place. Inheritance and lifestyle factors may causes around 20% of breast cancer cases. We don't know what role is played by carcinogens introduced into the environment and our bodies by corporations. Contrary to the message of breast cancer awareness month, its not women's behavior that needs to be changed. Our breasts are the canaries in the coal mine for the increasingly toxic environment that we live in.



Thank you allysonw for the assertive patient link. I could spend all day reading it!

Beesie your right I don't know if she's read the post that twinkly added or not. But she hasn't answered my post that's why I wrote, what I wrote. I suppose I was hoping if I mentioned it she would let me know if she's read it. I deeply apologize if I upset you. Pearl

This pink ribbon campaign is getting even worse as far as I'm concerned. My hubby just came home from the grocery store with the makings for Minestrone Soup. The elbow macaroni, from that well known company that starts with a G--has put their macaroni in a PINK box!! Please, enough already.



I've been participating in the BCA non-profit for several years. When I was diagnosed with bc, my colleagues at work (a Community College--group of women) bought me a subscription to the BCA newsletter. I donate every year, have saved all the issues, and will be taking them to our local WomenCARE center for others to read. It has been an eye-opening experience. It seems my family & friends ignored the pink ribbon "stuff" that's out there. I guess they heard me when I said I wished these companies would just donate money to finding a cure for breast cancer, and not find a way to chip a few cents out of their products that many end up buying because they think so much more than a few cents is going to the fight for the cure.



and that's my two cents for today!



grace



PS: both my sisters donate to American Cancer Society every year. I am honored that they do this for all the women out there who need a real cure!

Snowyday, Twinkly, congratulations on having found Breast Cancer Action and having understood their message. Thank you for sharing your activism and for spreading the truth about pinking and research.

Breast Cancer Action is one of the few completely independent watchdogs; indeed, they do not accept any money from the cancer industry (the pharmaceutical companies, that is), therefore, they can tell the truth. They tell the truth about the lack of progress in the science of oncology, which is due to the industry insisting upon the same old, same old, same old gold standards, instead of looking in new, innovative directions. Follow the money, of course. My oncologist made $60,000 out of my chemotherapy alone. Speaking of which: they've been doing this (chemo) for what? almost 100 years already? And cancer is anything but defeated. To the contrary, it is advancing.  Isn't it time to come up with something different? But are they really interested in that? Or are they more interested in the billions of dollars that they are currently making off chemotherapy and chemoprevention (devasting, crippling, and deadly side-effects notwithstanding).

Now, all these Aromatase Inhibitors are descending upon us with studies cut off before any dangerous side effects are even identified.

As for the pinking....it is such a shame that millions of women with such good intentions spend so much time pinking away, thinking that they are serving research, when in fact Avon and others are really the ones making money out of all this. Worst, still: most of them contribute to causing cancer by using phthalates, parabens, propylene glycol, and other known human carcinogens in their cosmetics!!!!!!!!

It is time this outrage stopped. It is time we let those money-hungry companies know that we have seen them. That's why we need to support Breast Cancer Action all the way. I am only happy that more and more of us are becoming aware of this situation. And I am so happy I' ve seen this thread.....

crazydaisy - if you want to paste and post a link try the following steps: on the selected site right mouse click on top of the website address. A small menu should display where you click COPY. Then when you come to this site and open a post  - right mouse click again and click PASTE.  I usually hit the return key next as it seems to activate the pasted web site address so viewers can click and go to the link.

Yes, you are absolutely correct in mentioning that many pharmaceutical companies have affliated chemical companies. The former Ciba Geiby Chemical company previously located in Ocean County New Jersey was closed years ago after serious health problems cancer in children. (OC now has 81 people per week dx with cancer.) The movie with John Travolta about the law suit against a company poisoning drinking water is based on this incident.  BTW, Ciba Geiby is now Novartis the famous drug maker of Femara.

If anyone has interest check out the WWII hx of the gas chambers and where those chemicals came from to torture and murder people.  You may be surprised to learn the BIG NAME pharmaceuticals today.