A new workshop offered this year was a session on breast cancer stem cell research with Dr. Max Wicha, director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.  Dr. Wicha has become one of the leading experts in this field, and University of Michigan researchers have teamed with Baylor University and Dana Farber to launch the first clinical trials in this new area of research.
 
I was particularly interested in Dr. Wicha's workshop, since I had attended one of his sessions in April at the American Association for Cancer Research conference and had some questions based on that presentation.  Cancer stem cell theory suggests that traditional therapies, like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are not able to kill all the cancer cells; and those that remain may actually be resistant to treatment and cause the cancer to grow.  If these stem cells can be identified and targeted, there is the possibility of stopping the spread of cancer.  Dr. Wicha's lab has been studying breast cancer cell lines to determine which ones contain an identified stem cell population.  I was excited to see that at least one cell line studied represents IBC (SUM 149.)  I had the opportunity to ask Dr. Wicha about his findings in the IBC cell line, SUM 149.  He confirmed that there appears to be a stem cell population in this cell line, which could account for the aggressive and difficult to treat nature of IBC.  His lab plans to continue to study other IBC cell lines as well as tumor tissue to determine if this hypothesis can be proven.  This research remains somewhat controversial since it represents a very different view of cancer growth and metastasis, but it is certainly something worth following and learning more about.  To read more about the University of Michigan stem cell research click here.

One morning, I found my breakfast table filled with college students who were attending the conference.  I wondered what brought this group of young women and men to the conference.  Read the following report from Shannon Talbott, one of the students in the group, to learn more about what brought them to DC.

I attended my first National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) conference in April 2008.  I was very blessed with having this opportunity come about because of one of my professors at Western Oregon University. Dr. Jessica Henderson is a 14-year breast cancer survivor and a true advocate.  She has been attending the conference for four years, and each year she takes a group of students with her. This year she asked me to come as her assistant, and we brought seventeen undergraduate students with us.
 
This conference has changed my thoughts and actions toward fighting breast cancer.  I have always known it is one of the leading causes of death among women, but until I came to the conference; I had not seen it first hand.  Every person at the conference had been effected by breast cancer, whether they had it themselves or a loved one had been diagnosed with breast cancer. It was very special to see so many different groups of women come together and fight for the same cause.
 
Although I personally have not been diagnosed with breast cancer, my grandmother was diagnosed about five months ago. The opportunity to attend the conference gave me the feeling that I could make a difference by talking to state representatives and being a true advocate for my grandmother. I met strong, powerful women who are standing up for a cause to save the lives of women. I was surprised at how much I learned at the conference.  I did not know there were so many kinds of breast cancer, and I certainly did not know anything about Inflammatory Breast Cancer until I met Ginny Mason, the executive director of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Within five minutes of meeting Ginny, I knew what IBC was and how serious and scary it can be.
 
I am very thankful for this amazing experience and the opportunity to meet people from so many different places in our country fighting for the same cause. It is an experience I will never forget and one I will never stop fighting for.               
 

Ginny Mason