October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

BY KRISTINE ROBERSON MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR

Play for P.I.N.K. ® (Prevention, Immediate diagnosis, New technology, Knowledge), or PFP, was started in 1990 by a group of women who were saddened when one of their friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. The frightening news galvanized them to do something for her, for themselves, and for all women and men affected by the disease. One of the founders suggested a golf tournament: she knew how to run one, so why not? The decision was made that all money raised must go to breast cancer research.

In 1996, due to the increased interest and the desire to reach more people, the organization decided to change the tournament format and reached out to individual country clubs throughout the tri-state area: New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In the first year, PFP held golf tournaments at six clubs and raised an impressive $77,000 for breast cancer research. Since then, the program has grown to nearly 300 fundraisers across 32 states with an estimated 30,000 annual participants.

Mission

PLAY for P.I.N.K.® (Prevention, Immediate diagnosis, New technology, Knowledge) supports a nationwide network of volunteers who raise money for breast cancer research through sporting and lifestyle events to speed advances in prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship. 100% of all proceeds are donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). To date, PFP has raised more than $75 million for breast cancer research.

In December 2022, Play for P.I.N.K. presented its sole beneficiary, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), with a check for $5,000,000, bringing its total contribution to nearly $75 million. Thanks to underwriting from The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Campaign, PFP donates 100% of all proceeds to BCRF. The Estée Lauder Companies are also very generous supporters of the program through their in-kind donation of products to the tournaments. PFP is currently funding 16 breast cancer research projects led by scientists from leading academic medical institutions around the world.

PFP-funded research not only relates to breast cancer in women, but also ovarian cancer, lymphoma, and melanoma. Listed below are a few recent highlights from the work of their researchers:

• Ovarian cancer is an aggressive disease with few treatment options. A class of drugs called PARP inhibitors has been approved for treatment of ovarian cancers caused by mutations in the BRCA genes. Resistance to PARP therapy, however, reduces the clinical benefit of these drugs. Drs. Matulonis and Konstantinopoulos are studying ways to increase the effectiveness of PARP inhibitors for patients with ovarian cancer as well as an aggressive form of breast cancer called triple negative.

• Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is cancer that has spread from the breast to other parts of the body. While treatable, it is currently incurable. Dr. Ewald employs sophisticated laboratory technologies to study breast cancer cells and understand the steps involved that allow them to travel through the body and colonized new sites. His goal is to discover ways to prevent metastasis from occurring and to identify new molecular targets to improve outcomes for patients with MBC.

• The hope for a breast cancer vaccine is hampered by the fact that breast cancer cells look too much like normal cells and escape immune surveillance. Dr. Wolchok and his colleagues have devised a novel vaccine that overcomes this barrier. The vaccine is currently in clinical trial for patients with metastatic breast cancer. Other efforts are ongoing to improve response to immunotherapies.

During the entire month of October, Woodbridge is flying a pink checkered pin flag on the 18th green to remind golfers the importance of detecting breast cancer early. Early detection exams can catch cancer before symptoms start and are believed to save thousands of lives each year. Doctors believe even more lives could be saved if more people took advantage of these exams. If you would like to donate to Play for P.I.N.K., please see the office.

Together, we are giving hope our best shot.