In May of this year, EPIC Systems Corporation employees again gave generously to IBCRF.

Their contributions will go directly to research projects which will benefit those affected by breast cancer here and the world over.

An exciting new study where resources are needed is our Breast Care Palliation Study. This study will help to develop a patient-friendly and effective system for palliating women with breast cancer whose disease is causing them physical distress.

Thanks to the generosity of contributors to the International Breast Cancer Research Foundation, more women will have access to “one stop” care in the treatment of their breast cancer.

In March, 2009 Epic epicsystems.com employees’ made a generous donation to the International Breast Cancer Research Foundation (IBCRF).

Then GE Healthcare www.gehealthcare.com in Seattle, WA stepped forward to facilitate the purchase of a Compact Digital Ultrasound Console, a Linear Array Transducer, a printer and carrying case.

One of our board members, Dr. James Woods, M.D. traveled to our Amader Gram (http://www.amadergram.org/) Breast Clinic in Bangladesh to deliver and set up the new equipment.

The new IBCRF ultrasound machine at work. Dr. Woods, Dr Mozammel and Dr Ahki look on.

Dr. James Woods, IBCRF director and surgeon installing the new ultrasound machine in the Breast Specialty Care Center in Khulna, Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, the majority of women who develop breast cancer die of it. First, access to care is limited, and second, the care provided is very poor by most standards. In a series of 238 new cases of breast cancer we have seen at the Khulna Medical College in rural Bangladesh in the last two years, 208 women had very advanced breast masses. In a series of 1560 women we have seen in the same period in free walk in clinics, half had objective evidence of a breast problem, and 179 had breast cancer.

One of the major barriers to getting such problems sorted out promptly is the availability of "one stop" care where a new breast problem can be definitively characterized with imaging and pathology studies done right there, without referring a patient for these to other facilities which leads to "drop out".

Our scientific director, Dr. Richard Love has established such a Multidisciplinary Breast Specialty Care Center in Khulna, where, with this new ultrasound machine and ability to take tissue samples on site, we hope to facilitate prompt diagnosis and management and thereby change the usual bad outcomes for women.

The ultrasound machine allows immediate distinction of likely malignant and likely benign abnormalities and helps guide tissue diagnosis sampling. In the Khulna Medical College series, fully 25% of women had had a previous breast mass attended to but not diagnosed and treated.

We hope with this new system, facilities and equipment to lower that figure substantially in the entire division of Khulna and impact favorably on outcomes for 3,000 women there each year who develop breast cancer.

Click here if you would like to donate to help purchase more equipment for the Breast Specialty Care Center and to facilitate further breast cancer research.

If you choose, you may print out and mail thisform to accompany your contribution.

Or for more information, contact IBCRF:
The International Breast Cancer Research Foundation
660 John Nolen Dr.
Madison, WI 53713
608.268.3077 (phone)
608.246.3019 (fax)

Email: maureen@ibcrf.org