Israel to Partner with Komen for the Cure

Israel: Top 5 in R&D Worldwide for Breast Cancer

Program promotes breast cancer awareness, research and funding
Survival rate for Israeli patients 92 percent if treated early [1]
Breast cancer accounts for nearly 30 percent of Israeli cancer cases

JERUSALEM, Oct. 4 - The Israel Breast Cancer Collaborative, a major partnership between Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Israeli non-governmental organizations, is scheduled to launch Oct. 25. The week-long event is to include the first-ever Israeli “Race for the Cure,” the Komen signature fundraising walk, in Jerusalem's Old City.

The Collaborative, part of a global effort, is centered on breast cancer prevention and new treatment methods. The Israel Cancer Association (ICA), a leading Israeli organization at the forefront of medical innovation and cancer research, is also involved in the initiative.

Israel’s groundbreaking research and its top-five ranking in breast cancer R&D make the partnership a natural: In November 2009, researchers at Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center made a breakthrough when they discovered a substance that kills cancerous cells without harming healthy ones—meaning that patients would suffer much less when receiving aggressive cancer treatment. [2] Israeli scientists' findings on cellular therapy and stem cells are notable additions to the field. [3]

Komen and Israel have worked together before; Komen has awarded almost $2 million in grants to research centers in Israel since 1982, including Hebrew University - Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot.

Israel has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the world, attributed to a 'Jewish gene' mutation. Some estimates show that one in every eight Israeli women is at risk of developing breast cancer. [4]

Additionally, a new Ministry of Health report shows a sharp increase in overall cancer rates among Israeli children. The Israel Cancer Association promotes special rehabilitation activities for children. It also sponsored the national treatment protocol for pediatric leukemia, narrowing gaps in cure rates noted between Jewish and Arab children. [5]

Experts available for media interviews in Israel and the United States

In Israel

Dr. Malka Cohen-Armon
Affiliation: Headed the cancer research team at Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer
Tel.: 011-972-(0)-54-44-33-998

Nava Inbar
Affiliation: Spokesperson for the Israel Cancer Association - puts leading cancer researchers in touch with press
Tel.: 011-972-(0)-50-522-5387

Yael Bosem-Levy
Affiliation: Hadassah Hospital spokesperson
Tel.: 011-972-(0)-2-677-6220

Dr. Beatrice Uzieli
Affiliation: Breast cancer specialist at the department of oncology at Hadassah University
Tel.: 011-972-(0)-2-677-6220

In the U.S.

Andrea Rader
Affiliation: Director of Communications, Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Tel.: 972-701-2168