Three leading cancer centers and the nonprofit MBCure have formed a consortium for metastatic breast cancer research.
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, Temple Health’s Fox Chase Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, with funding from MBCure, have launched the MBCure Research Consortium.
MBCure liaisons are Dr. Rachel Jankowitz from Penn Medicine, Dr. Melissa McShane from the Fox Chase Cancer Center and Dr. Pedram Razavi from Memorial Sloan Kettering.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The new consortium will foster collaboration between breast oncologists and researchers focused on curative-intent metastatic breast cancer (MBC) research.
Funding will come from MBCure, a nonprofit founded to address metastatic breast cancer research. MBCure said it will dedicate 90% of its annual net proceeds to support not only the most promising MBC research, but the boldest. In some instances this will mean high-risk, high-reward research, said MBCure, which has the goal to achieve a cure for all subtypes of MBC.
While MBC is responsible for nearly all breast cancer-related deaths, it receives a fraction of research funding – and even less for research aimed at a cure, according to MBCure.
Over 35% of patients with breast cancer are diagnosed with MBC, but on average, less than 10% of breast cancer research funding is directed toward this stage of the disease, with an even smaller fraction dedicated to curative-intent research.
This gap in funding is a significant barrier to improving survivorship outcomes for patients, the nonprofit said.
THE LARGER TREND
Despite decades of research, MBC still remains incurable, according to MBCure.
Also known as stage 4 breast cancer, MBC is the stage of the disease responsible for virtually all breast cancer-related deaths, according to MBCure.
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org