What you need to know now: Does a Virus Cause Breast Cancer in Women?

What You Need to Know Now: Does a Virus Cause Breast Cancer in Women?

In Uncategorized on June 27, 2012 at 8:33 pm

Yesterday on my show, Survive and Live Well, on W4CS, Dr Kathleen Ruddy spoke about a breast cancer virus that might be involved with 40-75% of breast cancer.  She also discussed a preventive vaccine developed at the Cleveland Clinic by Professor Vincent Tuohy that is ready for safety testing in women and may also be effective against the viral form of breast cancer.  Unfortunately, both the virus and the vaccine have received little attention and scant funding.

The virus in itself is not news to me or others; Kathleen and I spoke about this a year ago, and it received national attention via a video Dr. Ruddy made that was nominated best short film of the Breast Fest Breast Cancer Film Festival 2010. However, what amazes me is that in addition to the paucity of attention about the virus, there is equal disregard for the first preventive breast cancer vaccine that Professor Tuohy developed, for he has yet to get the funding for clinical trials to test its efficacy in women.  So why is it that there is not funding for trials?  If not for lack of awareness, what is it? 

Many people are not aware that this vaccine is at the trial phase; it just needs the funding and we could likely prevent and possibly cure millions of breast cancers.  It saddens and infuriates me that greed and ignorance may be getting in the way.  In fact, there is a prominent member of the breast cancer world who likely has the power to garner the funds needed, but instead seems to want to wait until 2020 for the magical end.  Shame on those who are holding us back; how can they say they are out to make change, to end breast cancer. Let’s end breast cancer now; why wait?  If you would like to be part of this initiative, please contact Dr Ruddy.  If you have something to say regarding this topic, please let me know, you just might be invited to share your thoughts on the show.

I posted on this subject back in July of 2011…to read this post and a repost on Dr Ruddy’s site:
http://elynjacobs.blogspot.com/2011/07/why-race-is-going-in-wrong-direction.html
http://breastcancerbydrruddy.com/?p=2899

The following is a plea written by IBC survivor Cindy Sullivan.  Thank you Cindy, for helping to get the word out on the need for funding; we need to get this vaccine to trial.
http://cindysullivan.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/an-open-letter-to-breast-cancer-research-foundations/comment-page-1/#comment-16

To read another great post on the subject by Susan Beausang:
http://www.lymphomainfo.net/blog/syndicated/dreaming-the-breast-cancer-vaccine

“His vaccine is ready to be tested for safety in humans, but guess what. Komen has turned him down for funding 3 times and Avon has refused to even consider it. Hmmmm…. Maybe Mr. Tuohy scared the queens of pinkwashing when he said, ‘If it works in humans the way it works in mice, this will be monumental. We could eliminate breast cancer.”

I would now add that the NBCC is looking to end breast cancer in 2020; the rest of us are in a bigger hurry.  Likely they could be added to the list of “queens of pinkwashing”, but that is my opinion. Why is it that they are not supporting a vaccine ready to go to trial now?

For more information on Professor Tuohy’s vaccine:
http://www.cancernetwork.com/display/article/10165/59788http://www.autoimmune.com/HMTVGen.html
http://www.internalmedicinenews.com/search/search-single-view/virus-may-trigger-many-cases-of-breast-cancer/6de036f7be.html
http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20061214/mouse-virus-link-breast-cancer
http://journals.lww.com/oncology-times/Fulltext/2008/03100/Closing_in_on_Elusive_Link_between_Virus___Human.8.aspx

 Elyn Jacobs
http://www.elynjacobs.wordpress.com/
http://www.w4cs.com/
elyn@elynjacobs.com

 Elyn Jacobs is a breast cancer survivor, professional cancer coach, radio talk show host, speaker, and the Executive Director for the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation. Elyn empowers women to choose the path for treatment that best fits their own individual needs.  She is passionate about helping others move forward into a life of health and wellbeing. To learn more about Elyn’s coaching services, please visit:  http://elynjacobs.wordpress.com/.  To tune into the Survive and Live Well radio show, please visit http://www.w4cs.com/, Tuesdays at 1pm (est).