Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 11 August 2011 — Page 22

Page 22 • The Muncie Times • August 11, 2011

American Red Cross

Blood donors needed to meet constant blood demands Most everyone at some point in their lives will meet someone who has received blood products. “Blood is needed more than you think,” Sharyn Whitman, CEO for the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross. “In fact, in the next two seconds, someone in America will need blood.” Blood needs are constant. Red Cross officials say. Every day, hospital patients across the U.S. need an average of 40,000 units of blood. When calculated to 365 days a year, that number tops 16 million donations—or nearly 30 million blood products—that are transfused to 5 million patients a year. Patients need blood for treatments related to cancer and other diseases, for organ transplants, and for emergency care related to accidents or trauma. A person with cancer and leukemia may need from two to six units of red cells to endure chemotherapy, as well as six to eight units of platelets daily for two to four weeks. Surgeries related to heart conditions and organ transplants can also be blood intensive, requiring anywhere from two to 20 units each of red cells, platelets or plasma. And depending on the severity of car accident, a person may need from four to 100 units of red blood cells to survive. “Not a day goes by that we don’t hear someone’s story about how blood helped save their life," said Whitman. “And those stories are made possible by blood donors who give without any thought of reward other than to help someone in need.” Today, baby boomers and the WWII generation make up about half of all blood donors through the Red Cross. But with time, many people who once gave may require blood for their own medical care. “America simply needs more blood donors from younger generations to commit to maintaining America’s blood supply,” said Whitman. “You can be among them, and help change a life.” UPCOMING AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVES IN YOUR AREA: Monday, Aug. 15, from 4 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. at the YMCA Northwest, located at 3500 N. Chadam Lane in Muncie. How to Donate Blood To schedule an appointment to donate please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org for more information. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate. About the American Red Cross The Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region serves northern and central Indiana and northwestern Ohio, and needs to collect about 500 units of blood a day to meet patient need in more than 60 hospitals. In addition to providing blood to our community, the American Red Cross also provides relief to victims of disaster, trains millions in lifesaving skills, serves as a communication link between U.S. military members and their families, and assists victims of international disasters or conflicts. 06/11AP0454 The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.™

Progress Made in identifying Black’s Breast Cancer Risk

A woman’s ethnicity as well as her genetic make up are two of the main risk factors for hereditary breast cancer. Research into understanding and treating hereditary breast cancer was presented today at the Era of Hope conference, a scientific meeting hosted by the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP). About 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are thought to be hereditary, resulting from defective genes inherited from a parent. The most common cause of hereditary breast cancer is an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene; the risk may be as high as 85 percent for members of some families with these mutations.1 And while White women are more likely to develop breast cancer, African American women are more likely to die from the disease, partly because African Americans have more aggressive tumors. Studies presented at Era of Hope explore the genes that contribute to breast cancer risk in African Americans, and the possibility that vitamin D intake might help mitigate it in this population. Other studies look at how daughters of women with BRCA 1 or BRCA2 mutations manage their own risk of breast cancer, and how the identification of a particular gene might lead to treatment for the very deadly triple-negative breast cancer. "Some women are born with a greater risk of developing more aggressive forms of breast cancer," said Captain Melissa Kaime, M.D., Director of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), under which the BCRP is managed. "Research presented at the Era of Hope provides new insights into the specific gene mutations that lead to this risk, enabling us to develop targeted treatments and to better assist those women to manage their inherited predisposition to the disease." Toward Understanding Genetic Susceptibility for Breast Cancer in Women of African Ancestry Principal Investigator: Christopher

Haiman, ScD, University of Southern California Studies of genetic links to breast cancer have been conducted almost exclusively in populations of European ancestry and have firmly established a number of gene locations that are associated with breast cancer susceptibility. While these discoveries provide support for the theory that many genes can predispose someone to cancer,2 and provide clues to important biological pathways involved in the development of cancer, the degree to which these genetic associations can be generalized broadly to other racial/ethnic populations is unclear. A genome-wide association study among women of African ancestry was initiated to identify additional genetic risk factors for breast cancer in this population. As a first step, this study examined genetic variation at all 18 genetic regions previously associated with breast cancer risk to bdth improve the current set of risk markers in African Americans and to identify new variants that may be associated with risk. Through fine-mapping, markers were identified that better define the association in African Americans in seven regions. Among them, three showed evidence of independent signals. All together, these risk markers allow for an improved ability to predict the risk of breast cancer development for African Americans over previously-reported markers. "We are encouraged by these findings, as we continue to learn more about genetic susceptibility to breast cancer in African American women," said Dr. Christopher Haiman of the University of Southern California. "We look forward further research aimed at identifying risk variants for breast cancer in this population, in particular those for estrogen receptor negative disease which has a greater incidence among women of African ancestry. We are also working to further develop and validate this risk model to improve breast cancer risk prediction in this population using risk variants."