Conquering mountains for cancer

Annual climb symbolizes and supports the fight against breast cancer

Photo courtesy of Dyani Bartlett Basking in the glow of their successful summit of Mount Kilimanjaro are (front row, from left) Kyle Mansfield, Sean Mansfield and Brent Jacobsen, holding prayer flags. Back row, from left: Dyani Bartlett, Marcia Kuszmaul and Susan Amondson.

In 1997, a small group of volunteers climbed Mount Adams to benefit the Hutchinson Center. It occurred to the group that summitting a mountain was symbolic of the fight against breast cancer. The climb was so successful, it was organized again the following year, and the next. The Climb to Fight Breast Cancer presented by Safeway has come a long way since these humble beginnings.

This summer, more than 100 women and men from across the United States braved the demands of six peaks: Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, Mount Elbrus and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Whether climbing for the physical challenge or as a way to honor loved ones who faced the rigors of breast cancer, each participant committed to raising funds to advance breast-cancer research at the Center. The fund-raising commitment varied per peak, but a few outstanding climbers raised more than $20,000 apiece. This year's total topped $629,000.

With 10 years of peak experiences combined, the Climb has raised $2.8 million toward breast-cancer research milestones such as:

• Dr. Chris Li found that older women who have smoked the equivalent of one pack per day for at least 11 years face a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer as compared with women who have never smoked.



• Dr. Anne McTiernan found that regular, moderate physical activity cuts breast-cancer risk by 20 percent; and that women with low body-mass index (BMI) and high physical-activity levels had lower levels of circulating estrogens, which can fuel the growth of breast cancer.



• Dr. Stephanie Lee led the development of guidelines for physicians and patients about fertility preservation for individuals undergoing cancer treatment.



• Center researchers played a lead role in the groundbreaking Women's Health Initiative study that revealed hormone-replacement therapy can increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, stroke and heart disease.



• Center researchers are leading a three-year, $9 million project funded by the Entertainment Industry Foundation and its Women's Cancer Research Fund to discover proteins in the blood that may signal the presence of breast cancer at its earliest stages.

For more information or to learn about participating in the 2008 Climb to Fight Breast Cancer, visit www.fhcrc.org/climb, call the Climb Hotline at (206) 667-1398 or e-mail cfbc@fhcrc.org.

» Read more news from Center News Weekly.