City of Hope™
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Quill is partnering with City of Hope™ to raise money to support breast cancer research. All throughout our media this month you will see references made to City of Hope. Want to know more about the organization? Read on!
Each year it is estimated that nearly 200,000 women living in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die. Approximately 1,700 men will also be diagnosed with breast cancer and 450 will die. Women in the United States get breast cancer more than any other type of cancer except for skin cancer. It is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in women. While no one knows the exact causes of breast cancer, research has shown that women with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop the disease. These risk factors include:
Age: Half of all women diagnosed are 65 or older.
Weight: Being obese or overweight.
Diet & Lifestyle: Lack of physical activity, a diet high in saturated fat, and an alcoholic intake of more than two drinks per day.
Menstrual & Reproductive History: Early menstruation or late menopause, having your first child at an older age or not having given birth, or taking birth control pills for more than ten years if you are under 35.
Family & Personal History: A family history of breast cancer—particularly a mother, sister, or a personal history of benign (non-cancer) breast disease.
Medical & Other Factors: Dense breast tissue (often identified by a mammogram), past radiation therapy to the breast or chest area or a history of hormone treatments—such as estrogen and progesterone.
When breast cancer is found in its early stages, the 5-year survival rate is 98%. That is why early detection with self-examination, clinical examination and mammograms is so important. Equally important is early treatment.
City of Hope is one of only 41 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the country. This is the highest designation bestowed by The National Cancer Institute. City of Hope is also a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, which defines and sets standards for cancer care nationally.
City of Hope was established in 1913 as a haven for those stricken with tuberculosis. It was believed that the dry, desert-like climate of the San Gabriel Valley in California was beneficial for those with the illness. Since then, the institution has grown to more than 300 physicians and scientists and more than 2,500 employees.
At any given time, City of Hope is conducting at least 300 clinical studies, involving approximately 40 percent of its eligible patients. The national average at other cancer centers is less than 5 percent.
In 2009, U.S. News & World Report recognized City of Hope as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” for cancer treatment. City of Hope maintains the number one hematology program, number one prostate cancer program and number one sarcoma program in California. It ranks number two in the state for its breast cancer and musculoskeletal programs, based on the number of patients treated. Many City of Hope physicians are featured in the fourth edition of “America’s Top Doctors for Cancer,” a consumer guide to the nation’s top cancer specialists. Forbes, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and The Nonprofit Times featured City of Hope in their annual surveys of the nation’s top nonprofit organizations. City of Hope also earned Charity Navigator's four-star ranking and has been listed as one of its "10 of the Best Charities Everyone's Heard Of." Charity Navigator's independent research shows more than 81 cents of every dollar given goes directly to support City of Hope's lifesaving mission. That ratio is one of the best there is for medical charities.
For more information on City of Hope, go to www.cityofhope.com