Oregon Health & Science University receives $100,000 grant from Kay Yow

The Kay Yow Cancer Fund®, in partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and The V Foundation for Cancer Research, has awarded a $100,000 young women's breast cancer research grant to the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

The $100,000 grant will be awarded to the Knight Cancer Institute to continue research on the potential effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen or aspirin, in the prevention of metastasis of breast cancer in young women. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is privileged to work in collaboration with The V Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee to identify and review grant proposals supporting women's cancer research.

Susan Donohoe, Executive Director of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, will visit the OHSU campus on October 2 to meet with Brian Druker, M.D., Director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, and Pepper Schedin, Ph.D., a breast cancer researcher with the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and professor in OHSU's Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology. The grant will contribute to the Knight Cancer Challenge campaign, which was launched in 2013 after Nike Co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, pledged to give $500 million for cancer research at the Knight Cancer Institute if OHSU raised an equal amount by February 2016.

"It is an honor to be selected for this grant and to be recognized by a group that is devoted to gaining a better understanding of cancers that impact women's health," Schedin said. "The funding provides a level of flexibility that will enable us to do more innovative research."

An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 young mothers in the U.S. and 180,000 worldwide are diagnosed each year with breast cancer within five years of giving birth. Schedin's research has traced the increased cancer risk in this population of women due to changes in breast tissue following lactation. This immune response promotes cellular processes that increase breast cancer incidence and metastasis.

With the funding from the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, Schedin will be able to investigate the impact of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, on the unique biology of women's bodies when they are post-pregnancy. The goal of this work is to develop a postnatal pill that reduces the risk of cancer occurrence and progression.

"There is an unmet need for research focused on breast cancer in young women," Donohoe said. "Young breast cancer patients have a significantly poorer prognosis than older patients and are three times as likely to die of the disease. Research programs such as this one are critical as we continue to search for the cure."

"Coach Yow was very specific in her direction that the Kay Yow Cancer Fund support research to enhance the quality of life of those individuals battling cancer and to help find a cure," said Stephanie Glance, Columbia University Head Women's Basketball Coach and President of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. "This research grant will continue the legacy of Coach Yow and the Fund's mission of supporting women's cancer research."

Provided by Oregon Health & Science University