$275,000 Raised for Breast Cancer Research at 7Th Annual BRIGHT RUN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

$275,000 Raised for Breast Cancer Research at 7th Annual BRIGHT RUN

Hamilton, Ontario (September 11, 2014) - The BRIGHT RUN has once again demonstrated that it is a bright light on the fundraising horizon in Hamilton and beyond. On Saturday, September 6, almost 900 participants ran and walked in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area raising $275,000.That brings the event’s seven-year total to more than $2 million. All of that money is staying in Hamilton to support breast cancer research being conducted at Hamilton Health Sciences’ Juravinski Cancer Centre and at McMaster University.

“The response to this event continues to amaze me,” says Dr. Mark Levine, head of cancer research at Hamilton Health Sciences, chair of the McMaster Department of Oncology, and one of the BRIGHT RUN’s founders. “Every year a dedicated group of 300 volunteers works hard to make the event a success and, without fail, our patients, families, staff and friends come out to support us.”

BRIGHT has given hope to breast cancer patients by funding 13 research projects that cover a wide range of topics and types of research. These studies address issues that are important to patients. Here is a sampling:

 Identifying of a genetic “signature” that would predict breast cancer risk in women of African ancestry

 Evaluating the effectiveness of short courses of high dose radiation therapy prior to surgery in the treatment of early breast cancer

 Improving our understanding of the unique physical and psychosocial needs of young women who have breast cancer

 Investigating the possibility that Vitamin D and/or melatonin may reduce the growth of cancer cells in women who have breast cancer

 Identifying the presence of a molecule called CD200 as a way of predicting which patients will benefit from a special type of chemotherapy

 Testing the effectiveness of non-needle, acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical stimulation to treat hot flashes in women who have breast cancer

1  Looking back at nine years of data to evaluate common disease factors in patients who experienced recurrence of cancer after undergoing mastectomy and radiation treatment

This seventh event was very special for Nancy McMillan, chair of the BRIGHT RUN committee. She is celebrating her seventh year as a breast cancer survivor and understands the importance of research in supporting the fight against the disease.

“Research is vital and, for people affected by breast cancer right here in the Hamilton region, the BRIGHT RUN is our rallying point,” says Ms. McMillan. “Along with our loved ones and our caregivers, we are running and walking to help fund the brilliant researchers and scientists who are building knowledge and developing new treatments that will give us, and those who follow us, a healthier future.”

For more information about these studies and more, visit http://www.brightrun.ca/research- funding/research/

For further information, please contact:

Heather Pullen Public Relations & Communications Hamilton Health Sciences 905 521-2100 ext. 75387 [email protected]