It is official!
The Sisters Network® Inc (SNI) 2015 National African American Breast Cancer tour, “Passport to Survivorship–Informing to Empower” will be hosted in the Motor City.
The one-day conference will be held in Detroit, MI. on Saturday, September 26, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., at Blue Cross Blue Shield, 500 E. Lafayette, Detroit, MI. 48226. Registration is free and complimentary lunch is provided.
Lisa A. Newman, MD, MPH, FACS, Professor of Surgery & Breast Care Center Director, University of Michigan is the National Honorary Chair and Mary Waters, Greater Metropolitan Detroit Chapter President is the Detroit Conference Chair.
The innovative ten-city national conference tour highlights general breast health awareness information and two major areas, triple negative and advanced breast cancer, which frequently affects African American women. Erie E. Calloway, Executive Director, Sisters Network® Inc. will open the conference with a presentation on the “State of Sisters Network Inc.”
Breast cancer survivors, clinicians, caregivers and the community are invited to attend. Conference workshops include “Metastatic & Triple Negative Breast Cancer,” presented by Janell Clark, APN-BC, MSN, MBA, Nurse Practitioner CTCA, Eastern Regional Medical Center and “The Importance of Minority Participation in Clinical Trials,” presented by Richard J. Mena, MD, Oncology-Field Medical Director, Pfizer Oncology.
“Sisters Network is always looking for a unique approach to share or bring breast cancer information directly to the community. The 2015 National African American breast cancer ten-city conference tour is a unique and effective outreach initiative for our organization,” said Karen E. Jackson, Founder/CEO, Sisters Network® Inc.
Sisters Network® Inc is the only National African American breast cancer survivorship organization in the United States to host a ten-city conference tour. Sponsors for the 2015 conference tour include the Pfizer Biosimilars, Biomarin, Genentech, Pfizer Rx Pathways, Novartis, Astra Zeneca, Celgene, Cancer Treatment Centers of America and Eisai.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among African American women. According to the American Cancer Society 2013-2014 Facts & Figures, an estimated 27,060 new cases of breast cancer and 6,080 deaths were expected to occur among African American women. The incidence of breast cancer among women under 45 is higher for African American women compared to white women, however, the risk of breast cancer for all women increases with age.
African American women are more likely to be diagnosed with larger tumors and more advanced stages of breast cancer despite a lower incidence rate. The five-year survival rate for African American women is 78%, as compared to 90% for white women.
Several studies suggest that being pre-menopausal, African American, Latina or Caribbean increases your risk of developing basal-like or triple-negative breast cancer. Among African-American women who develop breast cancer, there is an estimated 20 to 40 percent chance of the breast cancer being triple-negative. Researchers do not yet understand why premenopausal women and women in some ethnic groups have higher rates of triple- negative breast cancer than other groups of women.
The final conference tour will be hosted in Houston, Texas on October 24, 2015. Previous conference cities included Atlanta, GA., Baton Rouge, LA., Dallas, TX, Greensboro, NC, Orlando, FL., and Washington, DC.
To register or for more information, please visit www.sistersnetworkinc.org or call toll free 1-866-781-1808.
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