Major UK Healthcare Donation for Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and healthcare organisations around the world are encouraging women to take their future wellbeing into their own hands; through screenings and lifestyle changes which help to lower the risk.

There is no one single cause of breast cancer and no miracle cure. But there are a number of ways to make the condition more preventable and this is where the research funded by Genesis proves to be so essential.

One in ten women in the UK will develop breast cancer. Until breakthroughs were made with previous research projects breast cancer was believed to strike women at random. Now it is widely accepted that certain women are genetically predisposed to breast cancer; and other factors such as their lifestyle and environment cause breast cancer to develop.

Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention is the only UK charity entirely dedicated to predicting and preventing breast cancer. In 2011, UK Healthcare made a donation of £10,000 towards their research into predicting each woman’s personal breast cancer risk when they attend routine screening. Now, in 2013, the health cash plan provider has matched this donation and is supporting research focused on preventing breast cancer in those women deemed high risk.

The rising trends of obesity, sedentary lifestyles and alcohol intake have been linked to an increase in breast cancer rates but the current approach to weight reduction and lifestyle intervention is not systematic. For this reason, Genesis is funding an important pilot study which aims to champion supported lifestyle changes for women identified as high risk of developing breast cancer.

The study, led by Dr Michelle Harvie (co-author of the best-selling book The 2-Day Diet), will test a tailored lifestyle programme. Ultimately, the project will assess the feasibility of offering this support to women identified, by the National Breast Screening Programme (BSP), as high risk; according to the findings of previous Genesis projects.

It’s just one of the research projects currently funded by the charity, which aims to combat this devastating health problem. But their work offers residual benefits. Fundamentally changing the lifestyle of at risk women will also have a positive effect on their risk of other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia and eleven other types of cancer.

As such the project has earned the support of Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation, but Genesis research projects rely upon the generosity of individual patrons and ethical UK businesses.

UK Healthcare is a leading provider of personal and corporate health cash plans but the company is also committed to funding a variety of charities and healthcare organisations every year. In 2012, UK Healthcare donated more than £56,000 to a number of worthwhile causes. They are already on the way to beating this total in 2013.

Lester Barr, Chairman of Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention explained: “UK Healthcare has supported Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention for a number of years and their latest donation will be put to fantastic use.

“We have reached a significant moment in the history of medicine, as innovations in the field of genetics allow us to understand how breast cancer might be predicted and prevented.”

“Without the help of UK Healthcare and a number of other benefactors, it is not likely that these important research projects would even exist. That’s why we’re so grateful to have their continued support and look forward to working with them in the future.

“Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention will continue to investigate the causes of breast cancer; and assess the logistics of preventative courses of action.

“If one in ten women will develop breast cancer, our ultimate aim is to identify those women and to decrease their risk, making breast cancer a preventable disease for the next generation of women.”

For more information about the charity visit www.genesisuk.org.

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Stephen Pugh

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UK Healthcare

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