Fulfilling the Promise
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.
Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested more than $1.3 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.
Breast Cancer Then and Now
Since 1982, Komen for the Cure has played a critical role in every major advance in the fight against breast cancer – transforming how the world talks about and treats this disease and helping to turn millions of breast cancer patients into breast cancer survivors. They are proud of their contribution to some real victories:
• More early detection – nearly 75 percent of women over 40 years old now receive regular mammograms, the single most effective tool for detecting breast cancer early (in 1982, less than 30 percent received a clinical exam).
• More hope – the five-year survival rate for breast cancer, when caught early before it spreads beyond the breast, is now 98 percent (compared to 74 percent in 1982).
• More research – the federal government now devotes nearly $900 million each year to breast cancer research (compared to $30 million in 1982).
• More survivors – America’s 2.5 million breast cancers survivors, the largest group of cancer survivors in the U.S., are a living testament to the power of society and science to save lives.
Seeing it Through
Invigorated by their 25th anniversary in 2007, they have realigned their resources, refocused their research efforts and recommitted to finally, once and for all, finish what we started. And because so many millions of people are counting on them, they will invest an additional $2 billion over the next decade – by 2017 – to do exactly that.
• Without a cure, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer – a devastating disease with physical, emotional, psychological and financial pain that can last a lifetime.
• Without a cure, an estimated 5 million Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer – and more than 1 million could die – over the next 25 years.
• Without a cure, an estimated 25 million women around the world will be diagnosed with breast cancer – and 10 million could die – over the next 25 years.
