Dig Pink Volleyball Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign aims to raise $1 million

The Side-Out Foundation and its Dig Pink- Volleyball Breast Cancer Awareness campaign will launch a first of its kind clinical trial this month to examine the effects of individualized treatment on patients with metastatic breast cancer. Individualized treatment, known as targeted therapy, provides doctors a better way to tailor cancer treatment and offers the hope of more precisely targeting the cancerous cells, which would reduce side effects and improve quality of life.

The trial protocol will bring together the diverse skills and unique experience of community oncologists, nurses and researchers in the field molecular medicine. Clinical trials will occur at TGen Clinical Research Services (TCRS) at Scottsdale Healthcare and Fairfax Northern Virginia Hematology – Oncology. TGen Drug Development Services (TD2) will manage the trial for the Side-Out Foundation. The two major contributing laboratories are CARIS Diagnostics, and George Mason University’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine.

This pilot study follows on the heels of the Bisgrove Trial, which indicated cancer patients can survive longer under treatments based on their individual genetic profiles. Results were reported in April 2009 by TCRS at Scottsdale Healthcare in connection with Caris Dx.

While the Bisgrove Trial was a broader-based solid tumor cancer study, the results of this study indicated the potential clinical benefit of a molecular-based personalized therapy selection strategy for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic disease. Intended to provide real time treatment recommendations to physicians, this metastatic breast cancer trial will be conducted over the next 24 months.

Researchers will utilize these advanced molecular profiling technologies, focusing on tailoring therapy for each patient based on the individual genomic and proteomic molecular portrait within the metastatic lesion itself. The patient would then be treated with a single agent based on the aggregate information provided by the genomic and proteomic molecular profiling analyses.

High schools and colleges across the country will host volleyball matches to “pink-out” the stands this October, Breast Cancer Awareness month, in support of this new research.

The Side-Out Foundation is continuing that momentum by attracting more than 1,000 additional high schools and colleges to compete in similar volleyball tournaments in order to raise $1,000,000 in support of breast cancer research and the social and physiological aspects of the disease .

About The Side-Out Foundation

The Side-Out Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was established in 2004.  Inspired by one mom and embraced by the entire sport of volleyball, the mission of The Side-Out Foundation is to educate young athletes and their communities about breast cancer, both with respect to prevention and treatment, and to fund cutting edge breast cancer research.  Side-Out is focused on changing the way breast cancer is treated forever.

The term side-out refers to a situation in volleyball when one team wins a point while its opponent is serving, thereby regaining serve or control of play.  It is hoped that Side-Out will do the same for breast cancer patients, providing them with the support, education and best available treatments to regain control of their lives.