American Cancer Society Awards $200,000

Kohl’s Cares Grant To Local Researcher

 Research in effort to improve quality of life for breast cancer survivors

Pewaukee, Wisconsin – The American Cancer Society, Midwest Division, in partnership with Kohl’s Cares has awarded a research grant to Joan Neuner, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, to study adverse bony effects of breast cancer therapies. Neuner is using her grant to discover if it is possible that broken bones, or fractures, can be prevented for some breast cancer patients. Currently there are more than 2.9 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors have recently been recognized to be at higher risk for broken bones than other women. Several advances in breast cancer treatment, including increasing chemotherapy use and most recently the transition from tamoxifen to aromatase inhibitors (AIs) may be increasing the risk. With the study results, Neuner hopes to be able to provide for better counseling and decision-making for breast cancer survivors.

“Breast cancer is such an incredibly common disease,” Neuner said. “All the treatment advances have made the population of survivors so large that it’s now very important we understand what the issues for survivors are going to be.”

“This grant allows me to pursue what I consider very important questions in this comparative effectiveness research, looking at risks and benefits of breast cancer treatments in the wider population than have previously been studied in clinical trials. These kinds of studies can sometimes be hard to get funding for.”

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in the United States and this year more than 4,200 Wisconsin women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The American Cancer Society and Kohl’s Cares remain committed to helping women in the fight against breast cancer in southeast Wisconsin. Since 2010, Kohl’s Department Stores has committed a nearly $5 million donation to the American Cancer Society’s Midwest Division, which is being used to support breast cancer research, education and patient-assistance programs in southeast Wisconsin.

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