May we take this opportunity to wish you all a healthy, peaceful and happy Christmas and all the best in 2015. Buen Camino!
Glenlee, Western Road, Cork, Ireland 11 December 2014
Dear Barbara,
On behalf of the
staff and patients of Breakthrough Cancer Research supporting the Cork Cancer
Research Centre, we would like to sincerely thank you for walking 400km Camino
Walk in 2014, and raising vital funds for Cancer Research.
Your walk has been an
incredible success in these challenging times with your sponsorship of €2758.00
We do not have any
source of annual state funding and therefore are extremely reliant on the
voluntary fundraising efforts made by the public. The momentum generated by events such as the
Camino Way provide the drive and encouragement for breakthroughs to be made and
for new and improved treatments for poor prognoses and currently incurable
cancers.
With regard to our
recent research endeavours, our scientists have figured out why certain cancers
such as oesophageal, ovarian and lymphoma do not respond to current
chemotherapy regimes, and have developed a combination treatment which does
work. The Centre has invented an endoscopic
device to successfully treat inoperable colorectal tumours which is currently
being offered to patients under clinical trial.
The next phase of this research will design devices to treat inoperable
lung, oesophageal and pancreatic cancer applying the same technology of
electroporation. The Centre has also
developed a genetic therapy which helps the body’s own immune system to
recognise and kill cancer cells. This
offers the best long-term hope for curing cancer at the advanced stage where the
cancer has spread throughout the body.
In fact in October 2012, the work of one of our principal investigators,
Dr Mark Tagney, was highlighted by the worldwide scientific publication, New
Scientist magazine, as “one of the five most promising approaches to end
cancer” in their article “The Fightback”.
Financial support will accelerate the progress of these cutting edge
research programmes.
Please be assured
that your financial contribution will go directly to cancer research and to the
future breakthroughs which will improve how we can treat this disease. We hope that we can rely on your continued
support into the future.
Yours sincerely,
Ann O’Sullivan
Development Officer,
Breakthrough Cancer Research