Breast Cancer Deadline 2020®:
Clock Ticks Down to January 1, 2020

The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) launched a bold, unprecedented initiative in September, 2010, called "Breast Cancer Deadline 2020®," a call to action for policy makers, educated advocates, legislators, researchers and scientists to end breast cancer by January 1, 2020.

Why a deadline?
Backed by a strategic plan, Breast Cancer Deadline 2020® renews our sense of urgency about the breast cancer problem. Breast Cancer Deadline 2020® calls on stakeholders to focus new scientific knowledge about the biology, etiology and genetics of breast cancer on prevention and preventing metastasis, two areas of research that have the greatest potential to save lives.

Why now?
Incremental improvements in screening and treatment are not getting us to our goal of ending breast cancer. The public would be surprised to know that despite decades of awareness and billions of dollars of breast cancer research, breast cancer incidence and mortality have not changed appreciably. Twenty years ago, 114 US women died of breast cancer every day. Today that number is estimated to be 110. At this rate, it will take hundreds of years to end breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Deadline 2020® comprises several components. NBCC has already engaged the research community in unprecedented collaborative workshops on the topics of breast cancer vaccines, prevention and metastasis. "Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act, 2011" is legislation that would create a ten-member time-limited Commission of health and policy experts tasked with monitoring progress towards our goal, identifying the most promising research in prevention and metastasis, and seeking ways to eliminate duplicative research at the federal, private and charitable levels. New Hampshire's Congressman Charles Bass is a lead co-sponsor of this legislation in the US House, and we are working with him to pass the bill as soon as possible. Trained advocates are playing a major role in Breast Cancer Deadline 2020® by changing the breast cancer conversation from awareness to ending breast cancer.

To learn more, visit:
http://www.breastcancerdeadline2020.org.