As a participant in the day long symposium representing the New York based Israel Healthcare Foundation, I was particularly proud that this gathering and subsequent announcement took place in Israel and under the auspices of the Clalit Health System and Soroka Medical Center.
Any international gathering that chooses to bring world experts together in Israel deserves special notice at a time when boycotts and sanctions continue to proliferate. Dr. Norton and Andrew Abramson of the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation are to be commended for choosing Israel for such a historic gathering.
Amy Sara Clark’s comprehensive article on a recent international gathering of doctors and scientists led by Professor Larry Norton of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center brought a vital life-saving message to your readers. As reported, research from the, United States, U.K., Israel, Canada and elsewhere have made it clear that all Ashkenazi adults, not just those with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, should be tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. Early detection and monitoring will save lives.
Separately, I would also mention that the symposium included an important presentation by Elana Silber, Executive Director of Sharsheret, giving a voice to the survivors and those Jewish women in the U.S. courageously battling breast cancer.
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