October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that means an active period for the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center.
More than 200 people attended the center's inaugural ʻOHANA Pink event earlier this month.
Event organizer Dr. Jami Fukui said the community event was created to help bridge the gap between breast cancer researchers and patients.
“It was enjoyable for me to see the turnout and support,” Fukui said.
She added that she's looking forward to having more people and organizations involved next year.
Fukui is a UH Cancer Center researcher and clinician. At ʻOHANA Pink, she shared information about cutting-edge clinical trials for breast cancer in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
There was also a hula performance by Wahine Hula Akala, a halau of breast cancer survivors.
Attendees learned from educational posters and various health care organizations, including the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen, The Queen’s Medical Center and more.
Recent data from the American Cancer Society estimates there are more than 313,000 new breast cancer cases annually nationwide. Fukui said Hawaiʻi sees more than 1,200 new breast cancer cases per year.
“I think that patient care definitely has evolved, and it’s really due to the research on the studies that we do," Fukui said.
