The 19th Annual Lustgarten Foundation Albany Capital District Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research was held on Sunday, Sept. 11, in Delmar at Elm Ave. Town Park. Over 300 walkers attended and, with the help of donors and corporate sponsors, raised $93,000 for research.
:From left, Bethlehem Town Board member Dan Coffey, Bethlehem Town Supervisor David VanLuven, Bethlehem Town Board Member Maureen Cunningham, and Congressman Paul Tonko encouraged the walkers at the recent Pancreatic Cancer Research walk.
Of possible special interest to The Jewish World readers, pancreatic cancer is more common in Jews than in the general population, and Ashkenazic Jews have a greater risk than Sephardic Jews. A growing body of evidence suggests that increased pancreatic cancer risk for Ashkenazic Jews has a genetic basis; these cancers are caused by inherited mutations in specific cancer-associated genes, including the familial breast cancer genes BRCA2 and BRCA1. The risk of cancer to Jews who inherit a defective copy of BRCA2 or BRCA1 varies in different families. The reason for this variation in risk is thought to be dependent on “lifestyle factors” such as smoking, obesity, dietary influences, the inheritance of other cancer susceptibility genes and a certain element of chance.
Walk founders and leaders, Shari and Neil Piper, at 518-475-1200 can provide information.
