The Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) is happy to announce that it has expanded its collaborative capacity through two new affiliations with the National Breast Cancer Coaliation (NBCC) and the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST).

NBCC

LBCA Executive Director Laurie Hutcheson has recently been elected to the board of the NBCC. NBCC is a collaboration of breast cancer activists, survivors, researchers, grassroots groups, and national organizations that have come together as disruptive innovators for social change. NBCC holds an annual gathering, the Advocate Leadership Summit, of breast cancer advocates from across the country and around the world to assist them in joining together to effect social change and influence federal policy and breast cancer research funding. Participants attend sessions on the latest scientific research and have training in effective advocacy strategies. They also hear presentations by respected researchers in the field, grassroots leaders from around the country, and prominent public policy experts. Register for the Advocate Summit taking place April 30–May 2, 2022.

NBCC also conducts the annual Project Lead training program on breast cancer science, research, and advocacy to help advocates become more effective influencers. LBCA is happy work with NBCC on these important initiatives.

COST

LBCA has also formally joined COST to work collaboratively with the European Lobular Breast Cancer Coalition (ELBCC) on the COST-funded, four-year program referred to as Lobsterpot. The focus of ELBCC/Lobsterpot is on lobular breast cancer science, translational goals, and clinical impact. Through our affiliation with ELBCC/Lobsterpot, LBCA is sponsoring a portion of, and helping to organize, the upcoming Joint International ELBCC/Lobsterpot & LBCA ILC Symposium and Summer School in Utrecht, The Netherlands this June. Our affiliation also enables LBCA to participate in cross continent working groups on the creation of guidelines for harmonized pathology and imaging diagnosis of ILC and ILC-specific clinical trials. It is only through collaborative, international efforts across many labs and medical institutions that research on ILC will be most effective and accelerated.

Please visit the Allies page on our website to see all the organizations nationally and internationally with which we partner. We welcome new collaborations. If you represent an organization with a mission that aligns with ours and would like to ally with LBCA please contact our executive director at lauriehutcheson@lobularbreastcancer.org.