On Oct. 23, the eve of Cairo’s first Komen race, pink spotlights bathed The Great Pyramid of Giza.

The next day, Dr. Salhia joined nearly 10,000 people, most in pink attire, running among the pyramids in the first Komen event in the Land of the Nile; a monumentally historic experience, which she said deeply impacted participants and could eventually benefit cancer patients worldwide.

The U.S. delegation consisted of 42 individuals from across America – all with different stories, but with the common goal of a world without breast cancer. Among the Komen attendees were: Nancy G. Brinker, Founding Chair of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Hala Moddelmog, former President and CEO of Komen; and Annetta Hewko, Vice President of Komen’s Global Strategies and Programs.

Dr. Salhia met with more than 20 cancer research advocates from 10 Mid East countries, listening to dignitaries and learning about the efforts of the Breast Cancer Foundation of Egypt and the Suzanne Mubarak Regional Center for Women’s Health and Development.

“In a country and region where breast cancer efforts continue to be riddled by a lack of awareness, misguided stigma and a shortage of medical resources,” Dr. Salhia said, “I was amazed and encouraged to see the powerful emergence of hope and change, as well as the growing number of international partnerships needed for progress.”

As a breast cancer researcher at TGen, Dr. Salhia said the trip perfectly aligned with her long-held vision and passion, as well as her Egyptian heritage. As part of her post-doctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. John Carpten, Director of TGen’s Integrated Cancer Genomics Division, part of Dr. Salhia’s research includes a study of breast cancer in Egypt.

The study involves acquiring more than 300 breast cancer specimens from Egyptian pathologists Drs. Elia Ishak and Salwa Gaber; a collaboration with Dr. James Resau, Deputy Director for Special Programs at the Van Andel Research Institute, who helped construct a tissue microarray of samples and assisted in a molecular phenotypic analysis; and insights about breast cancer and molecular pathology by Dr. Coya Tapia of the Institute for Pathology at the University of Basel, Switzerland, and by Dr. Galen Hostetter, an Associate Investigator in TGen’s Integrated Cancer Genomics Division.

“I believe that this type of international scientific team is critical in making progress against health disparities among underserved populations,” said Dr. Salhia, whose visit to Egypt was funded in part by a $15,000 grant from cancer research advocate Sylvia Chase. Other breast cancer research by Dr. Salhia has been funded through an $180,000, three-year grant from the Komen foundation.

The World Health Organization ranks breast cancer as the most common cancer type worldwide among women, having affected an estimated 25 million people. It represents 35 percent of cancer cases in Egypt.

“Our primary goal for this study is to determine the prevalence of intrinsic breast cancer subtype as a preliminary measure of the molecular uniqueness of breast cancer in Egypt. For example, we know that the prevalence of the basal subtype, which is associated with poor prognosis, is higher in African American women,” Dr. Salhia said.

“This study is intended to aid clinicians in making better treatment and prognostic decisions, based on the molecular characteristics of breast cancer in Egypt.”

# # #