Teaming Up to Fight an Aggressive Cancer

Breast cancer survivor Alison Banikowski, PhD, is on a mission. After her diagnosis in 2010, Alison decided she had to find a way to “pay it forward.”

“My cancer story is a positive one,” she says. “I was diagnosed early and had a fabulous care and support team and great insurance.”

Her journey - and recognizing that not all women have the same experience - was the impetus for becoming involved in organizations that seek to improve breast cancer screening rates, health equity, patient care and research in the Kansas City region. For years, Alison and her fundraising team, Alison’s Allies, raised money on behalf of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a breast cancer nonprofit organization. Even after the Komen Kansas City office closed in 2021, Alison remained committed.

“I talked with various people to learn how I could continue my fundraising,” Alison says, “I reached out to leaders at The University of Kansas Cancer Center to explore the possibility of working with a local entity, and a great partnership was formed!”

A Fundraising Force

In 2021, her first year of fundraising with the cancer center, Alison’s Allies raised $15,000. As a member of the Breast Cancer Health Equity Task Force, which is led by the cancer center and the Masonic Cancer Alliance, Alison chose to support breast cancer screening initiatives. The primary goal is to increase breast cancer screening rates among marginalized women by hosting screening and educational events across the city and funding mammograms for women in need. 

The next year, cancer center leaders suggested supporting a basic science project. Basic research is the foundation for advances in the clinic. Initial funding helps new ideas get off the ground, allowing researchers to gather preliminary data to apply for long-term funding.

Alison selected a proposal from researcher Dr. Joan Lewis-Wambi, an associate professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Lewis-Wambi has studied breast cancer for 15 years, including a focus on triple-negative breast cancer, a notably aggressive and invasive subtype. Alison was struck by the statistics surrounding this disease: Black women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer compared to white women, and they are 28% more likely to die from the disease.

Triple-negative breast cancer does not have any of the three common receptors: estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). These receptors are proteins that help the cancer cells grow and spread. Breast cancers that have these receptors can be treated with hormone therapy or drugs that target HER2. However, triple-negative breast cancer does not respond to these treatments, so chemotherapy is usually the main option.

Dr. Lewis-Wambi has identified an overexpressed gene in tumor samples from Black women diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. With funding from Alison’s Allies, Dr. Lewis-Wambi can look at more tumor samples. It is possible the gene contributes to the aggressiveness of the disease and could be a target of future therapies.

“The statistics around triple-negative breast cancer and Black women are unacceptable,” Dr. Lewis-Wambi says. “The way I can help is by conducting research that helps us better understand the disease and ultimately improves survival. Thanks to supporters like Alison, we are making progress one step at a time.”

More Than Research

Since partnering, Alison has visited Dr. Lewis-Wambi’s lab and met several of her team members, including high school summer interns. Working with an individual who has experienced cancer gives a purpose to their work. It’s why Dr. Lewis-Wambi joins Alison’s fundraiser walk every year.

“Sometimes you get lost in the lab doing your experiments, but talking to Alison and her allies reenergizes me,” Dr. Lewis-Wambi says. 

Become an Ally

Join the fight against breast cancer by giving at KUEndowment.org/AlisonsAllies.