A $12,000 grant from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Charleston, S.C. Race for the Cure Community Awards Grant Program will help fund a multidiciplinary clinic in Hollings Cancer Center for the prevention and treatment of lymphedema. Gayle Bush, R.N., and Beth Cooper, R.N., submitted the grant proposal.

A cancer-related disorder, lymphedema affects many who survive breast cancer and other cancers involving lymph node dissections, or patients who have had radiation treatments following surgery. It occurs when an accumulation of lymphatic fluid causes swelling, most often in the arms or legs. Lymphedema is not curable, but its symptoms and complications are manageable through specialized lymphedema clinics.

The Hollings Cancer Center lymphedema clinic will be the only one of its kind in the Lowcountry. In addition to treating lymphedema patients, clinic organizers plan to conduct workshops for the public and health care providers and distribute material to educate and raise awareness of lymphedema. The Komen Foundation is a national organization working through local chapters and Race for the Cure events in 86 cities fighting to eradicate breast cancer as a life threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment. Each year, 75 percent of proceeds from the Charleston race are allocated to organizations in the lower half of South Carolina. The remaining 25 percent helps fund the Komen Foundation's National Grant Program.

A total of $107,947 was awarded through the Community Awards Grant Program to qualified applicants and institutions promoting early detection and treatment of breast cancer through education and survivor support and outreach, particularly to the medically underserved populations of South Carolina.

For more information on the Charleston, S.C. Race for the Cure, call (843)792-9186, or check out the Charleston, S.C. Race for the Cure web site at <http://hcc.musc.edu/race4cure>.