More than 250 members of the Chinese community in the Los Angeles area learned about treatment and risk reduction at City of Hope’s first Chinese breast cancer survivors conference on Oct. 27.

Organized by the Herald Cancer Association and City of Hope’s Center for Community Alliance for Research and Education, or CCARE, the Chinese Breast Cancer Patients and Caregivers “HOPE” Conference brought together Chinese-speaking health-care specialists at Cooper Auditorium for a day-long summit on breast cancer.

Nutrition expert Jee-In Mao, Ph.D., R.D., for example, told attendees about the American Cancer Society’s latest recommendations on diet and exercise, reviewing findings on consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, risks from transfats and the effects of natural estrogens from soy.

Soon after, Chinese breast cancer survivor Ping Liu talked about her own breast cancer experience and raffled several copies of her book to audience members.

City of Hope’s own Yun Yen, M.D., Ph.D., co-leader of the Developmental Cancer Therapeutics program, also discussed new directions in therapies.

Lucy Young was a key organizer of the conference through the Herald Cancer Association, a nonprofit faith-based group that provides support and care for cancer patients and their families. A breast cancer survivor herself, Young is well-known in cancer advocacy and the Chinese community; in the 1980s, she and several other volunteers formed the Chinese American Cancer Association, a group later inducted into the American Cancer Society as its first Chinese unit.

“We’re excited to be able to put on this event together with City of Hope,” Young said.

Young has long collaborated with Kimlin Tam Ashing-Giwa, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Population Sciences and founding director of CCARE. Ashing-Giwa helped Young and the Herald Cancer Association obtain a community education grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure to organize the Chinese Breast Cancer Conference. City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center funds also supported the HOPE Conference.

“This is so successful, we’re hoping to make it a biennial event,” Ashing-Giwa said. Ashing-Giwa and her colleagues are now planning a series of breast cancer survivorship conferences that stress community participation and encompass Latinos and African-Americans, as well as a multi-ethnic conference.