Dallas-based Susan G. Komen has launched the ShareForCures Alliance, a groundbreaking initiative it says is designed to transform the future of breast cancer research.

The new alliance will support Komen’s ShareForCures, a cloud-based research registry empowering those diagnosed with breast cancer to share their unique health data through the secure platform, unlocking key insights that drive meaningful progress against the disease.

Video still: Susan G. Komen

The goal of the SFC Alliance is to enhance SFC enrollment by informing communities about the critical importance of sharing health data through the research registry and empowering them to participate.

Ultimately, Komen said, this will accelerate research progress and improve outcomes for everyone affected by the disease.

Komen leader was the first to share her data

Paula Schneider

“The strength of ShareForCures is rooted in the incredible power of women—together, they are propelling the search for the cures for breast cancer,” Paula Schneider, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen and a breast cancer survivor, said in a statement. “As the first to share my data, I encourage every woman to step forward, raise their hand, and join this essential movement toward finding the cures.”

Breast cancer affects each person differently and is shaped by biology, lived experiences, and demographic factors such as race and ethnicity, Komen said.

Today, however, breast cancer research is primarily informed by a small and non-representative group of patients, which slows innovation for all communities, Komen noted.

Only about 5% of adults with cancer participate in clinical trials, and fewer than 10% of those participants represent people who are historically marginalized—many of whom experience higher breast cancer mortality rates, Komen said.

Black women in the United States, for example, are 38% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at younger ages with aggressive forms of the disease.

Also, while men account for less than 1% of all breast cancer diagnoses, Black men in the U.S. have the highest breast cancer incidence and mortality compared to other racial and ethnic groups and have lower representation in breast cancer data. In one famous example, actor Richard Roundtree—who gained fame as the detective in Hollywood’s “Shaft” movies—spoke to People magazine about his own battle with the disease.

Video still: Susan G. Komen

“We need better, more inclusive research to improve outcomes for all communities,” Schneider said. “The more we know, the faster we can end breast cancer.”

The following nonprofit organizations are among the SFC Alliance members:

• FORCE-Facing Heredity Cancer Empowered
• For the Breast of Us
• Nueva Vida
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer
• Patient Advocate Foundation
• Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance
• Young Survival Coalition

Komen said that each group brings invaluable expertise and reach within their respective diverse communities, collectively reinforcing a shared commitment to finding cures.

Susan G. Komen is the world’s leading nonprofit breast cancer organization. It has a comprehensive, 360-degree approach to fighting the disease across all fronts and supporting millions of people in the U.S. and in countries across the globe.

David Seeley contributed to this report.

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