FORCE welcomes the media to visit our website. We encourage comments and feedback. As the only national nonprofit organization focused on the population affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and BRCA carriers, we are committed to working together with the media to assure that the high-risk community and the general population receive up-to-date, credible information, and have access to the latest research and the best care.
FORCE is the only national nonprofit organization devoted to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Our mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Our mission encompasses support, education, advocacy, and promoting awareness and research specific to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Our health care advisory board members have been selected from the specialties that play a role in high-risk patient care. They review our website content and publications for accuracy and relevance to our members.
FORCE reaches about 200,000 individuals each year. Our mailing list includes over 7,000 names of individuals and health care providers. Currently our website receives over 1.5 million hits-per-month and over 60,000 visits per month.
"Cancer pre-vivors®" are individuals who are survivors of a predisposition to cancer but who haven’t had cancer. This group includes people who carry a hereditary mutation, such as BRCA or Lynch Syndrome, or are high-risk due to a family history of cancer. The cancer pre-vivor term evolved from a challenge on the FORCE main message board by Jordan, a website regular, who posted, "I need a label!" As a result, the term cancer pre-vivor was chosen to identify those living with high-risk risk. The term specifically applies to the portion of our community which has its own unique needs and concerns separate from the general population, but different from those already diagnosed with cancer. Pre-vivor is a registered trademark by FORCE.
The medical community uses the term "unaffected carrier" to describe those who have not had cancer but have a BRCA or other cancer-predisposing mutation. The term applies from a medical perspective, but doesn't capture the experience of those who face an increased risk for cancer and the need to make medical management decisions. Although cancer pre-vivors face some of the same fears as cancer survivors, undergoing similar tests and confronting similar medical management issues, they face a unique set of emotional, medical, and privacy concerns.
Contact our PR team to interview pre-vivors through FORCE.
FORCE allows journalists and the media to recruit our members and advisors for interviews and media stories through the FORCE website. We also keep list of FORCE members willing to speak with the media about their experiences with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, hereditary cancer risk, genetic counseling and genetic testing. Please contact us to broadcast opportunities for FORCE members through our message board and email list.
FORCE maintains an archive of our press releases. Check back for new releases, or contact us if you wish to be included on our press release distribution list.
If you are a journalist who has written an article on hereditary cancer or genetic testing and wish to share it with the FORCE community, we accept articles for our newsletter. Articles must be 800 words or less, and must be written for a lay audience. Please contact us to send an article.
FORCE partners with the media to raise awareness of hereditary cancer and educate the public. Partnership opportunities include providing interviews for stories and providing information to the media on hereditary cancer. FORCE is interested in opportunities to advertise our programs and events in publications. If your publication or media company is interested in partnering with FORCE please contact us.