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MedUni Vienna's 12th Cancer Research Run:

Around 3,000 participants and more than 100 corporate teams supported cancer research
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Christian Engelhardt, Natascha Marakovits, Ursula Hofstötter und Jacqueline Fausik.

(Vienna, 06 October 2018) Today, Saturday, in splendid autumn weather and temperatures of around 20°C, approximately 3,000 participants and more than 100 corporate teams took part in MedUni Vienna's Cancer Research Run, supporting important and innovative cancer research projects with every step they ran. Every euro that is donated or raised by the run goes directly to cancer research. Since 2007 this support has financed a total of 42 research projects at the Medical University of Vienna. 

Many of the people who take part have a personal reason for doing so: "My maxim for the Cancer Research Run is 'Your donation lives!:", says Ursula Hofstötter, who ran 12 laps of the running circuit on the Old General Hospital university campus (1 lap = 1 mile). "Just before my 40th birthday in 2010 I developed breast cancer. Chemo, radiotherapy, the works. After a gene test I now know that I am one in 700 women with a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. And only intensive research work can help to beat cancer." Christian Engelhardt himself works in cancer research: "In the spring we lost a young colleague to lung cancer.  I am doing this in her memory and for everybody else who is still fighting this difficult battle." Engelhardt completed 10 laps on Saturday.

And Jacqueline Fausik also ran 6 laps: "I beat cancer three years ago and my husband was a huge support to me during that time. Afterwards I took up running and we now do this run together every year." And Natascha Marakovits completed eight laps, therefore running 12 kilometres. "Cancer is like a tick that has implanted itself in my family and sucked all the joy out of life. Running makes me strong so that I have strength for others," she explains.

About cancer in Austria
Every year, cancer is responsible for around 25% of all deaths in Austria. Around 40,000 new cases are diagnosed per year. The commonest cancers in women are breast cancer (29%), lung and bowel cancer (10% each). For men it is prostate cancer (23%), followed by lung cancer (14%) and then bowel cancer (12%).

There has been a significant increase in relative 5-year survival over the last few decades and it now stands at 61%. And although the number of new cases is increasing, cancer mortality is dropping – due to intensive research activity. The results of basic research improve diagnostic techniques and therapeutic methods, giving rise to new treatment concepts. All of this is made possible by fundraising activities, such as the Cancer Research Run. The eleven previous runs raised €900,000. The total raised by this year's Cancer Research Run will be announced in January 2019.

For further information:
www.meduniwien.ac.at/krebsforschungslauf and www.facebook.at/krebsforschungslauf.