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Dr. Judith Salerno, a geriatrician, is replacing Nancy Brinker, the cancer philanthropy's founder and longtime chief executive. The change comes more than a year and a half after a decision to halt grants to Planned Parenthood plunged the group into controversy.

The Komen foundation has attributed the drop in walk participation, in part, to a crummy economy. But it's clear the organization underestimated the reaction to its short-lived decision in early 2012 to discontinue funding for breast cancer screening by Planned Parenthood.

A flurry of donations to Planned Parenthood during a dispute with Susan G. Komen Foundation is fueling an expansion of breast cancer services. Planned Parenthood is stepping up education about breast health. The funds will help fund mammograms and other tests, as well as the distribution of a tool to help doctors and nurses assess cancer risk.

Participation is down in races to raise money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity. Some Komen supporters remain skeptical about the group, even though a decision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood was reversed quickly.

At least five top officials quit the Dallas-based organization after it took a decision — since reversed — to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood. And there have been calls for the group's founder and chief executive to resign.

The number of deaths from breast cancer has gone down, but the rate of new cases remains about the same. One family has had three generations of women survive the disease. A two-time survivor in that family sometimes hears, "There's so much money that's given all the time, why can't they find a cure?"

Since the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walks began nine years ago, participants have raised more than $600 million nationwide for breast cancer research. Now, in the wake of a controversy over Komen's grants to Planned Parenthood, some participants are worried it might be harder to get donations this year.

Corporations that have been big donors to Susan G. Komen are receiving lots of complaints from abortion-rights supporters. The flap demonstrates the dangers of associating your company with another organization you can't control.

Two anti-abortion groups say funding irregularities have been found in various state and federal audits of Planned Parenthood. The groups urged Congress to continue an investigation of Planned Parenthood.

Despite raising millions of dollars for breast cancer research, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation hasn't funded any work involving human embryonic stem cells. Other big disease charities have also shied away from funding such science.