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If you’ve noticed that your pharmacy has given you a different brand of letrozole this month there’s no need to worry. The company that usually supplies the Letrole brand of this medicine has a temporary supply issue. They have sourced a different brand, Accord Letrozole, that will be used until their own product is available again. The replacement brand contains the same active ingredient (letrozole) in the same quantity as Letrole so should have exactly the same properties as Letrole. The usual brand is expected to reach NZ by mid- to late April, although pharmacies may continue to dispense the other brand until it has all been dispensed.
A cancer diagnosis can feel like the world has suddenly shifted beneath you, bringing uncertainty, fear, and overwhelming emotions. BCAC member Jan Haworth, who runs Mindfulness Aotearoa, recently shared how Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) helped her navigate her breast cancer journey—offering a way to face uncertainty, reduce anxiety, and reconnect with joy, even amid treatment. With growing evidence supporting its benefits, mindfulness is a powerful tool for anyone experiencing the challenges of cancer. Learn more about how it can help you or someone you love. You can read Jan's article here.
BCAC urges you to sign this petition, lodged by Catherine Cooke, asking the government to fund Keytruda for early stage triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). We applied to Pharmac for funding of Keytruda for early and advanced TNBC in November 2022. In October 2024 Pharmac approved funding of this medicine for advanced TNBC, but not for early stage TNBC, even though this was recommended by their own clinical advisory committee in 2023.
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ and Sweet Louise have just launched their Breast Cancer Journey Mapping Project. The aim is to better understand the experiences of New Zealand women who have faced breast cancer and to use the insights gained to ensure that all women have a better experience. Breast Cancer Foundation and Sweet Louise are inviting people over 25 years old, diagnosed with Stage 2, 3 or 4 breast cancer between 2020 and 2024, and living in Northland, Auckland or Christchurch to take part in small group workshops to share their experiences in a supportive and inclusive environment. They hope that the knowledge gained will help to improve care, support, and outcomes for others.
Could you spare about 2hrs helping us understand Cancer Related Cognitive Impairment or ‘Brain Fog’?
WHY: To see if the brain changes in those who have cancer or get treatment.
WHO: Women who have just received a breast cancer diagnosis AND women who are healthy and want to help.
WHAT is involved: Having two brain scans in a MRI scanner and completing three questionnaires. The scans will be at different times (for patients one before your surgery and one after your first chemotherapy).
HOW LONG: Each visit to the MRI scanner will last up to 1.5 hours. 50mins of this will be the brain scan.
WHERE: The University of Auckland Centre for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CAMRI) 85 Park Road, Grafton, Auckland (parking arranged).
Pharmac’s announcement that they will fund the breakthrough medicine Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan, T-DXd) from 1st January 2025 for advanced HER2 positive breast cancer (HER2+ ABC) is fantastic news.
Libby Burgess, chair of BCAC, says: “We’re delighted to see this vital medicine funded given the outstanding results from clinical trials showing that Enhertu keeps the cancer stable for four times as long as the previous best treatment and increases length of life. We’re very pleased that Pharmac has listened to our feedback on its consultation and extended funding to include those whose cancer has already advanced on Kadcyla and to allow those who have unmanageable side effects with Enhertu to be treated with Kadcyla. The decision to fund will enable women and their families to…
Chair Libby Burgess and Secretary Fay Sowerby recently delivered BCAC’s 2024 Ministerial Briefing to Hon. Dr Shane Reti, Minister of Health. The briefing identifies priority areas for action to improve breast cancer outcomes. (You can read the full briefing by clicking here). Libby and Fay also met with Hon. Dr Ayesha Verrall (Labour) and MP Todd Stephenson (ACT) to discuss the briefing in detail, and it was copied to politicians with an interest in health and technology from all parties.
Over the last 25 years, BreastScreen Aotearoa (BSA) has provided more than 5 million free screening mammograms to New Zealand women. BCAC is pleased to see BSA celebrating this milestone and we encourage all eligible women to take advantage of the national screening programme. All women aged between 45 and 69 are entitled to a free mammogram every two years. Click here to learn more about the programme and to enrol, or phone 0800 270 200. Regular breast screening with a mammogram saves lives by finding breast cancer early, when treatment is more likely to cure the cancer.
International Metastatic (Advanced) Breast Cancer Day was celebrated in style with the Auckland Harbour Bridge bathed in blue, green and pink lights. Sweet Louise, a charity dedicated to supporting New Zealanders with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), hosted an event at the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron, the perfect venue to enjoy the lights on the bridge. The day is marked around the world with iconic monuments and buildings lit in the MBC colours of green for hope and renewal, blue for healing and spirituality and pink, the traditional breast cancer colour, #LightUpMBC.
If you have had axillary (armpit) lymph nodes removed during breast surgery, you may have been told that you should avoid any medical procedures involving needles on the affected arm. This traditional advice was based on the idea that using needles on this arm might increase the risk of lymphoedema. However, the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists have recently changed that recommendation, saying that clinical evidence shows that this is not the case and that the arm of the affected side can usually be safely used for medical procedures. In fact, they say, using the arm on the affected side can be better for patient safety and comfort.
