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CDK4/6 inhibitors, palbociclib, ribociclib and abemaciclib, are important medicines for treating hormone receptor (HR) positive breast cancer, especially after tumours have become resistant to endocrine therapy (tamoxifen and/or aromatase inhibitors). (Read more about endocrine therapy here.)
At Breast Cancer Trials’ recent conference in Hobart Dr Shom Goel explained how they work and reported on progress in research and development of other medicines with similar modes of action.
Australian doctors Belinda Yeo and Virginia Baird gave a very enlightening and frank presentation on sexual health at Breast Cancer Trials’ recent conference in Hobart, with some excellent advice not only for women experiencing breast cancer but also their doctors.
Sexual health has a much broader definition than most of us might think. WHO defines it as “A state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possiblity of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.”
The fear of recurrence is something that most people who have been treated for cancer experience, but it is often the ‘elephant in the room’ when patients meet with their doctors. Doctors don’t want to upset their patients by bringing it up and patients don’t want to look ungrateful for the treatment they’ve had (or they don’t have time to bring it up when they have other questions to get through at an appointment).
Associate Professor Ben Smith of the University of Sydney’s Daffodil Centre spoke about evidence-based management of fear of recurrence to doctors, researchers and patient advocates at Breast Cancer Trials’ recent conference in Hobart.
About 60% of people who have had cancer treatment experience frequent, insistent and intrusive thoughts of recurrence.
The stress of a being cancer patient is something most people can understand and many of our readers will be only too familiar with this. (For some tips on coping with stress, read more here.)
However, we seldom hear about the stress experienced by the medical professionals who treat cancer. Professor Dame Lesley Fallowfield from the University of Sussex UK spoke on the topic of burn-out and self-care to a large audience of oncologists and other cancer health care professionals at Breast Cancer Trials’ recent conference in Hobart.
CDK4/6 inhibitors, such as palbociclib (brand name Ibrance®), ribociclib (brand name Kisqali®) and abemaciclib (brand name Verzenio®) are important medicines for treating advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer, but they can have significant side effects that impact on your quality of life. Neutropenia (low white blood cell count), nausea and diarrhoea are common side effects which are usually managed by adjusting doses and using anti-nausea and anti-diarrhoea medicines.
At the recent Breast Cancer Trials Annual Scientific Meeting in Hobart, Australian oncologist Professor Fran Boyle spoke about managing these side effects, particularly diarrhoea. She said that she has found that it’s OK to reduce the dose of CDK4/6 inhibitor if diarrhoea is problematic.
Nearly 75% of breast cancers detected in New Zealand women are hormone receptor (HR) positive/HER2 receptor negative. BCAC’s Libby Burgess and Louise Malone, attending Breast Cancer Trials’ recent scientific meeting in Hobart, were pleased to learn that this is an active field of research, with treatment options expanding beyond endocrine therapies like aromatase inhibitors and tamoxifen, and CDK4/6 inhibitors.
In her new role as a member of Pharmac’s Consumer and Patient Working Group (read more here) BCAC Chair Libby Burgess attended today’s presentation by Hon David Seymour of his latest Letter of Expectations from Pharmac, which he said contained “no great change" from last year’s. The Minister acknowledged the progress the Board and staff have made over the last year in working towards his goal of making Pharmac a cutting-edge organisation that promotes additional use of medicines and technologies to improve the health and productivity of New Zealanders.
BCAC Chair Libby Burgess has just been appointed as a member of Pharmac’s new Consumer and Patient Working Group, chaired by Malcolm Mulholland of Patient Voice Aotearoa.
The new group was set up in response to the Consumer Engagement Workshop Report commissioned by Pharmac’s Board late last year. These workshops were “aimed at resetting the organisation’s relationships with patient groups and advocates”. (You can read more about this here.)
BCAC welcomes Te Puna, BreastScreen Aotearoa’s new online breast screening system, which is now live right across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Te Puna replaces an old platform and moves Breastscreen Aotearoa from paper-based to digital assessments. This means improved reliability, functionality and usability. It also means much better tracking of participants, improved data and reporting.
When AUT exercise scientist Dr. Matt Brughelli was diagnosed with breast cancer, twice, his world changed overnight. After years of working with athletes, he suddenly faced major surgery, radiation treatment, and relentless fatigue. “I went from swimming every day to being unable to lift my arm,” he recalls. A mastectomy and axillary lymph node biopsy following his second diagnosis left him with severely restricted shoulder mobility, diminished strength, and constant exhaustion.
