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Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition media release, 7 September 2018
New Zealand needs to stop treating people with advanced breast cancer as second class citizens, Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) says.
The coalition of more than 30 breast cancer-related group says a report out today by the Breast Cancer Foundation of New Zealand (BCFNZ) reveals the shockingly high mortality rates for New Zealand women compared to other comparable countries.
The Government must increase funding for medicines desperately needed by people with breast cancer and other cancers, Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) says.
“Women with breast cancer are going overseas, selling the family home and going into significant debt to get access to the medicines they need. A lot of women don’t have that option. This means if you have money or the ability to fundraise, you have a longer healthier life. That is a terrible inequity in our society today,” BCAC Chair Libby Burgess says.
Women with breast cancer of all types are denied access to medicines that are well proven in saving lives and giving women better quality of life to spend time with their families, do their jobs and engage with communities.
Watch this powerful video of people with breast cancer explaining why they desperately need access to medicines that are currently unfunded in NZ - to stay alive and get more time with their families: Click here to watch: What price do you put on life?
Please write to the Minister of Health and the Prime Minister asking them to fund the medicines New Zealanders desperately need- email: d.clark@ministers.govt.nz and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern - email: j.ardern@ministers.govt.nz
A wealth of knowledge has been brought back to New Zealand by two Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition representatives following the Breast Cancer Trials Australia New Zealand annual scientific meeting in Australia.
Committee members Louise Malone and Fay Sowerby attended to gather the latest intelligence to contribute to BCAC’s work supporting, informing and representing women with breast cancer.
Louise says it was impressive to see the huge amount of research underway and the big advances in understanding of breast cancer.
A key out-take from the meeting is the growing awareness of the complexity of breast cancer and how to best manage the different types of cancer.
Recent international developments in breast cancer medicine approvals emphasise the need for a much broader range of medicines in New Zealand. Availability, combined with funding, would enable oncologists to choose the best medicines and combinations for individual patients, Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) says.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of ribociclib (Kisqali - Novartis) in combination with an aromatase inhibitor for premenopausal and perimenopausal women with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as initial endocrine-based therapy.
Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition and Breast Cancer Foundation NZ have made a strongly worded and evidence-based joint submission to PHARMAC requesting that funding for Perjeta (pertuzumab) be extended to all people with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer.
The submission was made to the Cancer Treatment Sub-committee (known as CaTSoP). At its September meeting, CaTSoP will consider applications for funding for the following breast cancer medicines – Perjeta, Kadcyla, Ibrance, Abraxane, Faslodex.
Attached is the joint submission sent to CaTSoP and the poster referred to in the letter.
24 July 2018
Representatives of Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) went to Wellington recently to meet with Government and National MPs who have health responsibilities to discuss some of the key issues affecting those with breast cancer.
The two key issues highlighted by BCAC in the talks were the need to improve access to medicines; and the need to address inequities for Māori and Pasifika women in breast cancer screening and treatment.
The meetings were with the Associate Minister of Health Hon. Julie Anne Genter, Labour’s Health and Wellbeing Caucus member Hon. Louisa Wall and National’s Health spokesperson Hon. Michael Woodhouse.
This is a randomized, open label, Phase III Trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Palbociclib + Anti-HER2 Therapy + Endocrine Therapy vs. Anti-HER2 Therapy + Endocrine Therapy after induction treatment for Hormone Receptor Positive (HR+)/HER2-Positive metastatic breast cancer.
Summary
This study is open to people diagnosed with hormone receptor (HR) positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER-2) positive metastatic breast cancer. Despite significant improvements in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer, approximately 30% of women experience metastatic disease relapse. Development of therapies targeting the HER2 receptor has dramatically improved patient outcomes.
Important research released 21 June shows huge disparities in breast cancer screening, treatment and outcomes for Māori and Pasifika women in New Zealand.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) says this is unacceptable and is calling for significant immediate steps to be taken to improve this situation.
The research, How to Improve Outcomes for Women with Breast Cancer in New Zealand, was funded by the Health Research Council through the University of Waikato with assistance from Waikato District Health Board. It was led by Professor Ross Lawrenson.
BCAC is thrilled a clinical trial involving American engineer Judy Perkins has led to her being declared free of breast cancer with what specialists are calling an extended remission. This wonderful news has come two years after she was told she had only three months to live.
The trial of the experimental therapy was carried out by the US National Cancer Institute. BCAC are aware there is still much to learn before scientists can turn this experimental therapy into a treatment.
This work is complex but it is wonderful that it has been perfected for this one breast cancer patient, and there is hope that ongoing research will see it eventually being extended to others - potentially those whose tumours appear packed with immune cells.
