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In recent years a number of innovative new medicines have become available for the treatment of early and advanced breast cancer. However, many of these medicines are not funded in New Zealand. Some are available privately if a patient is able to pay for them and many are available and publicly funded in Australia.
All these drugs offer potential advantages in quality and length of life for New Zealanders with breast cancer and would give oncologists additional options for optimising treatment of the different sub-types of breast cancer.
We also list some new medicines that are still being investigated in breast cancer clinical trials for effectiveness and safety.
Thank you for signing this letter to the Minister of Health asking him to give New Zealanders better access to medicines.
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To see how important better access to medicines is, please watch the video below featuring New Zealanders with secondary breast cancer who desperately need new medicines now.
Storage King NZ is turning pink again this breast cancer month to help support the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) and the thousands of New Zealanders diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Now in its fourth year Storage King NZ’s October campaign will see $1 from very tea chest sold during the month donated to BCAC.
“Our previous October campaigns have raised more than $10,000 for BCAC and we are proud to be doing more again this year to add to that significant donation, says Storage King spokesperson, Tony Walker.
Mr Walker continues, “Our staff across the country are looking forward to transforming their stores for the month with a sea of pink, balloons and enthusiasm for this worthy cause.”
There are a number of organisations which provide specific support and assistance for women with advanced breast cancer. These include:
Advanced breast cancer is a difficult diagnosis to deal with.
It can also be very difficult for partners, family members and friends to deal with and some may find the diagnosis harder to accept than the person with the disease.
Family members and friends may find they are unable to cope with the emotions a diagnosis of secondary breast cancer brings and they may withdraw or they may not know what to say.
Many women say the diagnosis of advanced breast cancer is often harder to deal with than the initial diagnosis.
You may experience fear, anguish, sadness, anxiety, or a sense of detachment. These are all normal and it is best to just "go with them" rather than to push them away or to deny them.
Many people advocate being positive and this is a good thing to do, but it is not always possible. If you are feeling sad, down or angry then feel these emotions, don't berate yourself for not being positive. It's hard to be positive when you have such a tough diagnosis to deal with. But if you can try to find the positive in life, the joy, the happiness ... then do so.
There are many different treatment programmes for women with advanced breast cancer. The kind of treatment you undergo will depend on the nature of the disease, but is likely to include at least one of the following:
POSNOC - POsitive Sentinel NOde: adjuvant therapy alone versus adjuvant therapy plus Clearance or axillary radiotherapy.
A randomised controlled trial of axillary treatment in women with early stage breast cancer who have metastases in one or two sentinel nodes.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) is excited to partner with the Karen Louisa Foundation to better support New Zealanders with secondary breast cancer.
The Karen Louisa Foundation will donate $20,000 to BCAC over the next year as the organisation launches a special focus on women with secondary breast cancer.
BCAC chairperson, Libby Burgess, says the aim is to better support the hundreds of New Zealanders currently living with secondary breast cancer.
“A diagnosis of secondary breast cancer is a real body blow that leaves women reeling and stressed. We’re looking to provide peer support and knowledge to those who are newly diagnosed so that they can seek out good quality information and support as and when they need it,” Ms Burgess says.
A recent US study has highlighted the benefits of mindfulness and meditation for women diagnosed with breast cancer.
The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, examined a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Breast Cancer programme using a randomised clinical trial in more than 300 women who had received recent treatment for breast cancer.
The researchers measured a number of physical and emotional health factors at the beginning of the study, such as depression, anxiety, stress and fear of recurrence.
They then split the women into two groups: one received usual care and the other group attended the six-week mindfulness programme.
