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Dear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, and Associate Minister of Health (Pharmac) David Seymour.
In August last year a promise was made to fund 13 new cancer medicines via a $280 million ring-fenced fund to Pharmac. According to the National election manifesto, that fund was to start on July 1 this year by reinstating the $5 prescription fee. As you stated Prime Minister, those 13 medicines are "for lung, bowel, kidney, melanoma, and head and neck cancers that provide significant clinical benefits and are funded in Australia but not in New Zealand. Under National, New Zealanders will not have to leave the country, mortgage their home, or start a Givealittle page to fund potentially lifesaving and life-extending treatments that are proven…
Have you undergone chemotherapy for cancer for the first time in the last twelve months? Researchers from The University of Sydney are interested in your experience. Participants over 18 are wanted to complete a 20-25 minute online survey.
The researchers are investigating how the different sources of information people encounter before undergoing chemotherapy can influence expectation and subsequent experience of side-effects arising from chemotherapy. During this study you will be asked about the sources of information you used to understand your treatment (e.g., doctors, family, social media) as well as what side-effects you expected and experienced as a result of chemotherapy.
Breast cancer organisations turned out in force at Valuing Life, a Parliamentary Medicines Access Summit. We all did our best to make the case for broader, faster access to modern medicines to improve the lives of breast cancer patients.
Good news for New Zealanders with advanced hormone receptor positive HER2 negative breast cancer. From 1st July Pharmac will fund Kisqali (ribociclib) for those who haven’t previously had funded access to Ibrance (palbociclib). BCAC asked Novartis to provide Kisqali free to patients until Pharmac funding kicks in and they agreed. So, if you’re starting or continuing on Kisqali you won’t have to pay medicine costs from now onwards. You’ll need to visit a private oncology clinic and pay their fees until July, but after that you can choose to have Kisqali administered for free in a public cancer treatment centre.
Congratulations to BCAC Committee member Maria Marama, who has just received a Masters Scholarship from the Māori Cancer Researcher Awards scheme run by the Cancer Society (Te Kāhui Matepukupuku o Aotearoa) and Hei Āhuru Mōwai (Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa).
Maria (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi) will explore the integration of traditional and complementary approaches to cancer care within conventional breast cancer treatment for wāhine Māori. She will use a Kaupapa Māori research approach to identify potential benefits and challenges for wāhine Māori. Maria’s research will be informed by her lived experience as a breast cancer patient and her passion for advocating for better outcomes for Māori across the healthcare system.
It's Not (Just) About the Breast: The Cancer Road Less Walked A Young Woman's Cancer Story tells the story of Aussie physio Petrina Burnett’s diagnosis with triple negative, BRCA-mutated breast cancer at age 31. It’s a refreshing and much-needed account of what it’s like to face breast cancer as a young woman and to grapple with a genetic disease. Petrina’s deep personal insights and her expertise as a health care provider mean her perspective is rare and valuable. She covers not only her personal treatment journey but also wider issues unique to younger women with breast cancer.
BCAC Chair Libby Burgess reflected on this question after attending the premier international breast cancer research conference, SABCS 2023, in San Antonio Texas last month. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype lacking HER2 or hormone receptors. It is the most challenging type of breast cancer to treat, particularly at the advanced stage. However, research over the last 20 years has broadened treatment options and improved patient outcomes.
At SABCS, Libby was able to gain an in-depth understanding of current treatments offered overseas and the scientific evidence backing them, as well as learning about where the research is heading next. Libby noted with dismay how far New Zealand has fallen behind the rest of the developed world in treating both the…
BCAC is delighted to see the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) recommend mandating of breast density reporting in both breast screening and diagnosis. The updated position statement notes that those with extremely high mammographic breast density (MBD) are at a 2.1-fold increased risk of breast cancer, and this is associated with higher rates of breast cancer death.
BCAC’s Louise Malone was among 10,000 attendees at this premier international breast cancer research conference held in Texas, 3-8 December. She shares some of the key themes she observed among the many workshops, posters and sessions.
“De-escalation” of therapies
Doing less, while still achieving good results, continues to be the driver behind much of the research in surgery and radiation therapy, with less invasive and time-consuming procedures being investigated. This trend is less evident in medical oncology, although there is a growing awareness that, with success in extending the lives of patients with breast cancer there is also now a need to reduce the toxicity of long-term side effects of treatments that can severely affect quality of life.
Treatment holidays, where therapy is temporarily stopped, are something that those living with advanced breast cancer sometimes have to contemplate. Perhaps there is an important occasion coming up – a wedding or other family celebration, or an overseas trip – where the side effects of the treatment would interfere with enjoyment of the occasion. In discussing this with their oncologist, it’s important to take into account the current evidence – for or against – taking treatment holidays.
Here's BCAC’s report of a talk on this topic at the recent ABC7 international advanced breast cancer conference: