Latest News
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.
If you’ve just been diagnosed in the Counties Manukau area and are about to have breast cancer surgery at Middlemore Hospital, you might be interested in participating in the LOLIPOP clinical trial. The aim is to see if an extra treatment with a local anaesthetic during and just after surgery can help prevent or reduce ongoing chronic pain that some women experience after surgery. Talk to your surgeon about this and read more about it here https://www.breastcancer.org.nz/.../lolipop-trial-recruiting
Pharmac’s recently released summary of an independent external review of their workplace culture concludes that their current operating model is “not fit for purpose” and recommends a reset of vision, strategy and operating model. The report notes that New Zealand is ranked 32nd out of 32 OECD countries for access to modern medicines and calls for a significant programme of change in Pharmac that will require “inspiration, tenacity and commitment from leadership”.
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.
