Good news for New Zealanders with advanced hormone receptor positive HER2 negative breast cancer. From 1st July 2024 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. Read more here.

Breast Cancer Research Nurse Jenni Scarlet was keen to share this news from member group Breast Cancer Research Trust with us, as she finds some patients haven’t heard about clinical trials and how important they are.

Clinical trials are essential for finding out if new treatments are more effective than those currently accepted as standard of care. All the major milestones in controlling breast cancer worldwide have been discovered through clinical trials.

People take part in trials for a number of reasons. They may receive a new treatment before it is widely available to other breast cancer patients. Evidence shows people can also have better outcomes because they have been involved in a trial, even if they have received standard treatment. Read more here.

BCAC was thrilled to learn that our Committee Member Maria Marama has been awarded a Masters Scholarship from the Māori Cancer Researcher Awards scheme. Maria’s project will explore the integration of traditional and complementary approaches to cancer care within conventional breast cancer treatment for wāhine Māori, using a Kaupapa Māori research approach. ‘We are so pleased that Maria has won this award’ says BCAC Chair Libby Burgess. ‘Māori women are more likely to get breast cancer and have poorer survival rates than non-Māori. Any research that can find ways to help Māori wāhine to get the care they need is incredibly important.’ Read more here.

This book 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. Read more here.

National cancer support service Look Good Feel Better continues to evolve its free programme to offer a diverse range of wellbeing sessions including both in-community and online classes, expert Q&As and podcasts. Navigating cancer can be as daunting emotionally and mentally as it is to physically deal with prognosis and treatment, so the programme is aimed at boosting confidence and provides an opportunity to connect with others who truly understand what you are going through. Read more here.

If you’ve had breast surgery in NZ, this 5-minute online survey investigating patient and clinician perspectives on lymphoedema is for you. Tauranga Breast Surgeon Nicola Davis is conducting the survey as part of her Masters in Advanced Surgery (Breast Surgery) research at Sydney University.

If you’ve had breast surgery, please take 5 minutes to share your perspectives. You don't need to have had lymphoedema. All answers are anonymous.

Link to survey: click here. 

We asked Metavivor Tania Honey to describe this online peer support group for people with advanced breast cancer.

Here’s her take:
1. We all have a Stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis and I believe live or have lived in NZ at some point
2. It's a private page. Not any Tom, Dick or Mary can join. It gives you an extra feeling of safety that only other Metavivors are on this site.
3. I've never been told this but have always assumed that the word Metavivors came from Meta = metastatic and Vivor from the word Survivors. A damn good summation of who we are. Some may say 'but many of you don't survive.' However, this group has the potential to enrich the quality of the surviving time and some studies say lengthen it. I for one, am an avid believer in the 'some studies'........

Read more about this amazing group here.

Calling all keen cyclists and their friends – the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition has been added to the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge 2024! On 30 November 2024, there’ll be events to suit everyone from hard-core cyclists to family groups – on road bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes. For added motivation, and to help kiwi women with breast cancer, anyone who enters can easily set up a fundraiser for BCAC, so that all their supporters and friends can sponsor them to ride. Read more here.