BCAC is pushing for a special silicon dressing that helps to reduce skin damage during radiation therapy to be used nationwide.
The silicon film, called Mepitel film, is placed over the area to be irradiated and can reduce skin reactions to radiation therapy by more than 90 per cent, according to a study carried out by Otago University.
Plans are afoot to set up a nationwide service for New Zealand women who are at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
The proposal has been put forward by Dunedin consultant, Dr Simone Petrich, who works as a breast surgeon and obstetrician and gynaecologist.
Check out all the recent news from the Rotorua Breast Cancer Trust in their latest newsletter.
27 June 2019
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) is calling for urgent action following three recent studies which highlight inequalities in access to screening and treatment for Māori women with breast cancer.
The three studies, all published this year, show that Māori women have higher rates of advanced cancer; experience longer delays in getting surgical treatment; and have lower rates of breast cancer screening.
The first-ever New Zealand forum dedicated to expanding knowledge about advanced breast cancer takes place in Auckland this week.
The Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC) Forum aims to provide “knowledge, support and empowerment” to those who have been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, also known as secondary or metastatic breast cancer.
A Waikato study has found that Māori women wait longer for breast cancer surgery than New Zealand European women.
The longer delays for treatment are thought to be a significant contributing factor in the lower survival rates for Māori women compared with non-Māori in New Zealand.
Storage King NZ is turning pink this month to help support the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) and the thousands of New Zealand women diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Throughout October, Storage King NZ will donate $1 to BCAC from every tea chest sold and will transform its stores in a swathe of pink to promote Breast Cancer Action month.
BCAC is speaking out in support of the thousands of New Zealanders with metastatic breast cancer today: Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
Secondary breast cancer is cancer that has spread from the breast to other parts of the body, such as the bones, brain or liver. It is incurable.
BCAC chairperson, Libby Burgess, says thousands of women in New Zealand are living with secondary breast cancer and they deserve special recognition and support.
The Pinc & Steel Cancer Rehabilitation Trust is delighted to be launching their PaddleOn Programme this summer in Auckland, Rotorua, Napier, Taupo and Orewa following the resounding success of the pilot programme.
A recent study has found concerns about fertility stop one third of young women with breast cancer from taking tamoxifen despite its known benefit in reducing the risk of breast cancer returning.
The study, which was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute also found one quarter of women who started taking tamoxifen stopped taking it before the recommended treatment period ended.
