BCAC is thrilled at the results of a New Zealand study that found a special silicone dressing can help to dramatically reduce skin damage during radiation therapy for breast cancer.
The research, carried out by the Department of Radiotherapy at the University of Otago, has found that placing a special silicone film called Mepitel Film over the area to be irradiated can reduce skin reactions to radiation therapy by more than 90 per cent.
This year the Australia and New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group (ANZBCTG) will hold its 36th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) in Wellington, New Zealand, from 16-19 July.
If you have breast cancer you’re eligible for a free influenza vaccination and now is the best time to be immunised before the coming season of winter ills sets in.
The annual immunisation can protect you from influenza and the health complications this serious disease can cause when you’re vulnerable due to cancer treatment.
BCAC’s new Metavivors NZ group is pushing to see the chemotherapy drug, Abraxane, funded so that women with secondary breast cancer no longer have to pay privately for it.
BCAC recently helped to set up the Metavivors NZ group for women with advanced breast cancer to advocate for better treatment, support and care for this group.
BCAC is fighting to get Sovereign Insurance to change its policy and reimburse women for the full cost of a breast reconstruction.
NZ House and Garden House Tours
Event Dates: 7 – 28 March, 2014
Where: Auckland Friday March 7
Wellington Friday March 14
Christchurch Friday March 21
Auckland Country Tour Friday March 28
For more information and tickets visit: www.nzhouseandgarden.co.nz
For the second year running, BCAC has funded a young New Zealand breast cancer survivor to attend the annual C4YW conference for young women with breast cancer.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) recently helped to set up a ‘Metavivors’ group in order to advocate for better treatment and care for women with advanced breast cancer.
BCAC chair, Libby Burgess, says women with secondary breast cancer have specific needs and all too often these are ignored or not prioritised.
Renewed questions have been raised about the value of mammograms after a Canadian study suggested that it does not reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer.
BCAC chair Libby Burgess says while the latest research is thought-provoking, it should in no way prompt New Zealand women to stop getting their free mammograms every two years through BreastScreen Aotearoa.
New research suggests that young women who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day have a much higher risk of developing the most common type of breast cancer.
The study, published in the journal Cancer, shows that young women who smoke are 30 per cent more likely to develop oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer, compared with those who have never smoked.