On these pages you can check out the latest breast cancer news from BCAC and our member groups. We also provide up-to-date information and links to current breast cancer research and clinical trials. Read latest stories below, or use the filters or the pager below for other stories. Use the form to the right of this to subscribe to our e-News.
A new report released at the renowned San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in the USA has confirmed that 12 months of Herceptin gives women with HER2-positive breast cancer the best chance of survival.
Clinical trials have been underway in New Zealand and elsewhere to test whether a 9-week programme of Herceptin would offer the same benefits as the longer programme.
A breast cancer charity says a new report that identifies a multi-million dollar funding gap for medicines is a damning indictment of a failing system and an urgent wake-up call for change.
The report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) has found that medicines funding has fallen in real terms every year since 2007 to the point where there is now an investment gap of more than $680 million.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) is thrilled to see a proposed extension of the upper age for free breast screening from 69 to 74-years-old in the Labour-New Zealand First coalition agreement.
The move is one of the key details for health outlined in the coalition agreement. At the moment, BreastScreen Aotearoa only offers free breast screening to women between the ages of 45 and 69.
A breakthrough breast cancer drug can now be used in New Zealand, but the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) is calling for Ibrance (palbociclib) to be publicly funded immediately.
MedSafe NZ has just approved the use of Ibrance for those with advanced hormone receptor positive and HER2-negative breast cancer, but it’s only available to those who can pay for it.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) welcomes new funding for the Government’s drug-buying agency, PHARMAC, but warns that it is not enough to make a real difference.
The Government has announced a $60 million increase in funding for PHARMAC over the next four years as part of Vote Health in Budget 2017.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) is thrilled that New Zealand women with advanced breast cancer will finally be able to get the breakthrough breast cancer drug Perjeta from next year, but is bitterly disappointed that a large number will be denied access to this potentially life-extending medicine.
A group of Kiwis with secondary breast cancer have made a desperate video plea in support of a campaign for greater access to medicines to give them a better chance at life.
The moving video is part of the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition’s (BCAC) drive to get thousands to sign an open letter to the Minister of Health calling for an urgent increase in funding for medicines.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) is excited to partner with the Karen Louisa Foundation to better support New Zealanders with secondary breast cancer.
The Karen Louisa Foundation will donate $20,000 to BCAC over the next year as the organisation launches a special focus on women with secondary breast cancer.
BCAC chairperson, Libby Burgess, says the aim is to better support the hundreds of New Zealanders currently living with secondary breast cancer.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) wants to see a breakthrough new radiation technology used more widely to treat thousands of New Zealand women with breast cancer.
Intra-Operative Radiation Therapy (also known as IORT) is used in women with low-risk early-stage breast cancer and means they receive a single shot of radiation during surgery to remove the tumour.
Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) is urging more women to participate in the free breast screening programme after a review found that it saves lives.
The University of New South Wales review of BreastScreen Aotearoa (BSA) reveals that women who have been screened are a third less likely to die from breast cancer.
BCAC chairperson Libby Burgess, says the results highlight the true value of the free breast screening programme for women aged 45 to 69.
