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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ and Sweet Louise have just launched their Breast Cancer Journey Mapping Project. The aim is to better understand the experiences of New Zealand women who have faced breast cancer and to use the insights gained to ensure that all women have a better experience.
Could you spare about 2hrs helping us understand Cancer Related Cognitive Impairment or ‘Brain Fog’?
WHY: To see if the brain changes in those who have cancer or get treatment.
WHO: Women who have just received a breast cancer diagnosis AND women who are healthy and want to help.
Pharmac’s announcement that they will fund the breakthrough medicine Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan, T-DXd) from 1st January 2025 for advanced HER2 positive breast cancer (HER2+ ABC) is fantastic news.
Libby Burgess, chair of BCAC, says: “We’re delighted to see this vital medicine funded given the outstanding results from clinical trials showing that Enhertu keeps the cancer stable for four times as long as the previous best treatment and increases length of life. We’re very pleased…
Chair Libby Burgess and Secretary Fay Sowerby recently delivered BCAC’s 2024 Ministerial Briefing to Hon. Dr Shane Reti, Minister of Health. The briefing identifies priority areas for action to improve breast cancer outcomes. (You can read the full briefing by clicking here). Libby and Fay also met with Hon.…
