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Good news for New Zealanders with advanced triple negative breast cancer. From 1st October 2024 Pharmac will fund Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for those with recurrent or metastatic triple negative breast cancer. Around 15% of all breast cancers, and 16% of metastatic breast cancers, are classified as triple negative. This type of breast cancer does not respond to medicines that target HER2 or oestrogen receptors and until now only chemotherapy was available for these patients in our public system. Keytruda is an immunotherapy that is expected to improve progression-free survival, overall survival and quality of life for people with triple negative breast cancer who have a PD-L1 Combined Positive Score ≥10.
Difficulty concentrating or forgetfulness experienced by some people during and after breast cancer treatment is known as brain fog or chemo brain. Researchers at Auckland University want to understand whether there are changes in the brain caused by cancer or its treatment. Better understanding will lead to improved management of this condition in future patients.
The study will involve MRI brain scans in newly diagnosed patients before surgery and after first chemotherapy. Healthy volunteers are also needed for comparative scans. Participants will need to fill out three questionnaires.
This webinar is a comprehensive, in-depth presentation by NZ medical experts that answers questions about pain and its management from NZ women with advanced breast cancer.
‘We recommend this for anyone with questions about pain and pain management. It provides a lot of valuable information about pain in general and pain associated with breast cancer and its treatment.’ says BCAC Chair Libby Burgess.
The idea for the webinar came from women with advanced breast cancer belonging to Metavivors NZ and Sweet Louise. Their experiences with pain had varied widely and left them wanting to know more about the causes of pain during breast cancer and what can be done about it.
Dear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, and Associate Minister of Health (Pharmac) David Seymour.
In August last year a promise was made to fund 13 new cancer medicines via a $280 million ring-fenced fund to Pharmac. According to the National election manifesto, that fund was to start on July 1 this year by reinstating the $5 prescription fee. As you stated Prime Minister, those 13 medicines are "for lung, bowel, kidney, melanoma, and head and neck cancers that provide significant clinical benefits and are funded in Australia but not in New Zealand. Under National, New Zealanders will not have to leave the country, mortgage their home, or start a Givealittle page to fund potentially lifesaving and life-extending treatments that are proven…
Have you undergone chemotherapy for cancer for the first time in the last twelve months? Researchers from The University of Sydney are interested in your experience. Participants over 18 are wanted to complete a 20-25 minute online survey.
The researchers are investigating how the different sources of information people encounter before undergoing chemotherapy can influence expectation and subsequent experience of side-effects arising from chemotherapy. During this study you will be asked about the sources of information you used to understand your treatment (e.g., doctors, family, social media) as well as what side-effects you expected and experienced as a result of chemotherapy.
Breast cancer organisations turned out in force at Valuing Life, a Parliamentary Medicines Access Summit. We all did our best to make the case for broader, faster access to modern medicines to improve the lives of breast cancer patients.
Good news for New Zealanders with advanced hormone receptor positive HER2 negative breast cancer. From 1st July 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.
Congratulations to BCAC Committee member Maria Marama, who has just received a Masters Scholarship from the Māori Cancer Researcher Awards scheme run by the Cancer Society (Te Kāhui Matepukupuku o Aotearoa) and Hei Āhuru Mōwai (Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa).
Maria (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi) will explore the integration of traditional and complementary approaches to cancer care within conventional breast cancer treatment for wāhine Māori. She will use a Kaupapa Māori research approach to identify potential benefits and challenges for wāhine Māori. Maria’s research will be informed by her lived experience as a breast cancer patient and her passion for advocating for better outcomes for Māori across the healthcare system.
It's Not (Just) About the Breast: The Cancer Road Less Walked A Young Woman's Cancer Story 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.
BCAC Chair Libby Burgess reflected on this question after attending the premier international breast cancer research conference, SABCS 2023, in San Antonio Texas last month. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype lacking HER2 or hormone receptors. It is the most challenging type of breast cancer to treat, particularly at the advanced stage. However, research over the last 20 years has broadened treatment options and improved patient outcomes.
At SABCS, Libby was able to gain an in-depth understanding of current treatments offered overseas and the scientific evidence backing them, as well as learning about where the research is heading next. Libby noted with dismay how far New Zealand has fallen behind the rest of the developed world in treating both the…
