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Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition and Breast Cancer Foundation NZ have made a strongly worded and evidence-based joint submission to PHARMAC requesting that funding for Perjeta (pertuzumab) be extended to all people with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer.
The submission was made to the Cancer Treatment Sub-committee (known as CaTSoP). At its September meeting, CaTSoP will consider applications for funding for the following breast cancer medicines – Perjeta, Kadcyla, Ibrance, Abraxane, Faslodex.
Attached is the joint submission sent to CaTSoP and the poster referred to in the letter.
24 July 2018
Representatives of Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) went to Wellington recently to meet with Government and National MPs who have health responsibilities to discuss some of the key issues affecting those with breast cancer.
The two key issues highlighted by BCAC in the talks were the need to improve access to medicines; and the need to address inequities for Māori and Pasifika women in breast cancer screening and treatment.
The meetings were with the Associate Minister of Health Hon. Julie Anne Genter, Labour’s Health and Wellbeing Caucus member Hon. Louisa Wall and National’s Health spokesperson Hon. Michael Woodhouse.
This is a randomized, open label, Phase III Trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Palbociclib + Anti-HER2 Therapy + Endocrine Therapy vs. Anti-HER2 Therapy + Endocrine Therapy after induction treatment for Hormone Receptor Positive (HR+)/HER2-Positive metastatic breast cancer.
Summary
This study is open to people diagnosed with hormone receptor (HR) positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER-2) positive metastatic breast cancer. Despite significant improvements in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer, approximately 30% of women experience metastatic disease relapse. Development of therapies targeting the HER2 receptor has dramatically improved patient outcomes.
Important research released 21 June shows huge disparities in breast cancer screening, treatment and outcomes for Māori and Pasifika women in New Zealand.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) says this is unacceptable and is calling for significant immediate steps to be taken to improve this situation.
The research, How to Improve Outcomes for Women with Breast Cancer in New Zealand, was funded by the Health Research Council through the University of Waikato with assistance from Waikato District Health Board. It was led by Professor Ross Lawrenson.
BCAC is thrilled a clinical trial involving American engineer Judy Perkins has led to her being declared free of breast cancer with what specialists are calling an extended remission. This wonderful news has come two years after she was told she had only three months to live.
The trial of the experimental therapy was carried out by the US National Cancer Institute. BCAC are aware there is still much to learn before scientists can turn this experimental therapy into a treatment.
This work is complex but it is wonderful that it has been perfected for this one breast cancer patient, and there is hope that ongoing research will see it eventually being extended to others - potentially those whose tumours appear packed with immune cells.
More women with the most common form of early stage breast cancer may not need chemotherapy and may instead rely on hormone therapies, according to a landmark study.
The findings in the study were based on a 21-tumor gene expression test which would also inform treatment decisions in real life.
BCAC says anecdotally there has been a perceived reluctance to use the Oncotype test in New Zealand because of concerns regarding its ability to accurately predict the risk of breast cancer recurrence and its cost. We are very pleased that these results will allay some of those concerns.
American researchers have hopes a new blood test they have developed may in the future be able to detect 10 types of cancer potentially years before someone becomes unwell.
The research team, with scientists from Cleveland Clinic's Taussig Cancer Institute and Standford University, say their test has been shown to pick up early signs of cancers including breast, ovarian, bowel and lung cancer. However, they note more work is needed before the results are conclusive and before the test can be used in the real world.
Recent research has found that changing to a low-fat diet may have a positive influence on breast cancer outcomes.
A study led by Dr Rowan T Chlebowski, PhD of the City of Hope National Medical Center in California found that, in a randomized clinical trial, a low-fat eating pattern was associated with lower risk of death after breast cancer.
The study followed earlier research conducted at 40 US clinical centres that enrolled participants from 1993 to 1998. Participants were 48,835 postmenopausal women with no previous breast cancer and dietary fat intake of greater than 32% according to a questionnaire.
BCAC says a new report highlights how desperately poor access to new and innovative medicines is in New Zealand.
The Medicines NZ Medicines Landscape 2017 report finds that New Zealand comes last out of 20 comparable OECD countries for access to publicly-funded new medicines.
The report says this means more than 230,000 patients in New Zealand are currently waiting for access to medicines that are not yet approved for public funding in this country.
The report highlights at least 80 medicines that are deemed to have a clinical benefit for patients and which have been recommended for public funding, but are not yet funded by the Government’s drug buying agency PHARMAC.
BCAC committee member, Louise Malone, attended the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December 2017 and gives us an update on the latest cutting-edge research into new targeted immunotherapy treatments.
As cancer researchers better understand the complex interchanges between tumour cells and immune cells and the microenvironment in which they operate, new targets for therapy are emerging.
