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Trial design
A randomised, open label, Phase 3 study of abemaciclib combined with standard adjuvant endocrine therapy alone in patients with high risk, node positive, early stage, hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative breast cancer.
The aim of this study, MonarchE, is to evaluate whether the combination of abemaciclib plus standard adjuvant endocrine therapy improves outcomes in participants with a certain type of breast cancer compared to adjuvant endocrine therapy alone.
This is a randomised phase III trial of adjuvant radiation therapy versus observation following breast conserving surgery and endocrine therapy in patients with molecularly characterised luminal A early breast cancer.
The purpose of this study is to see whether a specialised laboratory test (Prosigna (PAM50) Assay) of breast cancer tissue can be used to choose women who can safely avoid radiation therapy because there is a low risk of the cancer coming back.
Bariatric surgery (reducing the size of the stomach) for severely obese women could lower their breast cancer risk by more than a third, according to a new study.
The research from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has been published in the journal the Annals of Surgery and reviewed the medical data of more than 100,000 people in the United States.
Lead researcher, Dr Daniel Schauer, says the results were surprising.
"We found having bariatric surgery is associated with a reduced risk of cancer, especially obesity-associated cancers including postmenopausal breast cancer, endometrial cancer, pancreatic cancer and colon cancer. What’s surprising is how great the risk of cancer was reduced,” he says.
Metavivors NZ members were in full force at BCAC’s Annual General Meeting at Domain Lodge in Auckland recently. PHARMAC CEO, Steffan Crausaz also attended, as did Breast Cancer Support co-chairs Judith Shinegold and Lesley Harper, Michele Urlich from the Lymphoedema Support Network, and several other BCAC members.
BCAC Chairperson, Libby Burgess, described another full year of activity for BCAC. She thanked the 3,000 people who joined BCAC’s online campaign to let the Minister of Health know of the desperate need for better treatments for those with advanced breast cancer.
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 NZIER says this is how much extra money would be needed simply to bring the medicines budget back to the level it was in 2007 in real terms.
The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) chair, Libby Burgess, says the report paints a shameful picture of medicines funding in New Zealand.
Researchers have discovered that women with breast cancer have far less of a particular bacterial species in their breast tissue than healthy women.
The new study, published in the journal Oncotarget, found that breast tissue in women with breast cancer contained far less Methylobacterium.
The finding could offer a new perspective in the battle against breast cancer and is yet another advance in understanding the role bacteria in the body play in human health. These bacteria are known as the microbiome and have been found to influence many diseases. Much research has been done on the gut microbiome in the digestive tract.
Ten-year results from a major breast cancer clinical trial suggest that routinely removing the axillary lymph nodes during lumpectomy to remove early-stage breast cancer may not be necessary.
The study was published in the journal JAMA and examined nearly 900 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer to find out if axillary node dissection lead to better long-term outcomes.
The axillary lymph nodes are the lymph nodes under the arm. Surgically removing those lymph nodes is called axillary lymph node dissection and is often done if a sentinel node biopsy indicates the cancer has spread beyond the breast.
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.
BCAC chair, Libby Burgess, says she’s over-the-moon to see a concrete plan to extend screening to women older than 69.
“We’ve been lobbying for the upper age limit for free screening to be increased for years and it’s brilliant to see this new Government taking immediate action on this matter.
Pinc & STEEL PaddleOn is a stand-up paddle (SUP) rehabilitation programme, for men and women recovering from all types of cancer.
Delivered over five weeks by certified Pinc or STEEL cancer rehabilitation physiotherapists, PaddleOn has been specifically designed to introduce the components of stand-up paddling in a safe, fun small group environment on the water.
It is divided into eight modules to improve balance, core strength, posture, upper body strength, flexibility and fitness.
Participants need to have completed primary cancer treatment (surgery/chemotherapy/radiotherapy) before starting the programme (you may require a Pinc/STEEL physiotherapist assessment first).
Researchers have reviewed the evidence on early menopause in breast cancer patients and have come up with a series of recommendations to safely manage this side-effect.
The recommendations are published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and are the result of a review of a number of clinical trials, observational studies and guidelines.
Chemotherapy treatment can often result in early menopause for women with breast cancer, while hormone therapy, such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, can also result in early menopause or make menopausal symptoms worse.
Menopausal symptoms can include:
