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Following a successful campaign last year, Storage King throughout New Zealand is again supporting the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) this October.
In 2013 Storage King in New Zealand teamed up with BCAC and raised more than $3000 for the charity organisation and this year stores across the country are aiming to do their bit once again.
Pink-themed Storage King stores throughout New Zealand will donate $1 from every tea chest storage box sold during the month of October to BCAC.
Beyond the pink ribbons, the TV advertisements encouraging early detection and the fundraising events to raise money for breast cancer are those, both women and men, who are living with metastatic breast cancer – advanced cancer which has spread through the body.
Medical professionals have labelled the latest results from a clinical study showing breast cancer drug Perjeta greatly extends lives as "extraordinary" and an "unprecedented success."
In the final analysis of the Phase III Cleopatra study, which was presented at the ESMO conference in Madrid last week, patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who received the drug Perjeta lived 15.7 months longer than those in the control group. This was the longest time for a drug used as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer and may even be the longest survival time for the treatment of any advanced cancer, said researchers at the ESMO conference.
A recent Australian court ruling allowing US biotech company Myriad Genetics to continue to own the patent over the BRCA1 gene is not expected to have a significant impact on patients or research here in New Zealand, according to local experts.
The Australian breast cancer patient Yvonne D’Arcy, whom launched the original case in 2010 against Myriad Genetics, did so over fears of the potential rise in costs to cancer patients if genes are patented.
However, Senior Genetic Counsellor, Dr Alison McEwen of Genetic Health Service NZ, does not think the latest ruling will affect the cost or accessibility for cancer patients here in New Zealand.
Sweet Louise currently has 444 members, and since their launch in 2006, they have supported more than 1400 men and women with metastatic breast cancer. One of the key areas of focus this year has been family support.
Following a survey earlier this year, the Auckland bi-monthly Men's Group now have a speaker at each meeting, and this is appealing to more men supporting their family members with life threatening illness.
A new study has revealed the benefits of mammograms for women aged 75 years and older.
The research, published in the journal Radiology, shows that mammogram-detected breast cancers are found at an earlier stage; require less treatment; and lead to better survival rates.
The American researchers examined the records of 1,162 women aged 75 and older who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1990 and 2011. Over the 21-year study period, 64 per cent of the breast cancers were diagnosed with mammography and 36 per cent were found by either the patient or the patient's doctor.
Over the last ten years, YWCA Auckland has delivered Encore, a free gentle exercise programme for women who have had breast cancer treatment, helping over 3,000 women from Kerikeri down to Invercargill. Participants have ranged in age from 29 to 91, and over 80 women have trained to become facilitators.
Following research and needs assessment, the YWCA Auckland Board has re-evaluated its current programmes and decided that the organisation needs to refocus efforts on younger women under the age of 40. This, combined with issues around the financial sustainability of the Encore programme, has led to the decision that YWCA Auckland will no longer be delivering Encore as of 2015.
October is fast approaching and that means Breast Cancer Action month. As a breast cancer team the Pink Dragons are keen to help raise awareness by supporting fund raising events whenever they can so many of them are signing up to help collect for both the Pink Ribbon Street Appeal and the Pink Star Walk in Auckland Domain. Earlier in the year one team member hosted a Pink Ribbon Breakfast at her house supported by many of the Pinkies - it was a lot of fun as well as raising money for breast cancer.
The latest edition of BCAC’s popular Step by Step support pack with new and updated information on breast cancer treatment and care is now flying off the shelves to newly diagnosed women around the country.
BCAC recently reviewed, updated and reprinted the much-loved breast cancer support pack. Step by Step’s new edition includes information that helps you cope with the emotional fallout of a breast cancer diagnosis and provides more details about how to best look after yourself after treatment.
This year we welcomed the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation (NZBCF) on board as principal funder of Step by Step, but many other organisations have also made generous contributions to ensure this valuable resource reaches as many women as possible.
