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About 20% of the 3300 New Zealanders diagnosed with breast cancer each year will have HER2-positive breast cancer.
HER2 stands for 'human epidermal growth factor receptor-type 2'. It is a type of protein that sits on the surface of all normal cells and its job is to send messages to the cell, telling it to grow and replicate.
BCAC is delighted that Palmerston North oncologist, Dr Richard Isaacs, (pictured) has been acknowledged in the Queen’s Birthday honours as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Dr Isaacs was instrumental in the battle to secure Government funding for a 12-month treatment programme of Herceptin for women with HER2 Positive breast cancer.
He’s been honoured for his contribution to ensuring cancer patients have access to world-class treatment, as well as his contributions to research and breast cancer care.
BCAC chairperson, Libby Burgess, says Dr Isaacs' award is well deserved.
“Dr Isaacs played a huge role in the Herceptin debate. He provided an objective scientific voice in the campaign and in doing so radically improved the prognosis for many women.”
BCAC is mourning the passing of its former Treasurer, Sue Guthrie, who recently lost her battle with breast cancer.
Sue was only 47 when she died on November 11 2009, but she lived with courage, serenity and dignity to the end.
Says BCAC chairperson, Libby Burgess, “Sue was an inspiration to all who knew her for the way she lived her life and the way she faced her death.
“She was committed to making a positive difference for all those who faced breast cancer and maintained this passion and dedication even as her own health worsened.”
Hi my name is Jennifer Lucas. I would like to share my story with you in the hope that it inspires others to be strong, grow and remain positive through tough and trying times. I was 21 years old when diagnosed. I live and study in Auckland, but am originally from Hamilton- which I still call home. I have an awesomely supportive family and would be no where without them! My boyfriend Che has also been amazing.
Hi. I’m Chris Walsh and I live at Waitarere Beach, a small village between Levin and Foxton. My partner Sue and I have a beautiful black Labrador called JJ and two cats that control activities in the house but still refuse to do housework. I work at Victoria University in Wellington and this year graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing.
My name is Nicola Russell - I'm 35, and I immigrated to New Zealand in 1997 from the shores of Carlingford Lough in Ireland.
Hi. My name is Anne Hayden and I am a 60 year old woman with two adult children, and one stepdaughter and two grandsons living in the UK. I live in Devonport, Auckland, with my husband, David, boxer dog, and ginger cat.
FDA Press Release - Feb 11, 2011
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Selenia Dimensions System, the first X-ray mammography device that provides three-dimensional (3-D) images of the breast for breast cancer screening and diagnosis.
A mammogram is a safe, low-dose X-ray of the breast that is the best tool for early detection of breast cancer. However, with the limitations of conventional two-dimensional (2-D) imaging, about 10 percent of women undergo additional testing after the initial screening exam for abnormalities that are later determined to be noncancerous.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer to affect New Zealand women, with one in nine of us receiving this diagnosis at some point in our lives. Even so, the causes of this disease are not yet known.
On this page we list the known risks for breast cancer and give an indication of their relative importance. We also look at steps you can take that could lower your chances of getting breast cancer.
Risks
Factors that are known to increase your risk of getting breast cancer are, in order of magnitude:
• Being a woman - some men get breast cancer, but they represent less than 1% of all cases.
• Getting older - 50-year-old women are 10 x more likely to get breast cancer than 30-year-olds.
