New research suggests that young women who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day have a much higher risk of developing the most common type of breast cancer.
The study, published in the journal Cancer, shows that young women who smoke are 30 per cent more likely to develop oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer, compared with those who have never smoked.
Today is World Cancer Day and BCAC is backing the global campaign to reduce the stigma associated with cancer and dispel myths about it.
Each year around 7.6 million people worldwide die from cancer and World Cancer Day aims to help prevent deaths by raising awareness and improving education about the disease.
BCAC chair, Libby Burgess, says it’s an important day to acknowledge that we can all do something to help prevent cancer by educating others about the disease.
BCAC is thrilled to see the country’s free breast screening programme, BreastScreen Aotearoa, is now fully digital.
The move was announced by the Associate Minister of Health, Jo Goodhew, today, who said it was a “significant milestone in the Government’s commitment to improved technology and access to high quality breast screening services”.
A new report highlights the need for clinicians to be more willing to treat older women with breast cancer with chemotherapy to ensure they experience the best possible health outcomes.
The “Breast Cancer in the Elderly” report published in the journal, Future Oncology, says elderly patients are often not treated with chemotherapy or are treated less aggressively.
The coming year will be a challenging one for breast cancer physicians and researchers as new figures show that the number of breast cancer cases worldwide is on the rise.
The World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently released the latest global statistics on cancer incidence, mortality and prevalence.
BCAC is calling for breast cancer survivors to put themselves forward as candidates for membership of the Health Quality & Safety Commission’s Consumer Network to help improve health and disability care in New Zealand.
The Commission is the government agency charged with ensuring that all New Zealanders receive the best health and disability care within available resources.
The new dragon boat paddling season kicked off early in November and the Pink Dragons are all set for some hard training ahead. Some kept up their paddling enthusiasm throughout the winter with Sunday training whilst others kept up their fitness in other ways and took a well earned break from paddling.
Breast cancer survivors taking aromatase inhibitors (AIs) such as anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane experienced a reduction in joint pain if they exercise while on treatment, according to results presented at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, which is currently underway.
UPDATE 2023: Please note that this treatment is now no longer privately available in New Zealand and is still not available in the public system.
BCAC is pushing for the public health system to introduce ‘intraoperative radiotherapy’ for women with low risk early breast cancer.
The 10th Australasian Lymphology Association Conference will be held in Auckland, New Zealand in April next year.
Entitled “Koru: life, growth, movement” the conference will take place from 3-5 April 2014.
