The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition (BCAC) is delighted to announce they are teaming up with Storage King NZ during October 2013 to help support New Zealanders with breast cancer.

When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer it is not only she who embarks on an unexpected and unwelcome journey – her partner will also inevitably experience their own challenging cancer journey.

During 2013 Breast Cancer Support (BCS) established a support group in Auckland for younger women. The group is for women aged 20 - 45 years who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.  All are welcome and there is much fun, laughter and  open sharing of experiences about what it's really like to be a young woman diagnosed with breast cancer.

The Louise Perkins Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Jane Austin to the position of CEO of Sweet Louise, the Foundation's charitable arm providing support and services to New Zealand women and men living with secondary breast cancer.

It is with great sadness that BCAC farewells and pays tribute to Mangalika Mendis, one of the tremendously brave women who fought for full access to the breast cancer drug Herceptin.

Sadly, Mangalika died in Australia in July 2013, leaving behind her husband Ruchitha and daughter Medhavie.

BCAC chair, Libby Burgess, says Mangalika was a special person who fought hard to see New Zealand women receive a fully-funded treatment programme of 12 months of Herceptin.

It has been very exciting to track down Dr Elizabeth Iorns – a scientist who is conducting ground-breaking experiments in America to reduce the genetic transmission of BRCA – and realise that she grew up in New Zealand!
 

This international early phase clinical trial, known as the FERGI trial, is testing a new oral chemotherapy drug called a PI3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. These drugs inhibit a protein called “PI3-kinase” that may be involved in the growth and spread of some cancers. This research examines the use of a PI3K inhibitor in combination with the hormonal treatment fulvestrant (given as an intramuscular injection).
 

The Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition says a new report which shows how little New Zealand spends on medicines is a wake-up call which should lead to a review of funding for pharmaceuticals.

The report from Medicines New Zealand shows that New Zealand ranks 31st out of 32 nations in the amount it spends on pharmaceuticals as a proportion of GDP.  Only Mexico spends less on medicines than New Zealand.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among New Zealand women, with more than 2800 women diagnosed each year.

The best advice for women concerned about breast cancer is for women aged between 45 and 60 to be screened regularly as part of BreastScreen Aotearoa.

Most breast cancers occur by chance, with less than 5 percent attributable to the inheritance of a damaged or mutated gene.