In August last year a promise was made to fund 13 new cancer medicines via a $280 million ring-fenced fund to Pharmac. According to the National election manifesto, that fund was to start on July 1 this year by reinstating the $5 prescription fee. As you stated Prime Minister, those 13 medicines are "for lung, bowel, kidney, melanoma, and head and neck cancers that provide significant clinical benefits and are funded in Australia but not in New Zealand. Under National, New Zealanders will not have to leave the country, mortgage their home, or start a Givealittle page to fund potentially lifesa ..read more

The idea for the webinar came from women with advanced breast cancer belonging to Metavivors NZ and Sweet Louise. Their experiences with pain had varied widely and left them wanting to know more about the causes of pain during breast cancer and what can be done about it.  ..read more

The study will involve MRI brain scans in newly diagnosed patients before surgery and after first chemotherapy. Healthy volunteers are also needed for comparative scans. Participants will need to fill out three questionnaires.  ..read more

Good news for New Zealanders with advanced triple negative breast cancer. From 1st October 2024 Pharmac will fund Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for those with recurrent or metastatic triple negative breast cancer. Around 15% of all breast cancers, and 16% of metastatic breast cancers, are classified as triple negative. This type of breast cancer does not respond to medicines that target HER2 or oestrogen receptors and until now only chemotherapy was available for these patients in our public system. Keytruda is an immunotherapy that is expected to improve progression-free survival, overall survival ..read more

The researchers are investigating how the different sources of information people encounter before undergoing chemotherapy can influence expectation and subsequent experience of side-effects arising from chemotherapy. During this study you will be asked about the sources of information you used to understand your treatment (e.g., doctors, family, social media) as well as what side-effects you expected and experienced as a result of chemotherapy ..read more

Breast cancer organisations turned out in force at Valuing Life, a Parliamentary Medicines Access Summit. We all did our best to make the case for broader, faster access to modern medicines to improve the lives of breast cancer patients.  ..read more

Good news for New Zealanders with advanced hormone receptor positive HER2 negative breast cancer. From 1st July Pharmac will fund Kisqali (ribociclib) for those who haven’t previously had funded access to Ibrance (palbociclib). BCAC asked Novartis to provide Kisqali free to patients until Pharmac funding kicks in and they agreed. So, if you’re starting or continuing on Kisqali you won’t have to pay medicine costs from now onwards. You’ll need to visit a private oncology clinic and pay their fees until July, but after that you can choose to have Kisqali administered for free in a public cancer ..read more

Maria (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi) will explore the integration of traditional and complementary approaches to cancer care within conventional breast cancer treatment for wāhine Māori. She will use a Kaupapa Māori research approach to identify potential benefits and challenges for wāhine Māori. Maria’s research will be informed by her lived experience as a breast cancer patient and her passion for advocating for better outcomes for Māori across the healthcare system.  ..read more

It's Not (Just) About the Breast: The Cancer Road Less Walked A Young Woman's Cancer Story tells the story of Aussie physio Petrina Burnett’s diagnosis with triple negative, BRCA-mutated breast cancer at age 31. It’s a refreshing and much-needed account of what it’s like to face breast cancer as a young woman and to grapple with a genetic disease. Petrina’s deep personal insights and her expertise as a health care provider mean her perspective is rare and valuable. She covers not only her personal treatment journey but also wider issues unique to younger women with breast cancer ..read more

At SABCS, Libby was able to gain an in-depth understanding of current treatments offered overseas and the scientific evidence backing them, as well as learning about where the research is heading next. Libby noted with dismay how far New Zealand has fallen behind the rest of the developed world in treating both the ..read more