Listed Wednesday July 21, 2010

Breast Cancer Australia regrets that it has had to suspend its activities in South Australia.

Unfortunately, this suspension will mean the closure of our five patient accommodation properties in South Australia and the withdrawal of all research funding support and our awareness and prevention programs.

This only affects South Australia. It has no impact on our work throughout Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.

We apologise to all those in South Australia who support or rely on our services and programs for cancer sufferers, their families and the overall benefit our programs provide to reducing the incidence of cancer.

This has been forced by the refusal of the South Australian regulatory authority to renew the Trust's operating licence in South Australia. The Trust has at all times during the licence application process cooperated with the regulatory authority. It has not been given any meaningful reason for the refusal.

The Trust is committed to having the licence restored as soon as is possible.

To that end, the Board of the Trust will immediately take action, to have this decision referred to the Supreme Court for a judicial review. Court action is the only alternative because there is no provision for a direct appeal to the regulatory authority.

We will keep you informed of developments. If, in the meantime, you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office of the CEO of trustee on 1300 850 551.

Listed Thursday June 17, 2010

A revolutionary jab that could both prevent and treat breast cancer has been developed. The drug – to be tested on women as early as next year – could wipe out up to 70 per cent of breast cancers, potentially saving the lives of up to 2000 Australian women each year. Its creator, US-based Dr Vincent Tuohy, said the effects could be "monumental". "We believe that this vaccine will someday be used to prevent breast cancer in adult women in the same way that vaccines have prevented many childhood diseases", he said. The theory behind the vaccine could eventually be used to target other types of cancer. The drug targets a protein called alpha-lactalbumin that lurks in most breast cancer tumours. Having the jab revs up the immune system, priming it to destroy the protein as it appears and so stop tumours forming. It also harnesses the power of the immune system to shrink pre-existing growths by up to half. Dr Tuohy’s team tested the vaccine on rodents that were genetically prone to breast cancer. Those which did not have the jab developed breast cancers by the age of 10 months, but all of those that were immunised remained cancer-free, the journal Nature Medicine reports. Dr Tuohy, an expert in the workings of the immune system from one of American’s top hospitals, said: "It was a yes/no result – it was as clear as a bell. We really believe that breast cancer is a completely preventable disease." The search for cancer vaccines has until now been hampered by fears that healthy tissue would be destroyed along with tumours. But this drug targets only the protein and, therefore, diseased cells. The only drawback is that alpha-lactalbumin is also found in healthy breasts when they are producing milk so a woman who has the jab while young could not breastfeed in the future, or her immune system would respond. This should not affect her ability to have a baby, however. Dr Tuohy hopes to test the jab for the first time next year. One trial would look at hits ability to shrink tumours in women with advanced breast cancer. The second would involve young women whose family history puts them at high risk of the disease.

Source: The Advertiser, June 1, 2010

Listed Wednesday March 17, 2010

From 1 April women from across Australia will be able to access government-funded Taxotere® (docetaxel) in combination with cyclophosphamide (TC),¹ a chemotherapy combination shown to benefit women's chances of surviving early-stage breast cancer.^2,3

This means the treatment will be available to all Australian women with operable breast cancer^3,4 - the only country in the world where this is the case.

Prior to the government's decision to fund this treatment, women with this stage of cancer who wished to access the treatment paid approximately $8,000 - $9,000 for four treatment cycles.

Click here for more information.

Click here for the fact sheet and here for the product information sheet.

Australia could see the number of cancer cases double within 20 years if we don't change our poor lifestyle habits, a world expert has warned.
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Melbourne researchers have discovered a critical link between obesity and breast cancer, sparking hopes that a fresh epidemic of the disease can be staved off.

Prince Henry Institute scientists found that "fat" cells cause excess production of the hormone oestrogen in the breasts, which is believed to be a key cause of breast cancer. Prof Evan Simpson said the fat cells slowed the production of an enzyme, which in turn stimulated the production of oestrogen.

Women with advanced breast cancer may have a new treatment option.

A combination of two drugs that more precisely target tumours significantly extended the lives of women who had stopped responding to other treatments.The Texas study is the first big test of combining Herceptin and Tykerb.

In the study of 300 patients, women receiving both drugs lived 20 weeks longer than those given Tykerb alone. Doctors expect the combination to make an even bigger difference for women with less advanced disease.

New figures released by the Federal Government gives us cause to both celebrate and continue the fight against breast cancer. Over the last 12 years, the death rate has fallen by 27%, due to early detection and improved treatment. However, careful examination of the data has shown that survival is affected both by race and socioeconomic status: Indigenous women and those with lower socioeconomic status have lower rates of survival.

Added to this is the fact that although the death rate is decreasing, the incidence rate is increasing. This is largely due to our aging population – cancer is primarily a disease of the elderly and only one quarter of breast cancer diagnoses are in women under the age of 50.

However, the news overall is good – more women are surviving and further work in the field can only continue this trend. While we may have to expect more increases in incidence, with the ever increasing age of the population, we can rest assured that improvements in diagnosis and treatment mean that breast cancer is no longer likely to kill all those affected by it.

Clinical trials of photodynamic therapy, or PDT, are being conducted in Britain. Although previously used successfully on cancers of the skin and mouth, this is the first time it has been tested on breast cancers.

PDT works by injecting the bloodstream with a drug with makes cancer cells very sensitive to light. A low-level laser beam is then directed at the site, through the skin, and causes the cells to self destruct. It is non-invasive, leaves no scars and maintains the connective tissue, so there is no damage or loss to surrounding healthy cells and there is no loss of shape. If successful, the technique could become available within six years.

Breast screening works – that’s the conclusion of a recently released report on the BreastScreen program which has reduced treatment-related deaths and is cost-effective. However, it has also suggested that breast screening be limited to only those in the highest risk age groups.
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Breast Cancer Australia has opened four new properties in 2009. Pindari on Wentworth in Sydney, Hopegood Place in Canberra, plus Soho-Greenwich and Lights on Galleria in Brisbane. This now raises the patient accommodation to eleven properties throughout Australia.
Click here to Patient Accommodation

Specialised Therapeutics launches Abraxane via Abraxane Patient Access Program (APAP) to Metastatic Breast Cancer patients without charge following first Australian approval of novel nanoparticle chemotherapy.
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The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory committee has recommended the drug Tykerb, which is designed to slow cancer growth and prolong life, be subsidised by the Federal government. Breast Cancer Australia encourages the Federal Government to ratify the decision and the drug manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline to continue to subsidise the expensive drug.
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Most women with an elevated risk for breast cancer will not live longer if they take the cancer prevention drug tamoxifen, a new study shows. To find more information please go to following website.
www.foxnews.com

Australia approves subsidy for breast cancer drug. Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a drug used in the treatment of metastic breast cancer. To find more information please go to following websites.
www.medicareaustralia.com.au
www.herceptin.com

Medical evidence from studies have shown how undertaking physical activity can help a person dramatically increase their chances of survival if they are fighting breast cancer.

Reference:
http://www.virtualbonecentre.com/