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At Breast Cancer Network Australia’s (BCNA) National Summit in February 2002, a group of women from rural and remote parts of Australia met to ‘network’ and discuss issues relevant to them. A number of needs and issues were identified and they agreed that further discussion and exploration was needed. A BCNA Community Grant (2002) funded the formation of Project Breast which met to identify the issues and needs of women with breast cancer living in rural and remote parts of Australia. In June 2004, Project Breast changed its name and became an official Breast Cancer Network Australia Working Party, providing a grassroots advisory group for BCNA.
Below is a list of the issues identified by this Working Party. (Note the order of issues does not reflect the importance of the issue.) Together with the recommendations from the Still Making a Difference Summary, BCNA is currently developing a list of strategies to address these issues, which we will add to the website in due course. One of our key strategies is to work with other organisations to ensure the National Breast Cancer Centre's Clinical Practice Guidelines (there are several versions) are implemented. If these guidelines were implemented across Australia, many of the issues would be resolved.
- Lack or limited access to a full range of treatment options
- Lack or limited availability of appropriate medical expertise
- Reduced options for coordinated follow-up care and support in our local areas
- Lack or limited options for choosing medical professionals involved in our care
- Reduced options for allied health support (eg. breast care nurses, social workers, psychologists)
- Difficulty accessing breast prostheses, bras and lymphoedema garments
- The financial burden of travel: The need to travel long distances for treatments leads to a financial burden related to travel and accommodation.
- Isolation and reduced support: The need to travel long distances for treatments leads to separation from family and support systems, which has implications for us and our families.
- Reduced options for peer support
- Reduced access to breast cancer related information
- Lack of awareness of the need for breast awareness and screening in some rural and remote areas
- Young women's issues: Young women living in rural and remote parts of Australia face additional stressors not experienced by their metropolitan sisters.
- Advanced breast cancer: We know that the impact of living with advanced breast cancer may be particularly challenging for women living in rural and remote parts of Australia.
- Advocacy: The issues and needs of young women need to be highlighted to both the medical and consumer communities, and opportunities to address these issues/needs should be actively sought.
The Land Newspaper
BCNA worked closely with the publication to produce a special, one-off Pink Edition on 18 October 2007. This special edition entitled ‘Think Pink' heightened awareness of breast cancer issues and support through rural and regional Australia.
 the land - think pink articles 698.59 Kb
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