Secondary Breast Cancer E-Bulletin 11
Breast Cancer Network Australia
Dear Secondary Breast Cancer E-list Members,
Happy New Year! Welcome to the first edition of the Secondary Breast Cancer E-Bulletin for 2008. We hope that you find the information interesting.
News and Current Affairs
Tykerb Update
BCNA was thrilled with the news in early January that the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) had recommended Tykerb, a treatment option for women with HER 2 positive secondary breast cancer for whom Herceptin has been unsuccessful, be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).There is still one further step to go however, as this decision is now subject to Cabinet approval. BCNA has been actively lobbying for Tykerb to be listed on the PBS and we will continue to advocate, to ensure that these final steps are undertaken as quickly as possible.
To read our media release click here. To view background information and a more detailed update click here.
BCNA Fact Sheet: Tax Free Superannuation Payments for People with a Terminal Illness
BCNA has developed a fact sheet for women and their families on the new tax free superannuation arrangements announced last year. These changes, which came into effect from September 12, 2007, mean that people with a terminal illness may be able to access a lump sum superannuation payout, tax free. The new legislation covers all superannuation funds, retirement savings accounts and approved deposit funds.
If you accessed your superannuation after September 12 last year, and did not know about these changes, you may still be entitled to get your tax paid to you. To view BCNA's fact sheet and read about the eligibility criteria and other information click here.
BCNA News
Harnessing Hope, Overcoming Hurdles Forum in Sydney
BCNA will hold another Harnessing Hope, Overcoming Hurdles forum for women with secondary breast cancer in Sydney on 3 March 2008 at Parliament House. To read more information about this event click here.
The Inside Story
The autumn edition of The Inside Story is due to be released in the middle of March. If you don't already receive a copy and would like to, please contact us via
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Winter edition of The Inside Story will cover the theme of ‘women and work'. We would love to hear your story about how cancer has affected working for you, including paid work, work at home caring for children and family, and voluntary work. Email your half to one page story, with a photo if possible, to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
attention to Janine Coffin, or send it to us at 293 Camberwell Road, Camberwell VIC 3124.
Have your say - Sign up for BCNA's Review & Survey Group
The newly established BCNA Review & Survey Group is intended to provide women with an opportunity to participate in research, to ensure that women's voices are heard, and that women's views and opinions are taken into account.
This is a unique and valuable opportunity to be involved in helping to make a difference for women! Members receive regular notification by email of various research projects that are seeking participants. We are looking for 1,000 women to join our Review & Survey Group over the coming months, so why not get involved.
You can register online or we can send you information. You will need an email account. To find out more about the Review & Survey Group visit http://www.bcna.org.au/ under Policy and Advocacy / Seat at the Table / Get involved - or you can email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Research Updates
The American Guidelines for Palliative Care
Evidence-Based Interventions to Improve the Palliative Care of Pain, Dyspnea, and Depression at the End of Life: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicianss
In this article in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine the authors outline five recommendations for improving palliative care practice in the United States in the areas of pain, dyspnea and depression. The guidelines recommend that clinicians should regularly assess patients and use therapies that have been proven as effective in managing pain, dyspnoea and depression. The final recommendation suggests that advanced care planning should be completed by clinicians for all patients. Abstract
The Australian Context
Palliative Care Australia (PCA) has also produced standards to ensure that all Australians receive good quality palliative care. Whilst there are some similarities in the clinical practice guidelines from the U.S., Australia has a more comprehensive set of guidelines containing 13 standards. The standards outline how care and care planning should be delivered in a way that takes into account the best interests of the patient, their family and their carer, with a particular focus on access to information, particularly on psychosocial issues. The standards also stress the need for palliative care services to be provided in the community, so as to be accessible to any one who requires palliative care.
In addition, the standards outline the issues for special need populations including people with mental health issues, people who live in residential aged care and adults who do not have the capacity to make informed choices, amongst others. To read Palliative Care Australia's standards click here.
Optimising Clinical Care of Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer: A New Oral Vinorelbine Plus Trastuzumab Combination
In this American article from the journal Annals of Oncology the authors discuss how trastuzumab (Herceptin®) can be combined with vinorelbine to treat patients with secondary breast cancer. The research found that the trastuzumab and oral vinorelbine combination had good clinical benefits and was well tolerated by patients. In addition, this combination was only required every three weeks, instead of weekly. It should be noted that in Australia, vinorelbine (Navelbine®) is used to treat secondary breast cancer, but it is not combined with trastuzumab.
Abstract
Other Information and Resources
Coverage of The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on breastcancer.org
Breastcancer.org recently held an on-line forum highlighting the findings from the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. This International Symposium was held in Texas from 13-16 December 2007.There were many interesting research findings presented that related to women with secondary breast cancer including:
- new treatment for bone loss,
- the clinical use of trastuzumab (Herceptin®),
- the medical and psychosocial needs of women with secondary breast cancer
- treating women with brain metastases using Lapatinib and Capecitabine
To read the full transcripts of the online forum click here.
To visit the symposium website to view poster presentations along with other information, click here.
Advanced Breast Cancer Group
The Advanced Breast Cancer Group was established in Queensland, and provides a forum for people to chat online and connect with other people who have been personally affected by breast cancer. This website provides a wide range of services and information for women with secondary breast cancer, including an online forum, information on weekly support groups and support for partners and families. To read more about the activities of the Advanced Breast Cancer Group click here.
Let us know...
We want to be sure that our E-Bulletins contain information that is helpful and relevant to you. Please email any suggestions to us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
The information contained in this E-Bulletin has been gathered from various sources to keep E-List members up-to-date with the latest relevant news and information. The contents of the listings are not necessarily endorsed by BCNA.
|
