Time to Count People with Metastatic Breast Cancer - A Way Forward 

One year ago - on Metastatic Awareness Day 2022 - BCNA released an issues paper, Making Metastatic Breast Cancer Count.

This was the catalyst for our advocacy moving into 2023, calling for all people with metastatic breast cancer to be consistently counted on our cancer registries. Currently they are not, which means they are ‘invisible’ to health service providers and policymakers planning cancer services and support.

In 2023 we held a National Roundtable in Canberra, gathering leading cancer and data experts to discuss solutions.

Roundtable attendees universally agreed that the time to improve breast cancer information in our cancer registries is now.

Today, on Metastatic Awareness Day 2023, BCNA is proud to release Making Metastatic Breast Cancer Count - A Way Forward.

This two-page summary precedes a full report from the roundtable, which we will be releasing later in the year.

BCNA Director Policy, Advocacy and Support Services Vicki Durston said the roundtable showed what can happen when key stakeholders who can influence and affect change are brought together into the same room.

Key commitments from the roundtable include:

• Increasing the funding of resources and staffing at state and territory cancer registries where needed, in order to increase their capacity to collect breast cancer stage and recurrence data
• Improving the ability of cancer registries to consistently collect the number of people with metastatic breast cancer through improved data linkages with health providers
• The formulation of data frameworks
• A new national framework centralising leadership, accountability, and standards for collection of data.

Read Time to Count People with Metastatic Breast Cancer - A Way Forward.