News & updates • Breast Cancer Foundation NZ

News & updates

Our latest news, press releases, blog posts, Pink Ribbon Bulletins & Pink Ribbon Press.

Press release
Five-year research partnership targets breast cancer vaccine
21 March 2017

Five-year research partnership targets breast cancer vaccine

Imagine if no one died from breast cancer…if we stopped it in its tracks, so it couldn’t spread and kill.
Blog
Mediterranean diet could cut your risk of a hard-to-treat type of breast cancer by 40%
07 March 2017

Mediterranean diet could cut your risk of a hard-to-treat type of breast cancer by 40%

Following the Mediterranean diet could cut your risk of a certain hard-to-treat kind of breast cancer by 40%, says a new study from the Netherlands.
Blog
Researchers may have found a solution for chemo-brain
13 January 2017

Researchers may have found a solution for chemo-brain

One of breast cancer’s biggest survivorship problems could be solved with brain exercises.
Press release
Newbie and “old hand” share $160K breast cancer research payday
16 December 2016

Newbie and “old hand” share $160K breast cancer research payday

Two breast cancer researchers – one at the top of her field and the other a promising newbie – have been awarded 2017 fellowships by the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation. The fellowships are worth $80,000 each.
News
Good news / bad news – Pharmac’s new drug deal a bitter pill for 160 long-suffering patients
05 December 2016

Good news / bad news – Pharmac’s new drug deal a bitter pill for 160 long-suffering patients

Pharmac’s decision to fund pertuzumab (trade name Perjeta) from January 2017 for New Zealanders with advanced (metastatic) HER2+ breast cancer will be good news for patients diagnosed from the New Year onwards, but is a bitter pill for the 160 Kiwis who have been deprived of this significantly life-extending drug so far and now appear to be shut out of the new agreement.
Blog
One-off breast cancer treatment should be publicly available
07 October 2016

One-off breast cancer treatment should be publicly available

New international research confirms that a single, highly targeted dose of radiotherapy during surgery is just as effective as three weeks of radiotherapy after surgery, for women with low-grade, oestrogen receptor positive cancers.
Blog
HRT risk for breast cancer higher than previously thought
24 August 2016

HRT risk for breast cancer higher than previously thought

A new study published in the British Journal of Cancer suggests that the risk of breast cancer associated with women taking Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is much greater than previously thought.
Blog
New study reveals who benefits most from exercise during breast cancer treatment
23 August 2016

New study reveals who benefits most from exercise during breast cancer treatment

Being physically active isn’t just good for your heart, your mood and your waistline. Exercise also reduces your risk of getting a few different types of cancer.
Press release
Winning breast cancer studies bring personalised approach to treatment
08 August 2016

Winning breast cancer studies bring personalised approach to treatment

The NZ Breast Cancer Foundation has announced the results of its Innovation and Impact in Breast Cancer funding round, with four winning studies to receive a total of $340,000. The NZBCF believes the winning studies could make a real difference for Kiwi women in the short to medium term, as well as making progress towards its long-term vision of “Zero deaths from breast cancer”.
Blog
Partial mastectomy better for survival than mastectomy?
13 July 2016

Partial mastectomy better for survival than mastectomy?

A new study from the Netherlands has shown that a smaller surgery that removes only part of the breast, plus radiation, is just as effective as a mastectomy, and may even improve survival rates.
Press release
$300,000 awarded to researchers investigating breast cancer patient data
27 June 2016

$300,000 awarded to researchers investigating breast cancer patient data

Two new investigative breast cancer research projects, using 15 year-rich data from the New Zealand Breast Cancer Register, have been awarded a total of over $300,000 with funding provided by a joint partnership between The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation (NZBCF) and the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC).
Blog
Worrying about wasting GPs’ time is stopping people from seeking help
08 June 2016

Worrying about wasting GPs’ time is stopping people from seeking help

A UK study has revealed that many patients don’t report cancer “alarm symptoms” to their GP, because they’re worried about wasting their GP's time.
Press release
Promising young scientists awarded $160,000 to fund innovative projects in breast cancer research
23 May 2016

Promising young scientists awarded $160,000 to fund innovative projects in breast cancer research

Two exceptional breast cancer research projects have been given the green light thanks to the provision of research grants from the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation (NZBCF).
Press release
New database and funding improve access to breast cancer clinical trials
20 May 2016

New database and funding improve access to breast cancer clinical trials

Around the world, the 20th May is regarded as the anniversary of the first ever clinical trial1 and is recognised as International Clinical Trials Day.
Blog
What about the other breast?
12 May 2016

What about the other breast?

More women are having their unaffected breast removed to prevent the return of cancer. But are these extra surgeries really preventing anything?
Blog
Late-night snacking could increase your breast cancer recurrence risk
12 May 2016

Late-night snacking could increase your breast cancer recurrence risk

Recent research is encouraging breast cancer survivors to ditch the late-night snacks and extend their overnight fast in order to prevent cancer recurrence.
Press release
Quarter-million in grants to Christchurch Hospital will bring new treatments and improve patient safety
11 March 2016

Quarter-million in grants to Christchurch Hospital will bring new treatments and improve patient safety

The NZ Breast Cancer Foundation has committed almost a quarter of a million dollars ($243,000) to new projects at Christchurch Hospital, with an emphasis on improving survival, prolonging life for women with advanced disease, and improved patient safety.
Blog
5 burning questions Kiwi cancer researchers could answer
02 March 2016

5 burning questions Kiwi cancer researchers could answer

February 4, World Cancer Day, was a chance to reflect on the burning questions that remain unanswered for the disease that is now the single biggest cause of death for New Zealanders.
Press release
5 burning questions Kiwi cancer researchers could answer
04 February 2016

5 burning questions Kiwi cancer researchers could answer

February 4, World Cancer Day, is a chance to reflect on the burning questions that remain unanswered for the disease that is now the single biggest cause of death for New Zealanders.
News
Mammograms save Kiwi lives – it’s official
14 December 2015

Mammograms save Kiwi lives – it’s official

The NZ Breast Cancer Foundation says new research released today by BreastScreen Aotearoa should give Kiwi women confidence that our mammogram screening programme is the best way to find breast cancer early and to save lives.
Press release
$300K to target new areas of breast cancer research
11 November 2015

$300K to target new areas of breast cancer research

The NZ Breast Cancer Foundation is calling for proposals to address some of the most challenging areas in breast cancer research, including prevention of the disease, prevention of metastasis (the spread of cancer, which is what causes the 600-plus breast cancer deaths in NZ each year), and improving clinical practice for better patient outcomes.
News
New NZ research focuses on Vitamin C and breast cancer
29 September 2015

New NZ research focuses on Vitamin C and breast cancer

A new research study will analyse the level of vitamin C in breast tumours, and compare health outcomes for patients with different levels of the vitamin.
News
Thumbs-down NZ on International Clinical Trials Day
19 May 2015

Thumbs-down NZ on International Clinical Trials Day

Kiwis have nothing to celebrate this International Clinical Trials Day (tomorrow, Wednesday May 20), says the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.
News
Laser treatment study a first for NZ
06 March 2015

Laser treatment study a first for NZ

International Lymphoedema Awareness Day - March 6, 2015