General information on Breast Cancer
Written by Trustee and Surgeon John Harman; 

We now know from widespread follow-up of screening programmes that breast cancer is curable. The smaller the breast cancer, the better the rate of cure. It should be stated that a breast cancer that is 5mm in size has a 95% cure rate. A breast cancer that is 1cm in size has a 90% chance of cure. A breast cancer that is palpable needs to be 2.5cm in size on average. These breast cancers are only 60% curable. For this reason the widespread use of mammography is one of the major tools in our armamentarium for reducing death rates from breast cancer.

Surgery:

The surgical options for breast cancer used to be quite limited and somewhat mundane. One either removed all of the breast or part of the breast and referred the patient on to oncology for an opinion about management and further treatment. Since the emergence of the multidisciplinary team and the multiskilled breast surgeon there has been a proliferation of ideas, research and further treatment plans...read more »

Breast Reconstruction:

It is now possible to reconstruct a breast which looks very normal and has 80% sensation of the normal breast. This is performed by immediate breast reconstruction following skin-preserving mastectomy. There is no contraindication to breast reconstruction. Breast reconstruction can be performed using flap techniques or implants...read more »

Tamoxifen:

Tamoxifen has been hailed as the new wonder drug.  Tamoxifen is now used in all patients with oestrogen receptive positive cancers and has been shown to reduce the death rate from breast cancer by 15% across the board in all groups.

Currently it is used after chemotherapy or instead of chemotherapy if one patient has moderate prognosis oestrogen receptive positive cancer...read more »

Inflammatory and Advanced Breast Cancer:

These conditions do sometimes arise and are treated by the multidisciplinary team using combinations of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.

Inflammatory breast cancer is characterised by dramatic peau d'orange growth in the breast which may be hot or inflamed in the skin and can be confused with infection in the breast. Advanced breast cancer is easily described clinically and can be treated quite satisfactorily using mastectomy and reconstruction techniques.

The Place of Breast Examination:

This is a much vexed question. There is no scientific evidence that breast cancer examination reduces mortality from breast cancer. Clinical trials run in England and Canada have shown no benefit.

However, clinical examination coupled with screening mammography has been shown to be of benefit...read more »

Hereditary Breast Cancer:

Almost too much hype and media attention is given to hereditary breast cancer. Some 5% of patients with breast cancer will be shown to be breast cancer families. To be a breast cancer family you have to have several family members with breast cancer...read more »

The Breast Cancer Research Trust's goal is to find a Cure for breast cancer in the next ten years. Our research projects bring us in touch with leading edge overseas organisations who are equally researching to find a cure to this worldwide problem. We also have the privilege to engage with some amazing organisations who deal with awareness, education, medical and psychological assistance to those living and dealing with breast cancer in New Zealand and their family and friends.

We are pleased to be able to provide you links to New Zealand and overseas sites that offer additional information that may be of interest to you: