Clinicians Are Coming Together To Improve Outcomes For Whānau Impacted By Familial Breast And Ovarian Cancer.

1:400 people inherit a gene mutation (BRCA1 or BRCA2) placing them at greater risk for developing breast of ovarian cancer. Women who carry this gene mutation may have a 60-85% lifetime risk of development breast cancer and a 40-60% lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer.

On Friday 5 November, clinicians and experts from Aotearoa with guest speakers from Australia and the UK will come together for the first time under the theme Kia tū ko taikākā We are all in this journey together. Aspects of genetic counselling, diagnosis, risk reducing strategies, translational research and Models of Care for New Zealand will be discussed.

The aim of sharing this knowledge is to reduce impact and improve outcomes for families.

A full agenda can be accessed here - https://www.nzfboc.org.nz/programme

Cancer prevention should include tailored risk assessment and genetic testing strategies, but this approach is under-utilised in New Zealand. The care for families at high risk for cancer as well as individuals within the families already diagnosed with cancer requires a coordinated approach between a large ranges of professions; it often falls in between “screening” and “cancer care” and a coordinated overarching strategy would be beneficial in this country.

, from Dr Simone Petrich, Breast Surgeon, Gynaecologist and Chair of the New Zealand Familial Breast and Ovarian Cancer Group and Trust Te Pou Manaaki Whanau Mate a-ira pukupuku o Aotearoa on behalf of the organising committee

“It is critical for Clinicians across Genetic Services, Breast and Gynaecology to come together and understand our journey from beginning to end. It’s a journey that can last a lifetime, mine has been going for 15 years and it’s still not over. The more our Clinicians can come together and learn from each other about the part they each play and the implication of their discipline on the next stage of our journey – the better off we all are. If the system is more connected, the outcomes for us will be better and it will ultimately cost the system less. This is one cancer that, if we arm ourselves with knowledge, we can be proactive and beat”, Nicola Coom, BRCA1 and Founder of The Gift of Knowledge

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