New program on secondary breast cancer to air August 31st
August 18, 2010A new Rural Health Education Foundation television program examining some of the challenges in the management of secondary breast cancer, produced in association with National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC), will premiere on Tuesday August 31st.
Secondary Breast Cancer: Finding Breast Cancer Outside the Breast outlines the impact of secondary breast cancer, covering recent developments in treatment and exploring the psychosocial and supportive care needs of women and their families.
The hour-long program also considers a number of new resources for women with secondary breast cancer and their families, developed by National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC).
Important collaboration between Foundation and NBOCC
“Secondary breast cancer affects many Australian women in rural and remote areas, where appropriate health resources can be scarce,” says Rural Health Education Foundation CEO Don Perlgut. “This latest collaboration with NBOCC has resulted in a program that helps to define the role of general practitioners and nurses as part of the multidisciplinary team caring for a woman with secondary breast cancer, and also defines the role of palliative care in treating these patients.”
“There are a variety of challenges for a woman and her healthcare team in managing secondary breast cancer,” says Dr Helen Zorbas, CEO, National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre, who introduces the program. “This new broadcast will enable health professionals to identify clinical presentations of secondary breast cancer, and outline the management goals and treatments available for women diagnosed with the disease.”
Program features expert panel discussion
The pre-recorded program features a panel discussion chaired by Dr Norman Swan, Presenter of the Health Report on ABC Radio National.
The expert panel includes: Dr Tony Hobbs, a General Practitioner from Cootamundra in NSW; Professor Jane Ingham, Professor of Palliative Care at St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of NSW, in Sydney; Ms Chris Keogh, a Palliative Care Nurse from Young in NSW; Associate Professor Chris Milross, Head of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney; and Associate Professor Nicholas Wilcken, Director of Medical Oncology at Westmead Hospital in Sydney.
Program funding
Secondary Breast Cancer: Finding Breast Cancer Outside the Breast is a project of the Supporting Women in Rural Areas Diagnosed with Breast Cancer Program, funded by the Australian Government and delivered by National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre.
Broadcast details
Secondary Breast Cancer: Finding Breast Cancer Outside the Breast will be broadcast across the Rural Health Education Foundation’s satellite television network on Tuesday August 31st at 8.00pm (AEST), with repeats at 8.00pm Perth time that same evening (two hours later) and 12.30pm on Friday September 3rd.
Also available on DVD and via web-streaming
After the initial broadcast, this program will also be available free on the Internet for viewing via web-streamed video or listening via an audio podcast.
About secondary breast cancer
Secondary breast cancer, also known as metastatic breast cancer, is breast cancer which has spread to distant sites in the body such as the bone, liver or brain. Most women who present with secondary breast cancer will have already been diagnosed with and treated for early breast cancer, although this will be the first presentation for some.
The prognosis of secondary breast cancer is largely dependent on the site of the metastasis, the disease-free interval and the hormone receptor status of the tumour.
More information
For more information about the Secondary Breast Cancer: Finding Breast Cancer Outside the Breast program - including presenter details and associated educational resources - go to the online program summary or contact the Foundation.