Rural Health Education Foundation images
Dog Box Box

Programs

Home | Programs | Breast Cancer: Challenges After Treatment

Breast Cancer: Challenges After Treatment

Duration: 86 minutes

Program ID: 915

Breast Cancer remains by far the most common cancer diagnosed in women and in 2005, made up over 27% of all cancer diagnoses. The risk of breast cancer increases with age and the average age of diagnosis is 60 years for a woman.  Breast cancer is also the most common cancer experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women but the incidence is lower than for the non-indigenous population.

A woman’s risk of dying from the disease before the age of 85 has been declining steadily over the last 25 years and Australia’s mortality rates from breast cancer are lower now than rates from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America.
 
For women there has been a significant increase in relative survival after diagnosis of breast cancer with five-year rates increasing from 71.8 % to 87.8% between 1982 and 2004. This improvement has been attributed to earlier detection through breast screening programs and advances in breast cancer treatments delivered through a multidisciplinary approach to best practice in breast cancer care.
 
Women face many challenges at the completion of treatment and a large proportion of these may be related to the treatment they received for their breast cancer. There can be unexpected physical and emotional changes coupled with confusion over follow-up care and worry about the future.
 
This program aims to answer many of the frequently asked questions related to those challenges and offers strategies to assist women in gaining accurate information and access to appropriate support. The program also explores ways in which health care professionals can assist women to find their ‘new normal’ once their treatment for breast cancer has been completed.

Program Presenters

  • Host: Associate Professor John Boyages - Director, Westmead Breast Cancer Institute
  • Dr James French - Head of Breast Surgery, Westmead Hospital, Sydney NSW
  • Dr Tony Hobbs - General Practitioner, Cootamundra NSW
  • Associate Professor Judy Kirk - Director Familial Cancer Service
  • Ms Louise Koelmeyer - Occupational Therapist and Lymphoedema Specialist, Westmead Hospital, Sydney NSW
  • Associate Professor Nicholas Wilcken - Director Medical Oncology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney NSW
See details of presenters for this program

Learning Outcomes

  • 1. Understand the challenges facing women after treatment of breast cancer
  • 2. Describe routine follow-up protocols after treatment
  • 3. Understand common treatment-related side effects and their management
  • 4. Identify strategies to ensure access to appropriate information and support

Broadcast Dates

This program was first broadcast on the Foundation's satellite network on Tuesday 27 October 2009.

Funding Bodies

This program has been funded by the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute with support from the Sydney West Area Health Service and the community.

Accreditation

This program is accredited or endorsed for CPD/CPE by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, the Royal College of Nursing Australia and the Australian Physiotherapy Association.