By Sally Redman
Breast News: Newsletter of the NHMRC National Breast Cancer Centre
Vol. 6, No. 1, Spring 2000
In the May 1999 Federal budget the Government announced funding of $4.1 million
over four years for a new program which will seek to improve supportive care for
women living in rural and remote areas diagnosed with breast cancer.
A national workshop in November, convened by the Centre on behalf of the
Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, facilitated the development of
appropriate strategies to be trialled as part of this project. It was attended
by representatives from state and territory health departments, consumers,
health professionals and clinicians, state and territory cancer organisations
and those with special expertise in rural health.
State and territory health departments have been asked to develop proposals for
improving supportive care for women in rural areas based around the discussions
held at the workshop. This will be an interesting program that should enable
much to be learned about sustainable approaches to supportive care in rural and
regional parts of Australia.
To support this initiative the report Strengthening support for women with
breast cancer: a background paper has been developed to summarise all of the
available data about rural women and breast cancer. The report identifies the
major areas of need in rural areas and some of the data about strategies that
may be effective in improving care.
This report will be published in the next few months and is available by calling
the Centre's publications line 02 9334 1882 or it can be accessed via the
Centre's website www.nbcc.org.au.
Partnership to improve breast cancer control
This year will see the Centre initiate several new programs that have been made
possible through the generous support of the AMP Foundation which entered into a
$1.1 million sponsorship agreement with the Centre last year.
The partnership, which spans a three-year period, will fund the publication of
some of the consumer resources provided by the Centre and a national
communication skills training program. Funds will also be available for one or
two national surveys of aspects of breast cancer control - one of these will
most likely focus on advanced breast cancer.
AMP's generous support shows a very real commitment to the wellbeing of all
Australians and it will enable programs for women to be implemented more quickly
and more broadly than would otherwise have been possible.
Prompt investigation of breast symptoms
One of the AMP funded projects, which will be launched in July, is a national
public information program aimed at encouraging women to seek prompt
investigation of any breast symptoms.
We know from the Report on the 1996 breast health survey that 38% of women do
not see a doctor for three months or longer after finding a breast symptom, and
some never saw a doctor.
The reasons women delay having breast symptoms investigated are likely to be
complex. However, we know that women are more likely not to seek investigation
of breast symptoms other than lumps, and some women do not know about other
breast changes that might be breast cancer.
Research also suggests that some women feel that "there is nothing that can be
done" once a breast symptom has been found. The public information program,
which aims to reach well women nationwide using television and print media and
programs with community groups and health professionals, will emphasise the
benefits of prompt investigation of breast symptoms.
Source :
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/nph-arch/2000/H2000-Sep
-1/http://www.nbcc.org.au/pages/info/resource/nbccpubs/brnews/00spr/spr2.htm