New register to improve breast cancer research and treatment in Canterbury officially launched

A new breast cancer register set up to monitor women in Canterbury who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer is expected to improve outcomes for those with the disease.

Women who decide to join the Christchurch Breast Cancer Patient Register will consent to having information such as when they were diagnosed; what treatment they underwent and whether they opted for a breast reconstruction entered on to a regional database by Breast Cancer Register Data Co-ordinator Val Davey, who is based at Christchurch Hospital.

Participants will also be followed up each year to monitor how they are doing following their breast cancer diagnosis. The Register, which will be officially launched at Christchurch Hospital tomorrow, is funded by a grant from the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

All information collected will be confidential and will be used by doctors to determine how breast cancer patients are being managed in Canterbury in both public and private sectors, and which treatments result in the best outcomes for women. The database will also enable them to compare their treatment methods and outcomes with other parts of the country and internationally.

Information collected will also improve research carried out by University of Otago, Christchurch. Scientists currently have access to tumour tissue donated to the Cancer Society’s Tissue Bank for use in their research. However, having access to more information about the types of people affected by breast cancer, the types of treatment they undergo and the rates of cancer recurrence will enhance this work.

Dr Birgit Dijkstra, Consultant Breast Cancer and Endocrine Surgeon, said the Register would benefit women with breast cancer. “The Register will help with monitoring surgical outcomes for women with breast cancer as well as giving a good overview of the overall management of breast cancer.”

Gavin Harris, an Anatomical Pathologist at Canterbury Health Laboratories, said the Register would help to improve the management and treatment of future patients. “With the data we collect we will be able to get a better view of treatment and outcomes for breast cancer patients in Christchurch and a better understanding of the types of breast cancer we are seeing.”

New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation Executive Trustee Heather Shotter said, “We are delighted to see Christchurch join Auckland and Waikato in capturing data that will assist in leading to a better understanding of breast cancer in women of this region.”

The first breast cancer register was set up in Auckland in 2000 and now holds information for 7,500 patients. The Foundation eventually hopes to fund registers for all six district health boards with oncology units in New Zealand.