A range of clinical practice tools and resources including guidelines, slides and patient information regarding breast cancers.

Website listing breast cancer trials open in Australia and New Zealand as well as relevant events.

BCNA position statements are developed by the Policy team in consultation with our members, and after a process of thorough background research and analysis. Our position statements outline BCNA's perspective on key breast cancer issues, and suggest solutions to current problems.

Our position statements inform our national advocacy work, and we encourage others to use our statements when developing responses and solutions to key breast cancer issues.

The following principles form the basis for BCNA's policy work. They can be drawn upon when considering almost any breast cancer policy issue:

• every woman should be able to access a range of treatment choices so that together with her doctors she can make the best decision for her circumstances
• women need excellent information to make good choices about their treatment and care
• women need to be at the centre of the breast cancer (or health service) system, not an after thought
• good evidence leads to good practice
• consumers need to be involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of:
  
  • research
  • policy development 
  • service development and delivery.

Position statements are included for:

• Breast care nurses
• Breast prostheses
• BreastScreen
• Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Clinical Trials
• Complementary Therapies
• Consumer Representation
• Pharmaceutical Companies
• Early Detection
• Family history/hereditary cancer
• Supportive care
• Long term effects
• Lymphodema
• Multidisciplinary care
• Nutrition, diet & exercise
• Secondary breast cancer
• Sentinel node biopsy
• Rural and remote patients

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Professional Oncology Education Web site, dedicated to sharing our experiences and best practices in preventing, diagnosing and treating breast cancer.

Further topics in the breast cancer series of faculty lectures features information on inflammatory breast cancer and survivorship, with future modules coming soon regarding the identification of women at high risk, psychosocial support, palliative care, nursing management, diet and exercise.

A searchable database of internationally developed clinical guidelines relating to the screening, diagnosis, treatment and managment of breast cancers.

The ASCO Breast Cancers MOC Module consists of 25 multiple-choice questions which include patient case information, educational links and answer rationales. This activity is a tool for self-assessment of medical knowledge as it relates to breast cancers.

Upon completion of this educational activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify knowledge and practice gaps relating to breast cancers
• Apply knowledge learned toward an enhanced ability to identify breast cancer risks and recommend effective interventions for individual patients
• Demonstrate participation in life-long learning and enhancement of competence.

Comprehenisve oncologist approved information about breast cancers. Each guide provides information on:

• Overview
• Medical Illustrations
• Risk Factors
• Prevention
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis
• Staging With Illustrations
• Treatment
• Clinical Trials Resources
• Side Effects, After Treatment
• Current Research
• Questions to Ask the Doctor
• Patient Information Resources

The diagnosis of breast cancer is a blow to any woman and her family. However, for younger women in particular the impact is profound - making treatment decisions which impact on body image and sexuality, assessing the possibility of precipitation of premature menopause and enforced infertility, all underscored by the big question: Can I beat it?

These guidelines represent a breakthrough for younger women with breast cancer, who have long felt that their particular needs, both emotional and physical, have not been fully addressed.

Underpinning these guidelines is explicit information and about the emotional impact of breast cancer for younger women, and about evidence-based strategies to appropriately respond.

Available as a single PDF file. Hard copies can be ordered.

The Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Advanced Breast Cancer have been developed by a multidisciplinary working party, which has been rigorous in seeking the best available evidence, including research published up to mid-2000. The guidelines are primarily intended for use by all health professionals involved in the management of women with advanced breast cancer. Breast cancer has a longer history than many other common cancers and often takes the form of a chronic illness.

While recognising that there is a clear need for high level professional skills in diagnosis and management, careful attention has also been given to a patient‘s emotions, psychosocial inter-relationships and general well being. The guidelines aim to provide material that will be helpful and supportive to those managing the difficult range of problems that may present in advanced breast cancer. Available as a single PDF file. Hard copies can be ordered.

Clinical practice guidelines for the management of early breast cancer, 2nd edition, is designed to: assist in decision-making by women and their doctors; educate all involved in the care of women with breast cancer; assess and assure the quality of care; reduce the risk of legal liability by improving care; and bring the issue of cost-effectiveness into the public arena.

To supplement this second edition, the following updates are available: 'Recommendations for Aromatase inhibitors as adjuvant endocrine therapy' and 'The use of intraoperative radiotherapy - for the treatment of patients with early breast cancer'.

The Clinical Practice Guidelines are available as a single PDF file and hard copies can be ordered. The supplements are published online as separate PDF files.

This guideline includes statements and recommendations based on available, high-level evidence about the use of chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced breast cancer.

The guideline provides health professionals with information designed to help them make management recommendations for improved patient outcomes.

The guideline, funded by the National Breast Cancer Foundation, has been endorsed by the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, the Faculty of Radiation Oncology at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

This case study recounts the experience of Libby, a 48-year-old female diagnosed with breast cancer. This case study aims to facilitate the development of competencies that reflect the role of the Specialist Cancer Nurse (SCN) in providing supportive care, information, and education to a person diagnosed with breast cancer at various points across the cancer journey. This case study focuses on issues during and following active treatment, including specific issues associated with diagnosis and treatment of a contralateral second primary breast cancer.

The case study contains four sections:

• Reduce risk
• Find the condition early
• Have the best treatment and support during active treatment
• Have the best treatment and support between and after active treatment.

This primary care module includes resources and information specific to breast tumours and cancers treatment and side effect management, clincial tools, an opioid conversion calculator and safe handling of cytotoxics.

Free registration is required to access the site.

This information sheet is to assist general practitioners in managing the clinical and psychosocial aspects of care of the woman with metastatic breast cancer and her family. This guide provides evidence based recommendations relevant to general practice adapted from the Clinical practice guidelines for the management of advanced breast cancer (National Breast Cancer Centre 2001).

A chart detailing symptoms a woman with metastatic breast cancer may experience requiring urgent treatment is included.

Medscape from WebMD Breast Cancer Resource Centre offers specialists, primary care physicians, and other health professionals the Web's most robust and integrated medical information and educational tools about breast cancer. After a simple, 1-time, free registration, Medscape from WebMD automatically delivers to you a personalized specialty site that best fits your registration profile.

Some of the key features of Medscape from WebMD are:

• Original, professional medical content, including review articles, journal commentary, expert columns, patient education articles, book reviews, and more;
• Breast Cancer emedicine articles
• Breast cancer CME
• Conference Coverage: Thought leaders summarize key data and presentations from major medical meetings;
• The Internet's first primary-source medical journal, The Medscape from WebMD Journal of Medicine;
• Selected daily professional medical news in your specialty from Reuters, Medscape Medical News, and medical news journal publishers;
• Physician Optimized MEDLINE;
• Free subscription to Medscape's MedPulse, a weekly email newsletter that highlights what's new in your specialty on Medscape from WebMD;
• More than 125 medical journals and textbooks;
• Business, financial, managed care, and medical practice information

National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre’s guidelines and guides are based on the best evidence available at the time of publication and are a guide to appropriate practice, to be followed subject to the clinician’s judgement and the woman’s preference in each individual case.

As new evidence becomes available, existing resources may be updated or topic-specific updates may be developed to act as supplements to existing documents.

This section provides links to all National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre guidelines, guides and recommendations, including any relevant updates and the date of publication. Links to relevant evidence reviews and consumer information are also provided.

 Choose a topic area:

• Breast cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Multidisciplinary care (all-cancer focus)
• Psychosocial care (all-cancer focus)
• Lymphoedema (all-cancer focus)

Find a resource:

• Clinical practice guidelines and recommendations
• GP guides and resources
• NBOCC position statements
• Other breast and ovarian cancer resources including research, reports and data reviews; corporate resources; and information for women, family and friends.

Downloadable clinical practice guidelines developed and endorsed by NCCN for breast cancers, including:

• Noninvasive
• Invasive
• Phyllodes Tumor
• Paget’s Disease
• Breast Cancer During Pregnancy
• Inflammatory Breast Cancer

A full range of guidelines and resources relating to breast cancers. including:

• information about prevention, genetics and causes
• screening and testing unformation about methods of cancer detection including new imaging technologies, tumor markers, and biopsy procedures
• Information about treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and vaccine therapy
• statistics related to cancer incidence, mortality, and survival
• research
• information and current news about clinical trials and trial-related data

A library of downloadable clinical practice guidelines developed in the UK and internationally relating to the diagnosis, treatment and management of breast cancers.

NBOCC, in collaboration with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) is providing new educational opportunities for general practitioners, nurses and other health professionals working in rural areas to access information about the latest advances in evidence-based breast cancer treatment and care.

Using online technology, health professionals can access and participate in breast cancer education without travelling.

These modules use online technology to deliver lectures by experts across the spectrum of breast cancer care using web and audio technology. An online discussion forum for each module is available for users to ask questions about the session and receive answers.

Online modules include:

• Breast cancer diagnosis - what now?
• Breast cancer treatment - managing the impact
• Breast cancer treatment is over - what's next?

Each online module is approved with ACRRM for 1 Core PDP Point and with the Royal Australian College of General Practice (RACGP) QA&CPD for 2 category 2 points.

Comprehensive, authoritative, evidence-based information regarding breast cancer and its associated characteristics, prevention, symptoms, screening diagnosis, staging and treatment.

Multimedia resources including anatomical drawings are available on the site. 

Clinical practice guidelines for the pathology reporting of breast cancer.

Available as a single PDF file online. Hard copies can be ordered.

The Australasian Society for Breast Disease (ASBD) was established in 1997 to provide a multidisciplinary forum for discussion on the prevention, detection, diagnosis and management of breast disease and research into this area of medicine.

The goals include:

• To bring together individuals wherever in Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific rim countries, having the purpose of promoting better knowledge in biology, medicine and human sciences related to the breast in order to establish an Australasian society, with the intention of advancing multidisciplinary understanding and cooperation in the areas of prevention, detection, diagnosis and management of breast disease.
• To promote and encourage scientific research and publications related to the purposes of the Society.
• To instil an increased consciousness within the medical and lay communities with regard to breast disease, by using available means of education, information and publicity.
• To cooperate with relevant international associations, societies, other groups and individuals to promote the purposes of the Society.

Email the executive director for further information.

Breast Cancer Australia is a non-profit trust established primarily to raise funds to support ongoing national breast cancer research programs, to raise awareness for both prevention measures and early detection of breast cancer, upgrade equipment used at diagnostic levels, treatment and research levels and to provide dignified accommodation for patients and their families during oncology treatment.

BCIA is the education and fundraising department of the Australian New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group. It aims to decrease the suffering of women and their families by supporting clinical trials research that identifies safe and effective treatments for women diagnosed with breast cancer and prevention strategies for all women.

Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) is the peak national organisation for Australians affected by breast cancer, and consists of a network of more than 50,000 individual members and 284 Member Groups. More than ninety percent of our members have had a diagnosis of breast cancer, and the remaining members have had a personal experience with breast cancer through a family member or friend.

BCNA works to ensure that women diagnosed with breast cancer, and their families, receive the very best information, treatment, care and support possible, no matter who they are or where they live.

BCNA informs, empowers, represents and links together people affected by breast cancer.

The new combined society for Breast Cancer Surgeons working in Australia and New Zealand.

For further information, contact:

Email: xo@breastsurganz.com or contactus@alfred.org.au

The Breast Group aims to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of scientific material related to all aspects of breast cancer. The membership of the Breast Group includes epidemiologists, tumour biologists, biostatisticians, oncology nurses, pathologists, radiologists and clinicians concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

We share significant common ground with many of the other sub groups in COSA and the COSA Annual Scientific Meeting provides an excellent opportunity for cross-fertilisation of ideas and education. The group works cooperatively with various other breast cancer groups and organisations outside of COSA when opportunities arise, to develop scientific meetings of excellent educational content and broad appeal.

The group shares common interest and common membership with other breast cancer interest groups in Australia and New Zealand.

Cooperation, scheduling and content of meetings for the groups below is undertaken:

• Australia New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group (ANZBCTG)
• BreastSurg ANZ
• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons - Breast Surgery
• Australasian Society for Breast Disease (ASBD)
• NSW Breast Cancer Institute (NSWBCI)
• Kathleen Cuningham Foundation Consortium (kConFab)
• National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC)

National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC) is Australia’s national authority and source of evidence-based information on breast and ovarian cancer. Funded by the Australian Government, NBOCC works in partnership with health professionals, cancer organisations, researchers, governments and those diagnosed to improve outcomes in breast and ovarian cancer.

NBOCC plays a vital role in the translation of worldwide cancer research into meaningful and evidence-based information to:

• guide the work of Australian health professionals
• improve health service delivery
• inform people with breast or ovarian cancer about all aspects of their diagnosis and treatment
• inform and provide advice on policy development
• raise community awareness about these diseases.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) is renowned for funding high quality research and supporting a generation of significant milestones in breast cancer knowledge.

The NBCF funds Doctoral Research Scholarships, Postdoctoral Fellowships, Career Development Awards and Kathleen Cuningham Research Grants.

See the website for further information about applying for grants and scholarships; or for fundraising for or donating to NBCF

NSWOG Breast was established in November 2006, and has multidisciplinary representation from key breast health professionals and organisations.

A UK document aimed at shaping service delivery and defining a detailed practical framework for modern breast cancer care.

The NSW Breast Cancer Institute in collaboration with The College of Nursing developed this program to support rural nursing staff in gaining postgraduate and clinical training in breast cancer diagnosis and management.

This five day program is designed for registered nurses who are currently caring for patients diagnosed with Breast Cancer.

Available in NSW only.

GuidelineStat™ is the only Website of its kind – a wholly CME guideline resource dedicated to the needs of busy, practice-based physicians, spanning multiple therapeutic areas and linked to guideline-oriented patient cases.

The breast cancer tool includes:

• Slide Presentation, suitable for self-directed learning
• Disease State Animation focused on the disease entity and its treatment
• Practical Case Studies exemplifying key teaching points and best-practice guideline recommendations
• Treatment and Diagnostic Algorithms
• An Executive Summary that addresses the practical, need-to-know information from the guideline
• Self-Evaluations
• Patient Education Resources for in-office communications with patients
• A Discussion Forum to promote information exchange between learners and guideline experts
• Breaking News with links to recent publications

The McGrath Foundation works in partnership with La Trobe University, to support two scholarships for students to undertake either a Graduate Certificate or a Post Graduate Diploma in Breast Care Nursing. The aim of this partnership is to enable nurses with an interest in breast care, who have not had the opportunity before, to further their education and qualifications in breast care nursing.

Further information and applications forms can be accessed here.

Evidence-based clinical best practice information on breast and ovarian cancer for health professionals, including resources, research reports and latest news and treatments.

Putting research into context, Clinical Update - Breast Cancer is produced by the National Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC) as a service for health professionals, delivering timely expert comment on relevant journal articles direct to your email inbox. A brief abstract summarises key findings from a recent journal article, while commentary from an expert reviewer places the study outcomes into context for the Australian healthcare system.

ASCO's Breast Cancer Portal offers breast cancer specific resources including the latest information from:

• ASCO's Virtual Meeting
• The Journal of Clinical Oncology
• Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Meeting abstracts
• Educational Book manuscripts
• ASCO Daily News.

National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre’s research, reviews and data reports regarding breast cancer including:

Risk of invasive breast cancer in women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ in Australia between 1995 and 2005, Publication date: March 2010

Breast cancer in Australia: an overview, 2009, Publication date: October 2009

Breast cancer risk factors - a review of the evidence (resource RFRW), Publication date: July 2009

National Breast Cancer Audit Public Health Monitoring Series 2007 Data
Publication date: March 2009

National Breast Cancer Audit Public Health Monitoring Series 2006 Data,
Publication date: November 2009

National Data Strategy for Breast and Ovarian Cancer, Publication date: February 2008

Breast cancer survival by size and nodal status, Publication date: October 2007

Reports from the most recent breast cancer data collected by National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre including:

Breast cancer specific data items for clinical cancer registration
Publication date: June 2009

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2009. Canberra: Breast cancer (Cancer registries) Data Set Specification, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Publication date: 6 March, 2009

Report from National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre and Victorian Cancer Registry reporting on the development and testing of a means of collecting Tumour, Node and Metastases (TNM) stage information for breast cancer by population based cancer registries. Includes an evaluation of the accuracy and completeness of the resulting TNM data.

HemOnc Today strives to be the global, definitive information source for oncology and hematology professionals by delivering timely, accurate, authoritative and balanced reports on clinical issues, socioeconomic topics and industry developments relating to breast cancer, as well as presenting clinically relevant information on medical therapies for the benefit of the patient.

The Imedex E-Learning Center is designed to meet the needs of the busy healthcare professional with a complete suite of innovative E-learning products. Dozens of clinically-relevant, accredited activities are available to practitioners every day at no charge, focusing on impacting the clinical management of patients around the world.

Breast cancer activities include webcasts, interactive case studies and podcasts.

Providing relevant, high quality and up-to-date information, MedConnect is a gateway to leading local and international medical news, research, events and resources to allow health care professionals to stay connected to the most important developments in medicine.

The breast cancer page features the latest news, research, drugs, podcasts, videos, articles, conferences and events.  

Users can sign up for free to receive daily news feeds and journal summaries about their specialist topic.

The NBOCC Clinical practice guidelines for the management of advanced breast cancer define advanced breast cancer as both locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body).  This topic-specific clinical practice guideline on the use of bisphosphonates for advanced breast cancer is based on evidence for women with advanced breast cancer who have bone metastases and women with locally advanced breast cancer without bone metastases.

Treatment for women with advanced breast cancer includes the use of supportive drug treatments to reduce disease-related symptoms and slow progression of disease, thereby enhancing the woman’s quality of life. Bone metastases are common in advanced breast cancer and the cancer deposits can cause bone resorption, causing bone pain, fractures, hypercalcaemia and spinal cord compression.

Bisphosphonates act to reduce the activity of bone-absorbing cells and are the standard supportive drug treatment for women with bone metastases. In women with at least one bone metastasis, bisphosphonates can be used to reduce skeletal events (defined as new bone metastases, pathological fractures, spinal cord compression, irradiation of or surgery on bone, or the development or progression of bone pain).

Information about the latest research into the screening, risk factors and incidence of breast cancer, with links to evidence based articles and reports.

This booklet was written to help women understand what their risk factors are for the development of breast cancer and how they can reduce their risk.

Information about the genetic risk of breast cancer and methods of preventing the development of the disease.

The deCODEme Complete Scan identifies the variants listed above and uses them to provide customers of European descent with a personalized interpretation of their genetic risk for developing breast cancer. For women of East-Asian descent the deCODEme Genetic Scan currently includes risk information for five of the variants listed above, including the ESR1 gene variant.

At present, the necessary scientific information to interpret the genetic risk for individuals of other ethnicities is not available. This information will be added as soon as it becomes available and we are assured of its quality.

The World Health Organization's new Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health advise that people of all ages can reduce the risk of developing a Non Communicable Disease, including breast and colon cancers, by undertaking various amounts and intensities of physical activity.

The recommendations are available in a number of languages and target ages.

NBOCC  developed Your risk and breast cancer, an online information resource and calculator to inform women and help individuals to understand their level of risk for breast cancer.

The breast cancer risk assessment is an interactive tool that allows doctors to estimate a woman's absolute risk of developing invasive breast cancer over the next 5 years for women age 35 to 90 years (lifetime risk) based on the woman's age and the risk factor information provided.

Information from the National Cancer Institute regarding breast cancer prevention, screening and detection, including:

• Prevention, Genetics, and Causes of Breast Cancer
• Screening and Testing for Breast Cancer
• Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR)
• Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Group in the Division of Cancer Prevention

Guidelines developed for health professionals about familial aspects of both breast and ovarian cancer. The aim of the guidelines is to help health professionals determine a woman‘s risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer based on her family history.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have pioneered the use of computerized devices to help patients and their physicians decide among the major treatment choices for several cancers.

Available are tools that predict the chance of breast cancer to spread to the sentinel lymph nodes and from the sentinel lymph nodes to axillary lymph nodes, and a tool to predict the probability of local breast recurrence for a woman with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing had a goal to achieve significant reductions in mortality and morbidity from breast cancer by actively recruiting and screening Australian women aged 50-69 years for early detection of the disease.

Screening mammography is carried out in an organised and systematic manner to detect unsuspected cancer at an early stage so that early treatment can reduce illness and death from breast cancer.

Resources included on the site include a Decision Tool and Accreditation Standards.

BreastScreen Australia operates in over 500 locations nationwide, via fixed, relocatable and mobile screening units.

'Screening' refers to population-based screening, of apparently well women in the target age group, for breast cancer. Screening mammography is carried out in an organised and systematic manner to detect unsuspected cancer at an early stage so that early treatment can reduce illness and death from breast cancer.

Links are available to the state based affiliates:

• ACT
• NSW
• NT
• QLD
• SA
• TAS
• VIC
• WA

This position statement applies to screening methods for the early detection of breast cancer in asymptomatic women (women without breast changes).

Managing Breast Symptoms is a new online interactive learning module which has been developed by National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre in collaboration with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), hosted on the RACGP's online learning platform, gplearning. It is an educational module designed for GPs, breast physicians and practice nurses, focusing on breast cancer and benign breast problems such as breast cysts, mastalgia, fibroadenomas and nipple discharge.

Completion of the activity is approved for 40 Category 1 points in the RACGP QA & CPD Program

Visit www.gplearning.com.au for more information.

Downloadable clinical practice guidelines developed and endorsed by NCCN for:

• Breast Cancer Risk Reduction
• Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnosis

This summary is designed to assist general practitioners in managing aspects of follow-up care and support for women following completion of active treatment for early breast cancer.

This document supplements guideline recommendation 25 about follow-up care contained in the Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Early Breast Cancer, 2nd edition 2001.

This webpage summarizes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening for breast cancer. Supporting documents to the recommendations can also be downloaded.

The NHS Cancer Screening Programmes has issued guidance on breast screening and this module is based on the guidance. The module offers practical advice, but it is not meant to replace clinical judgment. The module encourages healthcare professionals to take into account patients' values and preferences when caring for them.

After completing this module, participants should know:

• How to advise women who are worried about breast cancer
• What information you should give them
• How to advise women who have questions about the NHS breast screening programme

All women with suspected breast cancer should be referred as quickly as possible to a team specialising in the care of breast cancer.

In June 2005 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines on when and how to refer patients with suspected cancer to specialist services.² These guidelines are important because failing to appropriately refer patients with suspected breast cancer is distressing to both patients and doctors. The purpose of this module is to help you learn about the guidelines and put them into practice.

This guide indicates steps to be taken by a GP when investigating symptoms that could be breast cancer.

Depression in women with breast cancer is common, but is often overlooked and therefore, undertreated.

This fact sheet provides information on depression, its links with breast cancer, available treatments for depression and how to help yourself or someone close to you.

Free breast cancer CME courses consisting of a web cast and post test for health professionals interested in new developments for treatment of breast cancers.

Nurses work in specialist nurse roles providing information, support and referral to people affected by breast cancer. The Cancer Council and La Trobe University worked in collaboration to develop an innovative and comprehensive learning tool to cater for specialist nurse practice needs.

The aim of this subject is for the student to explore nursing practice as it is related to breast cancer. At the completion of this subject, the student will obtain a broad knowledge base of breast cancer along the continuum of genesis to death. This will be achieved by examining the pathophysiology of the breast and lymphatic system, therefore addressing the treatment and management of breast cancer.

The program structure includes:

• Role of the Breast Care Nurse
• Breast cancer and the Australian Cancer Councils
• Management of early breast cancer
• Locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer
• Lymphoedema and breast cancer
• Communicating with a woman with breast cancer
• Psychosocial support issues
• Sexuality and breast cancer
• Grief, loss and breast cancer and palliative care.

For women with early breast cancer, multidisciplinary care has the potential to reduce mortality, improve quality of life and reduce healthcare costs. In Australia, the diversity of healthcare delivery settings and types of care means that a single model of multidisciplinary care may not be appropriate.

The Principles of multidisciplinary care were developed to provide a flexible framework for the provision of multidisciplinary care in Australia.

The Principles emphasise five key elements:

• the team
• communication
• access to the full range of therapies
• standards of care
• involvement of the woman

This flexible, principle-based approach to multidisciplinary care is unique. The Principles have the potential to be applied to other cancers and other chronic diseases.

The Multidisciplinary Care Guidelines for Women with Breast Disease package describes best practice standards for health care professionals in providing coordinated, multidisciplinary care to women with breast disease. The package has a number of uses:

• for the rural GP and clinician who may not see many women with breast cancer - provides guidance on diagnostic and appropriate treatment options, referral options and how to best provide psychosocial support
• for the rural nurse and other allied health carers involved in the care of a woman with breast cancer - provides guidance to the different clinical pathways, referral options and how to best provide psychosocial support
• for the woman with breast cancer - describes what you can expect during your stay in hospital and immediately afterwards

Guidelines are included for:

• Care Planning For Management Of Breast Disease In Women
• Clinical Pathways
• Patient Information
• Pyschosocial Care

On Target: Breast Cancer Management in the Age of Targeted Therapies is the name of an exciting new initiative which aims to provide a relevant
and stimulating environment for Australian medical oncologists to discuss and debate a range of issues relating to use of targeted therapy in breast cancer.

The objectives for ‘On Target’ are as follows:

• To create a forum that encourages valuable discussion and debate among experts
• To focus on novel treatments in the management of breast cancer related to the interpretation and integration of recent clinical data into practice 
• To involve a group of Australian breast cancer experts in shaping the forum
• To create a valued meeting for participants which also generates outputs of significant educational value to a broader audience of breast cancer physicians and healthcare professionals. 

‘On Target’ is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline provided only for a scientific and educational activity.

• Choosing an Appropriate First-Line Therapy for Patients With Breast Cancer  
• Impact of Adjuvant Therapies on Treatment for Metastatic Disease 

Please note: activities have an expiry date.

This patient management framework is a guide to the optimal care and management of patients with Breast Cancer. It is intended to improve patient outcomes by facilitating consistent care based on evidence and best practice and sets out the key requirements for the provision of optimal care which need to be considered at each step of the care pathway.

In contrast to clinical practice guidelines that guide appropriate practice and decision making, the patient management frameworks provide a guide to the patient
journey to ensure patients with cancer and their families receive optimal care and support.

Information about radiation therapy treatment options for patients with breast cancers, including downloadable PDF fact sheets including information about possible side effects of treatment.

Report on a Commonwealth-funded initiative to improve supportive care for women with breast cancer in rural and regional Australia.

An addendum to the report is also available.

Information and guides for health professionals to provide to their patients regarding options available for breast reconstructive surgery for women who have had a breast removed.

A range of information regarding issues faced by women after completing their breast cancer treatment, including survivorship planning and shared care; health, feelings and relationships following breast cancer; practical issues and tips from other survivors. 

A website for people who have completed treatment for early breast cancer, designed to answer any questions about life after treatment. Includes a series of interviews featuring a number of breast cancer survivors, who talk about their experiences after treatment for breast cancer.

Provides links to a wide range of evaluated resources and learning activities in the areas of supportive and psychosocial care, including survivorship.

This resource has been designed to meet the information needs of health workers in Tasmania and is the result of a project to provide State-wide consistent and current resources. It has been developed through consultation with individuals, representatives and organisations who have an interest in improving the care of rural women who have or who have had breast cancer. 177kb

This resource has been developed to help women with secondary breast or ovarian cancer talk about how palliative care might help them to live as well as possible when cancer has spread.

Caresearch is an online collection of evidence based resources relating to palliative care. This Australian web site provides access to scientific abstracts, government reports, refereed journal articles and sources of data. It also contains information on national research and other projects, resources for patients and carers, models of service provision and educational opportunities including online learning packages.

Provides links to a wide range of evaluated resources and learning activities in the areas of palliative care, pain management and end of life planning.

Guide for women with secondary breast cancer is the key information resource for all women diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. This thoroughly revised resource provides information to support women with secondary breast cancer in understanding their diagnosis and options for treatment and care based on the latest available evidence.

Information for people with breast cancer and their families and friends.

When a woman is diagnosed with secondary breast cancer, the news and its implications can be enormously challenging for her, and also for her partner and family. This series (available in the NBOCC podcast or ordered as a cd) provides advice and information to men supporting a woman they love who has been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer on how to deal with their own needs and feelings.

Men share their own experiences and health professionals offer guidance on a range of emotional, physical and practical issues.

1. Introduction
2. After the diagnosis
3. Talking about it
4. Feelings, mood changes and mental health
5. Impact on family and relationships
6. Dealing with treatment
7. Getting through the day
8. Saying goodbye
9. Information and support
10. Living well

BCNA online is a free online network where breast cancer patients can connect in real time with others affected by breast cancer.

Breast Cancer is the most common invasive cancer diagnosed in females in Australia. Around one in nine women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

This on line resource, developed by Breast Cancer Care WA will provide high school students with information and strategies to learn about and understand breast cancer awareness.

A key objective is for students to learn about ways to support themselves and family members who are affected by breast cancer or other similar diagnoses.

This resource includes a series of downloadable student activities which utilise a variety of teaching strategies with facilitator guides. These are presented in the context of Health and Physical Education in the Early Adolescence phase. These documents are in Microsoft Word format which teachers are able to modify and print for classroom use.

The resource also includes a DVD, available to schools free of charge, including four video interviews of young people affected by breast cancer, either through their mother being diagnosed or themselves.

The resource covers the following topics:

• Breast cancer – what it is and how it is treated
• Facts and fallacies about breast cancer
• Body awareness
• Support services
• Awareness of breast cancer in the community

Students can complete various activities on breast cancer awareness, utilising different learning strategies. Activities can be completed in any order to suit class needs.

Facilitator Guides and Student Activities and Information are available on each module page. Documents are in Microsoft® Word® format, which may be modified as desired and printed for classroom use.

A DVD containing interviews of four young people who have been affected by breast cancer is also available by emailing Keland@westnet.com.au

The National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC) is committed to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to provide women with important information about breast cancer awareness, early detection as well as breast cancer treatment and care.

Information is provided specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women regarding:

• Looking after your breasts - includes a short video of breast cancer symptoms, a brochure about breast awareness and early detection, and information to reduce the risk of breast cancer. 
• Women with Breast Cancer 
• Well Women's Workshops and summits

BCNA work to ensure that Australians diagnosed with breast cancer and their families receive the very best information, treatment, care and support possible, no matter who they are or where they live.

The My Journey Kit is a comprehensive information resource for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. The Kit has three main elements:

• My Journey Information Guide: A spiral bound booklet that guides women to information and support resources that others who have experienced breast cancer have found helpful. It also provides tips gained from experience to help throughout the breast cancer journey.
• My Journey Personal Record: A handbag sized spiral bound booklet for recording details of past medical history and contact details, treatment and any side-effects experienced, dates of consultations and what was discussed, tests and results and questions to ask the health care team. It also contains a calendar to record appointments and a form to keep track of all medical and treatment expenses.
• My Journey Satchel: A convenient place to store copies of test results, the My Journey Information Guide and any other documents to save along the way.

Order online here or call 1300 78 55 62 to order your free My Journey Kit. Health Professionals can order a free sample of this resource by calling 1800 500 258 or email.

The Hope & Hurdles Pack is BCNA‘s new resource for women with secondary breast cancer and is the result of extensive consultations with women and with those who treat and care for them. The Pack contains a number of individual items; booklets, brochures, magazines and CDs that offer information, support and hope for women and their families.

Order online or call 1300 887 340 to order your free Hope & Hurdles Pack. Health Professionals can order a sample of this resource by calling 1800 500 258 or email.

The

The My Care Kit is for women who have recently had breast surgery. It is a partnership between BCNA and Berlei and contains a specially designed Berlei bra and soft form/s. The bra features seams and lining that avoid pressure, extra hooks and eyes in the back to allow for any swelling, and soft form inserts that can be modified to size, in a style that caters for support and comfort. It is designed to cover the post surgery period of up to 12 weeks and can be worn during radiation treatment. The Kit also includes a copy of our latest edition of The Beacon and information on how to order My Journey Kit. The My Care Kit is available free of charge to women in Australia who undergo surgery for breast cancer via Health Professionals enrolled in the My Care Kit program. Once enrolled, Health Professionals can order this bra for women in their care. Details for enrollment by health care providers are available here.

Information for women regarding mammograms for breast cancer screening, including at risk groups and links to BreastScreen Australia and its state affiliates.

Also available is a fact sheet: Finding Breast Cancer Early

Consumer targeted overview of breast cancers including information regarding risk factors, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and links to a patient resource centre.

Breast Friends is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for female cancer patients. The organization teaches friends and family specific ways to offer support, helps them understand what their loved one is going through, and suggests resources for the woman and for those who care about her. 

Consumer information from Cancer Council Australia regarding the incidence, mortality, prevention, detection, symptoms, risk factors and treatment of breast cancer.

Further information is also available on the state and territory Cancer Council websites:

• Cancer Council Victoria Breast Cancer Information
• Cancer Council NSW Breast Cancer Information
• Cancer Council SA Breast  Cancer Information
• Cancer Council QLD Breast  Cancer Information
• Cancer Council ACT Breast  Cancer Information

A range of articles published in Health magazine regarding survivorship issues following breast cancer, including grief issues, fear of recurrence and tips for staying healthy.

A website containing information and resources for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer or who have a risk of developing breast cancer.

Information is included regarding symptom awareness, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. A Hospital services directory for breast cancer is also available.

Comprehensive information regarding breast cancers.

An online survivorship site for breast cancer survivors to share stories and gain information and peer support.