The Best in Breast Care national conference drew nearly 200 medical specialists from around the country to Hamilton.
The conference, organised by the Breast Cancer Research Trust and the Waikato Breast Care Centre, focused on the latest developments in breast cancer treatment, screening, diagnostics, and inclusive care.
The conference highlighted a newly funded drug for an incurable type of breast cancer (HER2-positive) which will give patients more time with their loved ones.
The conference, organised by the Breast Cancer Research Trust and the Waikato Breast Care Centre, focused on the latest developments in breast cancer treatment, screening, diagnostics, and inclusive care.
Jenni Scarlet
Trust senior research nurse Jenni Scarlet said the conference was about sharing the knowledge that saves lives.
“It’s about giving women facing breast cancer more time to watch their families grow, to be with their loved ones, to live longer and live well.
“After decades in breast cancer research, I know how much difference the right treatment, at the right time, can make,” says Scarlet.
“This conference brings the latest science and information into the hands of the people who care for patients every day, and that’s how we improve outcomes and give people more time with those they love.”
International speaker Jenny Gilchrist, nurse practitioner from Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney, presented on Enhurtu, a life-extending drug for women with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer.
The conference, organised by the Breast Cancer Research Trust and the Waikato Breast Care Centre, focused on the latest developments in breast cancer treatment, screening, diagnostics, and inclusive care.
The drug is now publicly funded in New Zealand and offers significant improvements in survival and quality of life.
Ross Lawrenson, Director of Medicine at the University of Waikato, discussed the upcoming expansion of the national screening programme to include women aged 70-74 and highlighted progress in personalised, risk-based screening, and emerging AI-diagnostic tools.
Genetic Health Service NZ counsellor Kelly Sullivan presented on the growing accessibility of genetic testing for breast cancer patients, which supports faster and more informed treatment decisions.
Other sessions explored hormone therapy updates, new imaging and biopsy technologies, surgical decision-making, innovations in patient monitoring, and approaches to delivering more inclusive care.
The conference, organised by the Breast Cancer Research Trust and the Waikato Breast Care Centre, focused on the latest developments in breast cancer treatment, screening, diagnostics, and inclusive care.
