'I was going downhill fast': breast cancer drug gives new lease on life
She's been part of the FINER clinical trial through the Newcastle-based Breast Cancer Trials for three and a half years.
It aims to keep metastatic breast cancer under control for longer.
"I feel fantastic. It's created a quality life and freedom for me," said Ms Atkins, 67.
"Before I went on the drug trial, I was going downhill fast. My weight was dropping and I was feeling sick and weak."
The trial enrolled 250 female and male patients with "advanced ER-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer".
The results showed that the addition of the drug ipatasertib to standard treatment "controlled the progress of metastatic breast cancer for almost three times as long".
"The main objective of this study was to examine whether treatment with ipatasertib plus fulvestrant was better than fulvestrant alone."
Associate Professor Andrew Redfern, chair of the FINER trial, said the results were "significant for these patients with advanced disease".
"It could potentially help up to 1500 people in Australia every year who are diagnosed with this type of breast cancer," A/Prof Redfern said.
"We now need to confirm these results with longer follow-up of the patients on this trial, as well as further research."
Ms Atkins was diagnosed at age 50.
"I did chemotherapy, radiation and breast removal," she said.
"When I was 60, the little devil came back. It was in my shoulder and started to go up my neck."
FINER is a "double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial".
"You don't know which one you get [the drug or placebo]. But here I am, touch wood, in fabulous health with no complaints. It has truly been a blessing to me.
"I'm a very positive person. My ethos was I'm not finished yet, so let the game begin."
As part of the trial, she receives an "injection in my bottom" each month at Lake Macquarie Private.
"We're very lucky to have such great nurses and doctors in Newcastle, let alone Australia," she said.
"They'll do anything they can to make your journey that little bit better."
She said her partner's support and staying social helped her health journey.
"I've been fortunate not to need to work, so I've gone into semi-retirement.
"We get away every couple of weeks. It adds that life balance. I'm blessed with great family and friends.
"I've enjoyed my life. There's nothing I'd want for except a nice life expectancy."
She said there was an upside to going through health challenges.
"It shatters you to hear those words [a cancer diagnosis], but it's a strange thing how it can be a blessing," she said.
"It wasn't like I got hit by the 207 Merewether bus. If you get hit by a bus, you never get to say goodbye."
She said early intervention was key.
"I rubbed my neck and it felt like a little pimple the size of a pinhead," she said.
"Get it while it's timely and we've got a chance. Let it get to the size of a pea and it's a bigger battle. Get to a strawberry and it's a longer journey."
Mayfield's Madelaine Atkins has a new lease on life from a drug trial that aims to treat advanced breast cancer.
She's been part of the FINER clinical trial through the Newcastle-based Breast Cancer Trials for three and a half years.
It aims to keep metastatic breast cancer under control for longer.
"I feel fantastic. It's created a quality life and freedom for me," said Ms Atkins, 67.
"Before I went on the drug trial, I was going downhill fast. My weight was dropping and I was feeling sick and weak."
The trial enrolled 250 female and male patients with "advanced ER-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer".
The results showed that the addition of the drug ipatasertib to standard treatment "controlled the progress of metastatic breast cancer for almost three times as long".
"The main objective of this study was to examine whether treatment with ipatasertib plus fulvestrant was better than fulvestrant alone."
Associate Professor Andrew Redfern, chair of the FINER trial, said the results were "significant for these patients with advanced disease".
"It could potentially help up to 1500 people in Australia every year who are diagnosed with this type of breast cancer," A/Prof Redfern said.
"We now need to confirm these results with longer follow-up of the patients on this trial, as well as further research."
Ms Atkins was diagnosed at age 50.
"I did chemotherapy, radiation and breast removal," she said.
"When I was 60, the little devil came back. It was in my shoulder and started to go up my neck."
FINER is a "double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial".
"You don't know which one you get [the drug or placebo]. But here I am, touch wood, in fabulous health with no complaints. It has truly been a blessing to me.
"I'm a very positive person. My ethos was I'm not finished yet, so let the game begin."
As part of the trial, she receives an "injection in my bottom" each month at Lake Macquarie Private.
"We're very lucky to have such great nurses and doctors in Newcastle, let alone Australia," she said.
"They'll do anything they can to make your journey that little bit better."
She said her partner's support and staying social helped her health journey.
"I've been fortunate not to need to work, so I've gone into semi-retirement.
"We get away every couple of weeks. It adds that life balance. I'm blessed with great family and friends.
"I've enjoyed my life. There's nothing I'd want for except a nice life expectancy."
She said there was an upside to going through health challenges.
"It shatters you to hear those words [a cancer diagnosis], but it's a strange thing how it can be a blessing," she said.
"It wasn't like I got hit by the 207 Merewether bus. If you get hit by a bus, you never get to say goodbye."
She said early intervention was key.
"I rubbed my neck and it felt like a little pimple the size of a pinhead," she said.
"Get it while it's timely and we've got a chance. Let it get to the size of a pea and it's a bigger battle. Get to a strawberry and it's a longer journey."
Mayfield's Madelaine Atkins has a new lease on life from a drug trial that aims to treat advanced breast cancer.
She's been part of the FINER clinical trial through the Newcastle-based Breast Cancer Trials for three and a half years.
It aims to keep metastatic breast cancer under control for longer.
"I feel fantastic. It's created a quality life and freedom for me," said Ms Atkins, 67.
"Before I went on the drug trial, I was going downhill fast. My weight was dropping and I was feeling sick and weak."
The trial enrolled 250 female and male patients with "advanced ER-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer".
The results showed that the addition of the drug ipatasertib to standard treatment "controlled the progress of metastatic breast cancer for almost three times as long".
"The main objective of this study was to examine whether treatment with ipatasertib plus fulvestrant was better than fulvestrant alone."
Associate Professor Andrew Redfern, chair of the FINER trial, said the results were "significant for these patients with advanced disease".
"It could potentially help up to 1500 people in Australia every year who are diagnosed with this type of breast cancer," A/Prof Redfern said.
"We now need to confirm these results with longer follow-up of the patients on this trial, as well as further research."
Ms Atkins was diagnosed at age 50.
"I did chemotherapy, radiation and breast removal," she said.
"When I was 60, the little devil came back. It was in my shoulder and started to go up my neck."
FINER is a "double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial".
"You don't know which one you get [the drug or placebo]. But here I am, touch wood, in fabulous health with no complaints. It has truly been a blessing to me.
"I'm a very positive person. My ethos was I'm not finished yet, so let the game begin."
As part of the trial, she receives an "injection in my bottom" each month at Lake Macquarie Private.
"We're very lucky to have such great nurses and doctors in Newcastle, let alone Australia," she said.
"They'll do anything they can to make your journey that little bit better."
She said her partner's support and staying social helped her health journey.
"I've been fortunate not to need to work, so I've gone into semi-retirement.
"We get away every couple of weeks. It adds that life balance. I'm blessed with great family and friends.
"I've enjoyed my life. There's nothing I'd want for except a nice life expectancy."
She said there was an upside to going through health challenges.
"It shatters you to hear those words [a cancer diagnosis], but it's a strange thing how it can be a blessing," she said.
"It wasn't like I got hit by the 207 Merewether bus. If you get hit by a bus, you never get to say goodbye."
She said early intervention was key.
"I rubbed my neck and it felt like a little pimple the size of a pinhead," she said.
"Get it while it's timely and we've got a chance. Let it get to the size of a pea and it's a bigger battle. Get to a strawberry and it's a longer journey."
Mayfield's Madelaine Atkins has a new lease on life from a drug trial that aims to treat advanced breast cancer.
She's been part of the FINER clinical trial through the Newcastle-based Breast Cancer Trials for three and a half years.
It aims to keep metastatic breast cancer under control for longer.
"I feel fantastic. It's created a quality life and freedom for me," said Ms Atkins, 67.
"Before I went on the drug trial, I was going downhill fast. My weight was dropping and I was feeling sick and weak."
The trial enrolled 250 female and male patients with "advanced ER-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer".
The results showed that the addition of the drug ipatasertib to standard treatment "controlled the progress of metastatic breast cancer for almost three times as long".
"The main objective of this study was to examine whether treatment with ipatasertib plus fulvestrant was better than fulvestrant alone."
Associate Professor Andrew Redfern, chair of the FINER trial, said the results were "significant for these patients with advanced disease".
"It could potentially help up to 1500 people in Australia every year who are diagnosed with this type of breast cancer," A/Prof Redfern said.
"We now need to confirm these results with longer follow-up of the patients on this trial, as well as further research."
Ms Atkins was diagnosed at age 50.
"I did chemotherapy, radiation and breast removal," she said.
"When I was 60, the little devil came back. It was in my shoulder and started to go up my neck."
FINER is a "double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial".
"You don't know which one you get [the drug or placebo]. But here I am, touch wood, in fabulous health with no complaints. It has truly been a blessing to me.
"I'm a very positive person. My ethos was I'm not finished yet, so let the game begin."
As part of the trial, she receives an "injection in my bottom" each month at Lake Macquarie Private.
"We're very lucky to have such great nurses and doctors in Newcastle, let alone Australia," she said.
"They'll do anything they can to make your journey that little bit better."
She said her partner's support and staying social helped her health journey.
"I've been fortunate not to need to work, so I've gone into semi-retirement.
"We get away every couple of weeks. It adds that life balance. I'm blessed with great family and friends.
"I've enjoyed my life. There's nothing I'd want for except a nice life expectancy."
She said there was an upside to going through health challenges.
"It shatters you to hear those words [a cancer diagnosis], but it's a strange thing how it can be a blessing," she said.
"It wasn't like I got hit by the 207 Merewether bus. If you get hit by a bus, you never get to say goodbye."
She said early intervention was key.
"I rubbed my neck and it felt like a little pimple the size of a pinhead," she said.
"Get it while it's timely and we've got a chance. Let it get to the size of a pea and it's a bigger battle. Get to a strawberry and it's a longer journey."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Absolute nightmare': How this family's Brisbane trip turned from holiday to hospital horror
Don Achala didn't expect to be fighting for his mother to get life-saving emergency surgery while she was on holiday in Brisbane. Originally from Sri Lanka, the Melbourne-based IT worker has lived in Australia for the past six years. His mother, Welgampalage Mary Irene Perera, came to visit him and for an extended stay with her sister. But about a month into her trip, as Perera was enjoying her time in Queensland, she was suddenly struck with severe stomach pain, and told by a local GP to rush straight to hospital. Despite requests from the family to have her taken to the Mater Hospital – part of the network of private providers honoured by her insurer HCF – Perera was instead taken by ambulance to the public Princess Alexandra Hospital, where she was admitted. There, tests confirmed diverticulitis – a condition involving inflammation or infection in the wall of the bowel. Perera's prognosis was serious. The infected part of her bowel wall had ruptured, which could be a trigger for its contents seeping into her abdominal cavity and causing life-threatening sepsis. Achala expected his mother would receive urgent surgery, as initially indicated by emergency doctors. But HCF demanded evidence she wasn't suffering a pre-existing condition before approving her insurance claim, which required Perera's medical history from her GP back in Sri Lanka. She was instead given a course of antibiotics and discharged on July 28, four days after being admitted.
The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
‘Absolute nightmare': How this family's Brisbane trip turned from holiday to hospital horror
Don Achala didn't expect to be fighting for his mother to get life-saving emergency surgery while she was on holiday in Brisbane. Originally from Sri Lanka, the Melbourne-based IT worker has lived in Australia for the past six years. His mother, Welgampalage Mary Irene Perera, came to visit him and for an extended stay with her sister. But about a month into her trip, as Perera was enjoying her time in Queensland, she was suddenly struck with severe stomach pain, and told by a local GP to rush straight to hospital. Despite requests from the family to have her taken to the Mater Hospital – part of the network of private providers honoured by her insurer HCF – Perera was instead taken by ambulance to the public Princess Alexandra Hospital, where she was admitted. There, tests confirmed diverticulitis – a condition involving inflammation or infection in the wall of the bowel. Perera's prognosis was serious. The infected part of her bowel wall had ruptured, which could be a trigger for its contents seeping into her abdominal cavity and causing life-threatening sepsis. Achala expected his mother would receive urgent surgery, as initially indicated by emergency doctors. But HCF demanded evidence she wasn't suffering a pre-existing condition before approving her insurance claim, which required Perera's medical history from her GP back in Sri Lanka. She was instead given a course of antibiotics and discharged on July 28, four days after being admitted.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Baby dies in method promoted on Instagram
A newborn baby died after her mother delivered her using a home-birthing pool hired from 'freebirth' Instagram influencer Emily Lal, a coroner has found. The findings made in the Coroners Court of Victoria say it is 'unlikely' the baby girl would have died had she been born in a hospital setting, or if the home birth had occurred with appropriate midwife support. The mother, referred to as Ms E, gave birth to her child in December 2022. Prior to the birth, Ms E contacted Ms Lal – who operates as The Authentic Birthkeeper on Instagram – to rent a birthing pool to help deliver her baby. The Melbourne-based influencer described herself as being 'disillusioned with the medical system', and held the 'philosophy' that registered midwives were 'complicit in, and contributing to, the harm of women'. The coronial inquest found Ms E contacted the influencer to hire a birthing pool. According to the findings, Ms E said she kept in contact with Ms Lal 'socially' but did not seek any service or advice from the influencer. However, Ms E said she requested to keep in contact with the influencer after the birth to 'conduct a post-partum visit'. Half an hour after Ms E gave birth to her child, she sent a message to Ms Lal saying 'I did it'. She was unable to deliver the placenta until the next morning. The baby died a day after the home birth. Wikipedia Credit: Supplied The morning following the birth, Ms E realised something was wrong with her baby. Ms E sent a message to Ms Lal at about 8am saying, 'We can't wake her, we aren't sure if she's breathing,' with a picture of the baby, whose face had turned blue. Ms Lal didn't see the message for 25 minutes, according to the inquest findings. Upon seeing the message, Ms Lal made a Facetime call and saw the baby girl. Believing her to be dead, she told Ms E and Mr E to call for an ambulance. Paramedics noted the baby's heartbeat was flatlining and attempted CPR for 30 minutes, but were unable to revive her. Ms E was transported to the Mercy Women's Hospital for treatment. Forensic pathologist Yeliena Baber said had Ms E given birth in the hospital, preventive measures would have been put in place. Dr Baber concluded: 'If Baby E was born in hospital and Ms E had received appropriate antenatal care, it is highly unlikely that Baby E would have died, as she was a healthy baby and her death was caused by the prolonged delivery in a home birthing pool'. She further noted if a trained midwife had been present during the homebirth and prolonged labour, it would be expected they would escalate care to a hospital if 'it was clear that the baby was in distress'. Coroner Catherine Fitzgerald found Baby E's death was preventable. In her findings, she said the baby's death was 'unlikely to have occurred if the birth occurred in a hospital setting' and may have been avoided if the 'birth was a planned homebirth with appropriate midwife support'. 'A homebirth is distinguished from a 'freebirth', which is when someone chooses to birth their baby without medical or midwifery assistance,' she said. 'The publicly available information regarding water birth … are not directed at women intending to birth at home with no medical assistance or antenatal medical management.' 'The single consultation with (Ms E's GP) late in the pregnancy provided no real opportunity for education to be given regarding birth options.' Ms Fitzgerald did not make any adverse findings against the baby's parents or Ms Lal.
