Latest news with #GeorgeLaking
Scoop
2 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
New Project Tackles Breast Cancer Inequity
Press Release – University of Auckland The five-year project will offer a new model of care designed to overcome inequities faced by Mori women with breast cancer, says Laking. A major new project focused on Māori women with breast cancer is launching, with a $5 million grant from the Health Research Council. University of Auckland Associate Professor George Laking from Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupuku, Centre for Cancer Research is leading the Whiria te Aka Matua project, with Dr Nina Scott from Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand. The five-year project will offer a new model of care designed to overcome inequities faced by Māori women with breast cancer, says Laking. Wāhine Māori have a 46 percent higher incidence of breast cancer than European New Zealanders, he says. When breast cancer is picked up by screening, Māori women have the same chance of survival as other New Zealanders. However, about 45 percent of all wāhine Māori who have breast cancer are diagnosed outside of screening programmes, after they notice symptoms, such as a lump. Māori women with symptomatic breast cancer have a 37 percent lower rate of survival than European New Zealanders, he says. 'The reasons for this are many, but one of the things we urgently need to improve is the design of the health system. 'We hope the model of care we are developing will turn the inequity around, so there's no longer a survival disadvantage for Māori women with symptomatic breast cancer,' says Laking. The research team includes experts from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Otago, and Waikato and Auckland hospitals. They aim to enrol 160 Māori women with suspected breast cancer into their study. The women who are diagnosed with breast cancer will receive wrap-around care for themselves and their whānau. Three interventions will be offered, starting with the whiri model of care. This involves a health navigator ensuring the whānau know what is happening, what health services are needed and how to get to appointments. The health navigator will assess the health of the whole family. 'We want to implement a family model of care, in contrast to prevalent models that are centred on individual patients. 'Major health issues have flow-on effects through families. Sometimes one person is diagnosed with cancer and a family member worries themselves sick. 'We want to make sure the health of all people in the family is on track, at a time when they need it,' says Laking. The next intervention will be Whānau Hauora Portfolios. These will provide a core plan of care, which can be easily updated and communicated with different teams. They will also be a place where whānau can record what happens on the cancer journey. The third intervention will be prehabilitation, a holistic programme designed to prepare women for the stress of treatments, such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Prehabilitation – occuring between diagnosis and when treatment begins – could include support with exercise, nutrition, psychological and social needs, and rongoā Māori. 'It will help make sure women are as well as possible at the beginning of their cancer treatment. 'In European populations with cancer, prehabilitation has been shown to shorten the average length of hospital stay and to reduce post-surgical complications,' says Laking. Two evaluations will be offered – the first, assessing signs of inflammation in the women's blood samples, to see how these are affected by prehabiltation and cancer treatments. A holistic evaluation of the value of the entire programme will also be presented. The kete of resources will be co-designed with wāhine Māori with breast cancer, through interviews and focus groups. Several wānanga will be held to collaborate with the wider health community on the programme. Laking says what works for Māori women will have benefits for many patient communities. 'We're focusing our research on Māori women, because that's the area of greatest immediate need, but the model of care we're developing will be useful for all New Zealand women with breast cancer. 'This model could be relevant for a wide range of conditions, not just in Aotearoa, but globally,' says Laking.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
New Project Tackles Breast Cancer Inequity
Press Release – University of Auckland The five-year project will offer a new model of care designed to overcome inequities faced by Mori women with breast cancer, says Laking. A major new project focused on Māori women with breast cancer is launching, with a $5 million grant from the Health Research Council. University of Auckland Associate Professor George Laking from Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupuku, Centre for Cancer Research is leading the Whiria te Aka Matua project, with Dr Nina Scott from Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand. The five-year project will offer a new model of care designed to overcome inequities faced by Māori women with breast cancer, says Laking. Wāhine Māori have a 46 percent higher incidence of breast cancer than European New Zealanders, he says. When breast cancer is picked up by screening, Māori women have the same chance of survival as other New Zealanders. However, about 45 percent of all wāhine Māori who have breast cancer are diagnosed outside of screening programmes, after they notice symptoms, such as a lump. Māori women with symptomatic breast cancer have a 37 percent lower rate of survival than European New Zealanders, he says. 'The reasons for this are many, but one of the things we urgently need to improve is the design of the health system. 'We hope the model of care we are developing will turn the inequity around, so there's no longer a survival disadvantage for Māori women with symptomatic breast cancer,' says Laking. The research team includes experts from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Otago, and Waikato and Auckland hospitals. They aim to enrol 160 Māori women with suspected breast cancer into their study. The women who are diagnosed with breast cancer will receive wrap-around care for themselves and their whānau. Three interventions will be offered, starting with the whiri model of care. This involves a health navigator ensuring the whānau know what is happening, what health services are needed and how to get to appointments. The health navigator will assess the health of the whole family. 'We want to implement a family model of care, in contrast to prevalent models that are centred on individual patients. 'Major health issues have flow-on effects through families. Sometimes one person is diagnosed with cancer and a family member worries themselves sick. 'We want to make sure the health of all people in the family is on track, at a time when they need it,' says Laking. The next intervention will be Whānau Hauora Portfolios. These will provide a core plan of care, which can be easily updated and communicated with different teams. They will also be a place where whānau can record what happens on the cancer journey. The third intervention will be prehabilitation, a holistic programme designed to prepare women for the stress of treatments, such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Prehabilitation – occuring between diagnosis and when treatment begins – could include support with exercise, nutrition, psychological and social needs, and rongoā Māori. 'It will help make sure women are as well as possible at the beginning of their cancer treatment. 'In European populations with cancer, prehabilitation has been shown to shorten the average length of hospital stay and to reduce post-surgical complications,' says Laking. Two evaluations will be offered – the first, assessing signs of inflammation in the women's blood samples, to see how these are affected by prehabiltation and cancer treatments. A holistic evaluation of the value of the entire programme will also be presented. The kete of resources will be co-designed with wāhine Māori with breast cancer, through interviews and focus groups. Several wānanga will be held to collaborate with the wider health community on the programme. Laking says what works for Māori women will have benefits for many patient communities. 'We're focusing our research on Māori women, because that's the area of greatest immediate need, but the model of care we're developing will be useful for all New Zealand women with breast cancer. 'This model could be relevant for a wide range of conditions, not just in Aotearoa, but globally,' says Laking.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
New Project Tackles Breast Cancer Inequity
A major new project focused on Māori women with breast cancer is launching, with a $5 million grant from the Health Research Council. University of Auckland Associate Professor George Laking from Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupuku, Centre for Cancer Research is leading the Whiria te Aka Matua project, with Dr Nina Scott from Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand. The five-year project will offer a new model of care designed to overcome inequities faced by Māori women with breast cancer, says Laking. Wāhine Māori have a 46 percent higher incidence of breast cancer than European New Zealanders, he says. When breast cancer is picked up by screening, Māori women have the same chance of survival as other New Zealanders. However, about 45 percent of all wāhine Māori who have breast cancer are diagnosed outside of screening programmes, after they notice symptoms, such as a lump. Māori women with symptomatic breast cancer have a 37 percent lower rate of survival than European New Zealanders, he says. 'The reasons for this are many, but one of the things we urgently need to improve is the design of the health system. 'We hope the model of care we are developing will turn the inequity around, so there's no longer a survival disadvantage for Māori women with symptomatic breast cancer,' says Laking. The research team includes experts from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Otago, and Waikato and Auckland hospitals. They aim to enrol 160 Māori women with suspected breast cancer into their study. The women who are diagnosed with breast cancer will receive wrap-around care for themselves and their whānau. Three interventions will be offered, starting with the whiri model of care. This involves a health navigator ensuring the whānau know what is happening, what health services are needed and how to get to appointments. The health navigator will assess the health of the whole family. 'We want to implement a family model of care, in contrast to prevalent models that are centred on individual patients. 'Major health issues have flow-on effects through families. Sometimes one person is diagnosed with cancer and a family member worries themselves sick. 'We want to make sure the health of all people in the family is on track, at a time when they need it,' says Laking. The next intervention will be Whānau Hauora Portfolios. These will provide a core plan of care, which can be easily updated and communicated with different teams. They will also be a place where whānau can record what happens on the cancer journey. The third intervention will be prehabilitation, a holistic programme designed to prepare women for the stress of treatments, such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Prehabilitation - occuring between diagnosis and when treatment begins - could include support with exercise, nutrition, psychological and social needs, and rongoā Māori. 'It will help make sure women are as well as possible at the beginning of their cancer treatment. 'In European populations with cancer, prehabilitation has been shown to shorten the average length of hospital stay and to reduce post-surgical complications,' says Laking. Two evaluations will be offered – the first, assessing signs of inflammation in the women's blood samples, to see how these are affected by prehabiltation and cancer treatments. A holistic evaluation of the value of the entire programme will also be presented. The kete of resources will be co-designed with wāhine Māori with breast cancer, through interviews and focus groups. Several wānanga will be held to collaborate with the wider health community on the programme. Laking says what works for Māori women will have benefits for many patient communities. 'We're focusing our research on Māori women, because that's the area of greatest immediate need, but the model of care we're developing will be useful for all New Zealand women with breast cancer. 'This model could be relevant for a wide range of conditions, not just in Aotearoa, but globally,' says Laking.
RNZ News
14-06-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Regulatory Standards Bill will stop lawmakers considering broader public health, warns cancer specialist
The Bill is part of ACT Party leader David Seymour's coalition agreement. Photo: RNZ Graphic / Nik Dirga The Regulatory Standards Bill will stop lawmakers from taking broader public health considerations into account, warns a leading cancer specialist. ACT Party leader David Seymour said the Bill - part of its coalition agreement with the National Party and New Zealand First - was about requiring governments to be more "transparent" about the financial impact of legislation. However, Auckland University associate professor George Laking, a medical oncologist and clinical Māori director in the Centre for Cancer Research, said the real intent seemed to make economic factors the only measure. "We already have transparency around lawmaking - that's why we have regulatory impact reports," he said. "This seems more like an attempt to narrow the frame for what's considered to count as being relevant in that type of decision." He joined other public health and legal experts, who have criticised the bill (in its current form) as allowing tobacco, alcohol industries or environmental polluters to seek compensation, if future legislation costs them profit. Associate professor George Laking from Auckland University. Photo: Supplied "You wouldn't want your surgeon to operate with a blunt instrument, but that's exactly the approach the Regulatory Standards Bill takes to the health needs of our society," Laking said. "I acknowledge ACT's faith in market-based solutions, but it is well known that markets fail. That's why the government should be very careful about market deregulation, when human health is at stake." The Bill also appeared to be a covert attack on the principles and articles of te Tiriti o Waitangi, he said. "The situation we have is quite inequitable in terms of distribution of wealth and power in society, and that's a big reason why government needs to be able to take into account a wider set of principles, than rather just the narrow, market-based, productivity-based ones that ACT likes to focus on. "The definition of 'liberty' begs the question of whose liberty - the ability to pollute the environment, to get people hooked on addictive substances, that's one side of the liberty coin. "The pursuit of short term economic gain is not necessarily the recipe for an harmonious society." Public submissions on the Regulatory Standards Bill close at 1pm Monday, 23 June 2025. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
