Latest news with #breastcancer
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
BreastScreen Australia Density Reporting Rule is a Critical Step for Women says Volpara Health, the Leader in AI-assisted Breast Density Measurement
Volpara software is used to assess the breast density of more than 1 million Australian womenannually WELLINGTON, New Zealand, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Volpara Health, a Lunit a company and global leader in software for the early detection of breast cancer, today applauded the significant advancement in breast health management with BreastScreen Australia's new position on breast density reporting. This new guidance recommends that all BreastScreen services in Australia provide breast density information to clients, enhancing awareness and understanding of this critical risk factor. A Step Toward More Accurate and Personalised Breast Cancer Screening Volpara's Scorecard software is utilised to measure the breast density of over 1 million women annually across Australia, including in BreastScreen Victoria and BreastScreen South Australia. This comprehensive, AI-driven approach supports physicians in making consistent, objective assessments, helping to ensure that breast cancer risk is more accurately evaluated for each patient. Volpara's volumetric breast density assessment software, including its proprietary Volpara® TruDensity™ AI algorithm, provides consistent and precise breast density measurements. Cleared by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), FDA, Health Canada, and CE-marked in Europe, this technology has been validated in more than 400 scientific articles and research abstracts, underscoring its reliability and accuracy. "We've been collaborating with leading clinicians and researchers worldwide for over a decade to make critical information about breast composition and its link to breast cancer more accessible," said Craig Hadfield, CEO, Volpara Health. "The new guidelines from BreastScreen Australia validate our focus on applying tech and AI advancements to breast density and are a significant step forward in enhancing the experience and understanding for women and their healthcare providers. We encourage women to contact their local healthcare provider and ask how they assess breast density." Understanding Breast Density: A Critical Risk Factor Breast density is an important factor in both breast cancer detection and risk assessment. It has been linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer, while also making it more challenging to detect cancer through mammography. In Australia, approximately 40% of women have dense breasts, including 12% with extremely dense breasts. As breast density increases, the accuracy of mammography decreases. Research published in Radiology reveals that mammography can miss up to 50% of cancers in women with the densest breast tissue. Since both dense breast tissue and tumours appear white on a mammogram, cancers are often concealed, potentially delaying diagnosis. Studies confirm that early detection rates improve significantly when women with very dense breasts receive additional imaging, such as ultrasound or MRI, as part of their regular screening regimen. The Path Forward: Embracing Personalised Screening Breast density information is also integrated into several risk models, which helps identify women at higher risk of breast cancer who may benefit from supplemental screening. Volpara Scorecard is the only commercial automated software validated for use in both the Tyrer-Cuzick 8 and CanRisk (BOADICEA) riskmodels, providing consistent and robust breast density measurements. With this new guidance, Volpara is poised to play an essential role in supporting risk assessment and personalised screening in Australia, further advancing the goal of improving outcomes for women. The importance of personalised screening has also been recognised by other Australian health bodies, with Medicare recently introducing reimbursement for high-risk breast MRI screening based on Tyrer-Cuzick 8 or CanRisk risk assessment. This marks a growing recognition of the need for tailored breast cancer screening strategies that consider individual risk factors, including breast density. About Volpara Health Volpara Health is on a mission to save families from cancer with AI-powered software that helps healthcare providers better understand cancer risk, guide personalized care decisions, and recommend additional imaging and interventions. Used in over 3,500 facilities by more than 9,500 technologists worldwide. Volpara's software impacts nearly 18M patients, supports over 3.6M annual cancer risk assessments, and integrates seamlessly with electronic health records and imaging systems. Volpara helps radiologists quantify dense breast tissue with precision and technologists produce mammograms with optimal positioning, compression, and dose. Volpara software also streamlines operations to ease compliance and accreditation. Volpara, a Lunit company, is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, and has an office in Seattle. Volpara is the trusted partner of leading healthcare institutions globally. For more information, visit Logo - View original content: SOURCE Volpara Health Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Cancer drug which could 'double survival time' rolled out
A drug which has been proven to extend the life of some people with incurable breast cancer has been given to patients on the NHS in Wales for the first time. Gwen Buchan, 62, who has terminal breast cancer, said capivasertib would allow her to see her son's wedding and gave her "hope". Half of women with breast cancer fuelled by the hormone oestrogen are likely to see their life expectancy double when capivasertib is combined with hormone therapy, research has shown. Prof Rob Jones, who co-led a study looking at capivasertib's effectiveness, said the drug offered "a real life impact for people to spend extra time with their relatives, with their friends". Cancer pill gave me 'four years of extra time' Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with one in seven women affected in their lifetimes and 75% surviving for 10 years or more after diagnosis. In Wales, more than 2,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Capivasertib, which was developed by experts at Velindre Cancer Centre and Cardiff University, became available to breast cancer patients on the NHS in April. When Ms Buchan's first line of treatment for her terminal breast cancer stopped working, it was a set-back. However, the recent approval of capivasertib for use on the NHS alongside hormone therapy will allow her to enjoy more time with family and friends. She has a common genetic abnormality in her cancer which tests have shown responds well to the drug. "To be told I had secondary breast cancer but my life can be extended, I think it's that hope you have to keep in your mind," said Ms Buchan from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. "I know that prior to the first line of treatment going down it was expected I'd live five or six years, maybe more. "The way I cope with this is by thinking about today and today is a good day." Ms Buchan is among thousands in the UK and millions worldwide who could benefit from the drug. "I think I'm really lucky because I've got the most supportive husband, children and their partners and extended family and wonderful friends. "What this drug can do for me is allow me to see my son's wedding next year and to look into the future." Despite its approval for use globally by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2023, capivasertib only became available to patients via the NHS in England and Wales this year. Dr Simon Waters, consultant medical oncologist at Velindre Cancer Centre, said it was a "great opportunity now we've got to this point". "People have been working on it for a long time. It's great we can now put it in to practice as a standard treatment," he said. "We've been using a similar treatment for a smaller group of patients for a few years and that's had quite a lot of issues with side effects and we think this treatment will not only be more effective but also will have fewer issues with side effects. "It's also applicable to a larger group of patients with this common type of breast cancer." The drug is suitable for those with certain gene mutations that affect up to half of people with hormone receptor positive secondary breast cancer - the most common type, which grows in the presence of oestrogen. Although hormone therapy usually works, eventually the cancer can become resistant to it. A clinical trial found a particular protein which drives the resistance can be neutralised when hormone therapy is combined with capivasertib. Prof Rob Jones said: "Patients who received the hormone therapy with a placebo had an overall survival of around 20 months and those who received the capivasertib with the hormone therapy had an extra 39 months. "It really is a doubling of survival time so that really is significant. It's not just a statistic - it's a real life impact for people to spend extra time with their relatives, with their friends." Dr Nicola Williams, national director of support and delivery at Health and Care Research Wales, said: "A breast cancer diagnosis can be devastating and one in seven women will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. "This diagnosis is even more painful if you're told your cancer is incurable. "Thanks to the trial and the licensing of capivasertib, when used alongside a standard hormonal therapy, patients like Gwen now have the potential to receive a very significant extension in their lifespan and improved quality of life." Amy Dowden reflects on life after cancer treatment Call for NHS to give women with dense breasts extra cancer scans New hope for patients with breast cancer gene
ABC News
13 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
ACT, NT, Queensland and Tasmania yet to include breast density reports as part of routine mammograms
Canberra woman Jenny Edwards feels very lucky. This year her routine mammogram showed a few small white spots, prompting a call for her to come back for a better look. A 3D scan and ultrasound found a small tumour, and also revealed Ms Edwards had high breast density. "I had no idea I had dense breasts, [or that they] were hiding various lumps," she said. "As well as a tumour in my left breast I had two fibroadenomas — which are other sorts of benign lumps — and in my right breast I had a cyst. Ms Edwards is now undergoing radiation treatment, and said she was lucky those few white spots were caught at all, particularly given her dense breasts and the fact she had no known family history of breast cancer. Breast density refers to the amount of glandular and connective tissue in the breast, compared to fatty tissue, as seen on a mammogram. High breast density not only makes breast cancer harder to detect through routine 2D mammography, but is also an independent risk factor for developing breast cancer. BreastScreen Australia is the national screening program, jointly funded by the federal, state and territory governments, to provide free mammograms through state-run services. There have long been calls for BreastScreen Australia to change its national policy not to record participants' breast density, nor report it to them. Last week, BreastScreen Australia updated its policy to recommend that everyone screened be informed in writing of their breast density, and encouraged to have further discussions with their GP about additional screening options. But currently only New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia measure and report breast density. Breast Cancer Network Australia's Vicki Durston said a person's access to potentially lifesaving information about their breast density and cancer risk shouldn't be dependent on where they lived. "We need every state and territory to act now to provide this information, along with clear pathways for supporting women at higher risk. "The progress being made elsewhere shows timely implementation is both achievable and beneficial for women." In a statement, the ACT government said it was "working on plans to introduce recording and reporting of breast density following mammograms", but it did not have a timeline for implementation. On their websites, BreastScreen Queensland says it's "actively working towards statewide implementation of breast density recording and reporting", while BreastScreen NT says breast density will be included in results by 2026. Kym Berchtenbreiter, who has lived experience with breast cancer, said if she had known she had dense breasts when she received a negative mammogram result her outcome may not have been as severe. "If I'd known that I had extremely dense breasts … I could have looked into the possibility of having supplemental screening, and perhaps my outcome might not have been as severe as it was," Ms Berchtenbreiter said. "[Instead] within 12 months of that negative result I was subsequently diagnosed with early breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and years of hormone blocking treatment. "But I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm still here to tell this story. "There are others who are not that fortunate because interval cancers got missed in a screening." Ms Berchtenbreiter said it was important to inform people of their breast density because looking for a tumour in very dense breast tissue was "a bit like looking for a polar bear in a snowstorm". "It's vital that women are informed about their breast density, so they can make informed decisions about supplemental screening options," she said. "We are so fortunate to have a breast screening program in Australia but let's make it even better, and save more lives, by having a national commitment to reporting breast density." Statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show last year 58 people were diagnosed with breast cancer every day in Australia, most of them women. The AIHW estimated 3,272 women and 36 men — or one in nine Australians — died from breast cancer in 2024. National Breast Cancer Foundation CEO Cleola Anderiesz said nobody could tell their own breast density. "The size of your breast, or how firm or not firm your breast feels, doesn't give you any indication of your breast density. It has to be detected through a mammogram," Ms Anderiesz said. "What it measures is the relative amount of dense breast tissue — so glandular and connective tissue, which actually appears white on the mammogram — compared to non-dense — or fatty — tissue, which appears dark." She said early detection was critical to improving outcomes from a breast cancer diagnosis. "For example if your breast cancer is diagnosed at what we call stage one, where it's still confined to your breast, your five-year survival outcomes are actually 100 per cent. "So it's a really important thing for women to be informed about because they can then have a shared conversation with their GP or their breast specialist about their level of risk of developing breast cancer — and ultimately that knowledge is power." Ms Edwards said her message to others who didn't know if they had dense breasts was to "go get screened". "I've got an adult daughter who now, because of her family history, I suspect also has dense breasts. "It would be good to know that so she can monitor things earlier than the free mammograms, which kick in at 40."
BBC News
13 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Capivasertib given to breast cancer patients in Wales for first time
A drug which has been proven to extend the life of some people with incurable breast cancer has been given to patients on the NHS in Wales for the first Buchan, 62, who has terminal breast cancer, said capivasertib would allow her to see her son's wedding and gave her "hope".Half of women with breast cancer fuelled by the hormone oestrogen are likely to see their life expectancy double when capivasertib is combined with hormone therapy, research has Rob Jones, who co-led a study looking at capivasertib's effectiveness, said the drug offered "a real life impact for people to spend extra time with their relatives, with their friends". Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with one in seven women affected in their lifetimes and 75% surviving for 10 years or more after Wales, more than 2,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every which was developed by experts at Velindre Cancer Centre and Cardiff University, became available to breast cancer patients on the NHS in April. When Ms Buchan's first line of treatment for her terminal breast cancer stopped working, it was a the recent approval of capivasertib for use on the NHS alongside hormone therapy will allow her to enjoy more time with family and has a common genetic abnormality in her cancer which tests have shown responds well to the drug."To be told I had secondary breast cancer but my life can be extended, I think it's that hope you have to keep in your mind," said Ms Buchan from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan."I know that prior to the first line of treatment going down it was expected I'd live five or six years, maybe more. "The way I cope with this is by thinking about today and today is a good day."Ms Buchan is among thousands in the UK and millions worldwide who could benefit from the drug."I think I'm really lucky because I've got the most supportive husband, children and their partners and extended family and wonderful friends. "What this drug can do for me is allow me to see my son's wedding next year and to look into the future." Despite its approval for use globally by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2023, capivasertib only became available to patients via the NHS in England and Wales this Simon Waters, consultant medical oncologist at Velindre Cancer Centre, said it was a "great opportunity now we've got to this point". "People have been working on it for a long time. It's great we can now put it in to practice as a standard treatment," he said. "We've been using a similar treatment for a smaller group of patients for a few years and that's had quite a lot of issues with side effects and we think this treatment will not only be more effective but also will have fewer issues with side effects. "It's also applicable to a larger group of patients with this common type of breast cancer." How does capivasertib work? The drug is suitable for those with certain gene mutations that affect up to half of people with hormone receptor positive secondary breast cancer - the most common type, which grows in the presence of hormone therapy usually works, eventually the cancer can become resistant to it.A clinical trial found a particular protein which drives the resistance can be neutralised when hormone therapy is combined with capivasertib. 'Doubling of survival time' Prof Rob Jones said: "Patients who received the hormone therapy with a placebo had an overall survival of around 20 months and those who received the capivasertib with the hormone therapy had an extra 39 months."It really is a doubling of survival time so that really is significant. It's not just a statistic - it's a real life impact for people to spend extra time with their relatives, with their friends."Dr Nicola Williams, national director of support and delivery at Health and Care Research Wales, said: "A breast cancer diagnosis can be devastating and one in seven women will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. "This diagnosis is even more painful if you're told your cancer is incurable. "Thanks to the trial and the licensing of capivasertib, when used alongside a standard hormonal therapy, patients like Gwen now have the potential to receive a very significant extension in their lifespan and improved quality of life."
SBS Australia
13 hours ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
Kate says her cancer led to divorce. The aftermath of it was even more surprising
Kate navigated a divorce mediation soon after going through treatments for breast cancer. Source: Supplied Dealing with family can be tough enough. Throw money into the mix and it can be a recipe for disaster. Insight explores just how best to navigate separation, divorce, inheritance and succession — asking who gets the cash and is conflict inevitable? Watch Dividing Family Assets Tuesday 3 June 8.30PM on SBS or live on SBS On Demand . "It put a lot of stress on our family," Kate told Insight. "We also had quite young children, and it really was a very difficult time". Kate moved out of the home – initially for six months to recuperate after surgeries and cancer treatments – but the family never lived together again. When they first got together, she and her husband talked about their assets with one another. She says although they had separate bank accounts, they tended to share most of their incomes. "We both had a similar approach to money, similar attitudes," Kate says, "... it was always very equitable and fair". However, when it came to dividing their assets in the divorce, they struggled to reach a solid agreement on their own. The pair hired lawyers for mediation, and they ended up splitting their assets roughly down the middle. Although her health was considered , according to family law statutes, "it wasn't probably as prominent an element as [she] had expected". Kate says she felt that her ongoing medical costs were accepted but weren't really accounted for. "The main thing that felt unfair to me [in the mediation] was my ongoing health situation," she says. "[I was] very unlikely to come out of breast cancer treatment, and not have chronic, ongoing health concerns". The process of dividing assets was a smoother process for high school sweethearts Katherine and Damian Lance. The pair were best friends, but Katherine's ongoing mental health issues took a toll on their relationship. "I had been exhibiting depressive and manic episodes for a long time," Katherine told Insight. "Living with someone who has mental illness can be really taxing on a marriage." Katherine was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was 35. "By the time we were in our late 40s ... we had decided that it was probably best for our friendship and for our family unit that we would separate." Katherine and Damian ended their marriage amicably. They split their assets evenly, without mediation or any time in court. "We both came into our relationship as 17-year-olds," Damian says. "We started with nothing together, so it was easy to figure out who owned what. "We were partners ... what little we had when we were younger, was both of ours." According to a 2023 Australian Bureau of Statistics report, 50,000 Australians get divorced each year. While neither the Lances nor Kate and her ex-husband went to court over their assets, lawyer Maggie Orman says the courts consider many factors when trying to reach a fair settlement for couples that do. "There's no hard and fast rule of the 50:50 at all," Orman, who specialises in family law and estate planning, says. "The court take into account initial contributions of both of the parties and what they've brought in." "They look at the contributions during the marriage or the relationship. They also look at the contributions since separation." Factors such as contributions, custody of children, age, health, earning potential, income earning differential and potential inheritances are also all part of dividing a couple's assets. "But in the end, the court are wanting a settlement to be fair, just and equitable," Orman says. For couples wanting to protect their assets in the event of separation, many couples use a binding financial agreement (BFA). Orman notes that BFAs are becoming more common for Australians who are wanting to protect their assets — especially people who are remarrying or have substantial wealth. "Having a BFA is a great tool to have if your relationship breaks down, and you're going to separate or divorce," Orman says, "because it gives a clear indication of what the assets, liabilities and superannuation were at the beginning of the relationship". "It gives a clear intention of what the separation [is] going to be at the [hypothetical] end of the relationship." Others, such as financial adviser Stephen and his wife Bronwyn, are safeguarding their assets by another way: a testamentary trust in their wills. "If either one of us, or both of us were to die, our assets would move into that trust," Andrew says, " ...a surviving spouse would be a trustee of that trust, and a sibling of the deceased would become co-trustee". If both Andrew and Bronwyn died, their children would then become co-trustees at ages 25 and 28. "The whole idea is that these assets, then, are protected for our bloodline." "Our mindset was, we wanted to make sure our legacy of what we've created together is protected for our children," Andrew adds. "I think that's where the difference is with the testamentary trust: I still have control from the grave," Bronwyn says. "And I can stipulate who I want it to go to explicitly." Damian attributes his and Katherine's successful breakup and division of assets to communication and trust. Ten years after their divorce, the exes are still friends. "I don't think we'd ever want to do anything wrong by each other," he says. "I think it's just basically sitting down and talking it through and working out what was the right thing to do ... to make each other's lives easier." The division of assets is something that still plays on Kate's mind. She still has ongoing medical expenses, despite being in remission for five years. She requires regular physiotherapy for her lymphedema (swelling in the soft tissue caused by a build-up in the lymphatic system) and will continue to need specialist appointments and very expensive scans. "That fear of [cancer] coming back is very confronting – particularly when you're single," Kate says. "It has the potential to really derail someone financially." Share this with family and friends
