Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand women, affecting over 2,500 each year. Despite the fact that many women survive, and that there have been advances in breast cancer treatments, women in New Zealand still face a 28% greater chance of dying from breast cancer compared with women in Australia and other parts of the world.

Why is this?

  • Is it that in New Zealand women develop more aggressive breast cancer compared with other countries?
  • Or is it that cancer is detected at a later stage compared with other countries?
  • Or is it that our treatments are inferior?

The Waikato Breast Care Register (WBCR) was established in 2005 to enable a group of clinicians from multiple disciplines to investigate the reasons behind this.

The WBCR is a comprehensive database. Data is collected relating to:

  • Presenting conditions
  • Risk factors
  • Family History
  • Diagnostic procedures undertaken including imaging, cytology and histopathology
  • Surgical procedures
  • Pathological findings
  • Adjuvant treatments including any chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy prescribed
  • On-going follow-up

It is the intention that through analysis of this data it will be possible to create a clearer, more accurate picture of breast cancer incidence, care and outcomes in the Waikato. We aim to be able to answer those unanswered questions.

And the collection of meaningful data has other benefits as well. It will assist in:

  • establishing a baseline of breast cancer statistics here in the Waikato and develop relevant treatment protocols
  • providing locally relevant data for audit purposes and enable national and international comparison
  • providing locally relevant date to assist in accurate planning of cancer services in the Waikato area
  • allowing evaluation of data regarding different ethnic/racial groups
  • providing data to other research groups working on related research topics
Acknowledgements back to top

The Waikato Breast Cancer Trust would like to thank The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation for their commitment to the financial funding of the WBCR for the next three years (2007 – 2010).

The Waikato Breast Cancer Trust would also like to acknowledge and thank previous supporters of the WBCR:

2006: Bosom Buddies

2005 – 2006: The Fine Homes Tour

2004: The Scottwood Trust
The Waikato Breast Care Register gratefully acknowledges the support of
 
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