There is something for everyone in the hampers, from nibbles to enjoy during the festive season to barbecue seasoning and locally made sustainable products. Photo / Supplied
There is something for everyone in the hampers, from nibbles to enjoy during the festive season to barbecue seasoning and locally made sustainable products. Photo / Supplied
Waikato Breast Cancer Research Trust is selling Christmas hampers full of delicious snacks to raise funds to help complete a breast cancer study.
"There are many types of breast cancer and the clinical trials research that the trust is involved in can offer individual women the best treatment for their type of cancer to ensure best outcomes," said trust chairman and breast surgeon Ian Campbell.
"Clinical trials are vital to help us determine whether new treatments are safe and effective. Clinical trials aren't just about introducing new drug treatments," Ian said.
Over the past 20 years, the trust – established by Waikato Hospital breast cancer specialist doctors and nurses – has run clinical trials for the introduction of a reduced surgery to the armpit called sentinel node biopsy.
To date the "Sentinel Node biopsy versus Axillary Clearance" (SNAC2) trial has been funded by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Grant.
To fund the essential last few years of patient follow-up, and analysis and write up of results, Waikato researchers require $25,000 to make a Waikato and New Zealand contribution for the completion of the SNAC2 surgical clinical trial.
More than 60 Waikato women and 28 others from North Shore, Tauranga, Palmerston North, New Plymouth and Christchurch Hospitals have enrolled in the SNAC 2 trial. To help raise the $25,000 required, the trust is selling beautiful Christmas hampers packed with Waikato food products.
Waikato Breast Cancer Research Trust fundraising coordinator Jenny Smith says the hamper offers a great opportunity to get your Christmas gifting sorted early. Photo / Supplied
"This is a great opportunity to get your gifting sorted early and there is something for everyone in the hampers, from nibbles to enjoy during the festive season to barbecue seasoning and locally made sustainable products," says the trust's fundraising co-ordinator Jenny Smith.
"Plus, by purchasing a hamper this Christmas for family, friends, clients or colleagues, you're supporting the trust as well as the local businesses that produce these delicious goodies and hand-made products."
Sentinel node biopsy involves surgical removal of only the lymph nodes most closely related to the breast cancer – usually two to three lymph nodes.
"Whether or not cancer has spread to the armpit (axillary) lymph nodes remains the most important indicator of outcome for women diagnosed with breast cancer, and helps predict the need for further treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy," Ian said.
Traditionally, axillary node status has been determined by removal of all of the nodes which can lead to arm swelling (lymphoedema), pain, abnormal skin sensation, and shoulder stiffness.
Australian and NZ breast surgeons are behind two major clinical trials introducing reduced axillary surgery at Waikato and other New Zealand hospitals.
The SNAC Part 1 and Part 2 trials have been vital for introducing this technique for Kiwi women.
SNAC2 aims to evaluate whether sentinel node biopsy is safe for women with larger or multi focal (more than one focus) tumours and breast cancers of more aggressive biological type.
The SNAC 2 Trial was designed and is led from here in the Waikato, and from several Australian centres. Ian Campbell is lead New Zealand surgeon and ANZ co-chair of the SNAC 2 trial.
"Sentinel node biopsy trials have been part of the journey of reducing the amount of breast cancer surgery. In the 1970s it was believed that all women with breast cancer needed mastectomy, and nowadays most women do not need mastectomy, and breast conserving surgery is performed in a majority of cases.
"Prior to the early 2000s all women underwent axillary clearance, and now more and more women undergo sentinel node biopsy instead."
For more information and to purchase hampers click here.
