In the News: Breast Cancer Awareness Month, everolimus and more...

Our Chief Executive Samia al Qahdi blogs on the Huffington Post and explains why Breast Cancer Awareness Month is so important, its origins and she mentions Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day on 13 October. It’s a brilliant account of why it’s so important to be breast aware, and what dressing pink or buying pink provides and represents (and I promise I'm not just saying that because she’s our Chief Exec!)

Various news sources reported on the availability of everolimus (Affinator), a drug treatment for some types of secondary breast cancer. Judith Potts writes about it in the Telegraph. She goes on to talk about our Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day campaign – A Day in the Life. Talking about secondary breast cancer can involve a lot of medical terminology and statistics, so we're glad we can share personal stories from people living with secondary breast cancer to help explain what an average day is like.

We have also written our own statement about the drug Everolimus, in which one of our Clinical Nurse Specialists, Jackie Harris, says its availability is a ‘promising step forward for a patient group whose treatment options are currently limited’.

The Telegraph reports on a change to policy which means people receiving treatment for cancer will not have to look for work in order to claim sickness benefits. Employment Minister Mark Hoban is quoted: ‘We have listened to cancer charities, and people suffering from cancer, and I am very pleased we can play our part in reducing the burden on people during what everyone knows is a particularly difficult time.'

The Guardian looks at research suggesting that in 24% of people who were diagnosed with cancer between 2006–2008 the disease was only detected once they were in A&E. Cancer Research UK’s Sarah Hiom calls the results of the research ‘startling’ and explains that early detection is important as ‘the most effective treatments are more likely to be options’. The next step for the researchers will be to understand whether people ‘are reluctant to bother their doctor with possible cancer symptoms, or they could be slipping through the net as symptoms may be dismissed as 'the usual aches and pains'.