“I want to help create a future where breast cancer is something future generations of young women do not have to live in fear of.”
These are the words of Tricia Mahoney, a QIMR Berghofer community fundraiser, who shared her breast cancer experience with us.
"I was 36 weeks pregnant with my son when I first found a lump in my breast. But it was to be another three years before I was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer.
Six years ago, I found a pea-sized lump in my breast. I quickly made an appointment with my GP, who organised some initial scans and an ultrasound, but because I was pregnant they couldn’t do a mammogram. Thankfully, the tests all came back clear, and everything seemed okay. A few weeks later, I gave birth to my son, Liam. When I finished breastfeeding at six months, the lump still hadn’t disappeared. Something instinctively didn’t feel right. A year’s worth of GP and surgeon visits, tests including a mammogram, ultrasound and fine needle bioposy – all kept returning the same result. It was ‘just fatty tissue.’
My young family and I moved from Melbourne to Brisbane, and during that transition I kept on top of this lump, it was never far from my mind. I quickly found a GP in Brisbane, and I was sent for another round of tests at the Wesley Hospital. They also performed a core biopsy, which was terrifying. The results again came back as fatty tissue. My son Liam was now two years old. By this stage it was no longer a pea, it was more like a marble, and I just wanted it out of my body."
Each area of research is important, and each requires funding to ensure continuity and maximum impact to real patients. When you choose to give to QIMR Berghofer directly, you have the reassurance that 100% of your donation goes directly towards our life-saving research, and nothing else.
Our Research Goal:
By identifying the genetic risk of developing breast cancer we can aid preventative surveillance and/or preventative intervention before cancer has a chance to develop.
“With additional funding, we could scale up our lab-based experimental analysis of the 150 breast cancer risk markers. We’re currently making meaningful inroads into the list, though it’s slow going. Stepping up the pace needs investment in new technologies to increase the throughput of the experimental pipeline.” — Dr Jonathan Beesley, Cancer Genetics Laboratory
Our Research Goal:
By developing new diagnostic tests that can aid the selection of the right, personalised treatment and predictors of disease progression, we can create better survival outcomes and reduce the likelihood of relapse.
“New diagnostic tests can help us identify which patients are likely to have aggressive tumours or experience a relapse, allowing early intervention and personalised treatment, and reducing the risk of future complications.” — Dr Fares Al-Ejeh, Personalised Medicine Laboratory
Our Research Goal:
Survival from metastatic disease is poor. By developing targeted drug therapies we can help increase survival rates from advanced stage cancer and metastatic disease.
“We are entering the next exciting phase of research. With additional funding we will be able to take our findings and test them in the real world clinical environment and provide therapy for patients with aggressive metastatic breast cancer who are not benefitting from the current standard of care. There is the potential to obtain stable progressive disease and even cures.” — Dr Adrian Wiegmans, Tumour Micro-Environment Laboratory
Our Research Goal:
By integrating physical activity and weight control as national standards in cancer care we can help reduce the side effects of treatments and improve overall quality of life.
“With extra funding, we would have the capacity to undertake research which can build a convincing argument for additional government funding of programs and services around weight loss and healthy lifestyle interventions that we know substantially help cancer survivors.” — Louisa Gordon, Health Economics Laboratory
How can you help?
When you choose to give to QIMR Berghofer directly, you have the reassurance that 100% of your donation goes directly towards our life-saving research, and nothing else.
Thank you for helping us piece together the puzzle of breast cancer research, and creating a future of hope and health in the lives of patients and their families.
Thank you for your generous support this holiday season.
Infographic statistics
Prevention & Genetic Risk: Breast Cancer Network of Australia, bcna.org.au
Prognosis & Initial Treatment: Breast Cancer Network of Australia, bcna.org.au
Advanced Stage Treatments: Thomas A, Khan SA, Chrischilles EA, Schroeder MC. Initial Surgery and Survival in Stage IV Breast Cancer in the United States, 1988-2011. JAMA surgery. 2015:p1-8
Survivorship: Schmitz K, Speck R, Rye S, DiSipio T, Hayes SC. Prevalence of breast cancer treatment sequelae over six years of follow‐up: the Pulling Through Study. Cancer. 2012;118(8):S2217–S2225
