With your support there could be a day when no one will die of breast cancer.
Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae - Breast Cancer Foundation National Register is a vital tool, collecting key information on most breast cancer patients throughout New Zealand. The data is used by doctors to improve treatment and in research and health planning.
A commitment of $5 million has been made by BCFNZ to fund Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae - National Register over it's lifetime.
Ultimately this register will help us achieve the vision of zero deaths from breast cancer.
Data that improves treatments
Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae, the Breast Cancer Foundation National Register, allows researchers and health professionals to have access to a wealth of data, so that they can improve treatments in New Zealand.
Te Rēhita, the National Register, holds a rich database of patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer since 2000. Approximately 3,300 new patient registrations are added each year.
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ has been collecting data from Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Christchurch since 2000. In 2021 Te Rēhita, the National Register, was expanded to cover the entirety of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Te Rēhita, the National Register, collects information such as demographics, diagnosis, follow-up and treatments. Researchers and clinicians can request de-identified data from Te Rēhita, the National Register, for research and audit purposes.
With your invaluable donations significant funding has been provided – over $2.5 million – to the development and management of regional registers as part of Breast Cancer Foundation NZ’s ‘Research for Life ‘ Programme. BCFNZ has also committed $5 million for the lifetime of Te Rēhita, the National Register..
You helped us develop the first ever review of the state of breast cancer in New Zealand
Thanks to the support of wonderful people like you, on World Cancer Day (4 February) 2022, BCFNZ published its first and biggest study of Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae - Breast Cancer Foundation National Register.
The unparalleled data in the Register has given us the information we need to carry out a wide-ranging review of the state of breast cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The final report 30,000 voices: Informing a better future for breast cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand, finds NZ’s five-year survival rates are comparable to other countries. But when looking at the 10-year statistics, it becomes obvious that not everyone has benefited to the same extent.
We hope these findings will enable even greater advances in breast cancer treatment and survival.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does New Zealand need a national breast cancer patient register?
New Zealand needs a national breast cancer patient register because breast cancer is a significant health issue for New Zealand women. It is the leading cause of cancer deaths for women. Maori women are almost 50% more likely to die from their cancer than non-Maori and all New Zealand women have a higher death rate from breast cancer when compared to other countries such as Canada, the United States and Australia. Alarmingly, New Zealand’s breast cancer death rate is 20% higher than Australia’s.
What is the purpose of a breast cancer register?
A breast cancer register allows us to have a greater understanding of the nature of breast cancer and its treatment in New Zealand. It records detailed information about diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of patients with breast cancer within New Zealand. For example, the information tells us how well patients do on different treatments and what treatments are most successful. As Gavin Harris, a specalist pathologist in Christchurch highlights, “breast cancer registers help to improve the management and treatment of current and future New Zealand breast cancer patients”
How do we store data?
The Register is a computerised database where the information is entered and stored in a confidential manner. A governance group controls the use and release of information.
Both public and private sector breast cancer patients are eligible to participate in the regional registers; however, participation is voluntary and participants do have the right to opt out of the register if they wish.
Less than 1% of breast cancer patients opt out. Therefore Te Rēhita, the National Register collects 99% of eligible breast cancer cases. Participants are followed up each year to monitor how they are doing following their breast cancer diagnosis. The Register include patients with invasive breast cancer and DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ – a pre-invasive cancer).
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