New Zealand Women Denied Access to World Class Treatment

Women’s health groups and medical professionals are calling on the government, DHBs and the country’s largest health insurer to stop denying hundreds of kiwi women access to a breakthrough early-stage breast cancer treatment used all over the world.

Despite being available here for several years, Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) is not funded by major health insurer Southern Cross and DHB’s are not taking advantage of the opportunity to refer their patients for treatment.

Around a thousand New Zealand women a year with early stage breast cancer could benefit from IORT, which is a single-dose radiation treatment at the time of surgery, removing the need for repeat post-operative external radiation therapy.

In Australia IORT has just been approved for funding through the government’s Medicare scheme and was given the official tick by the New Zealand National Health Committee prior to its disestablishment earlier this year.

Doctor Erica Whineray Kelly of Focus Radiology, which operates the country’s only IORT service, says it is beyond belief that fewer than a hundred women a year receive IORT when ten times that number could enjoy the significant advantages of the one shot treatment that saves them the stress and expense of multiple post-operative radiation sessions.

At about two thirds the cost of traditional radiotherapy, IORT also has the potential to free up significant resources for use elsewhere in the health system as well as relieving pressure on linear accelerator facilities which could then be used to treat other conditions including later stage breast cancers.

“With IORT, women and their families are spared extensive post-operative stress from the effects of repeat radiation treatments, often a long way from home and emotional support. IORT costs less than traditional treatment so the health system can deliver more care to more people including later stage breast cancer patients. Also the clinical outcomes are near identical to traditional repeat radiation treatment, but without potentially harmful side effects,” Ms Whineray Kelly said.

IORT has been approved for use in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and Europe and while it is approved and has been used here in the private system for two and a half years, the reluctance of DHB’s and Southern Cross to embrace the therapy means hundreds of Kiwi women are missing out.

Dr Whineray is urging DHBs and Southern Cross to act urgently and give more women access to this world class treatment.