October 2nd 2024.
At the age of 42, Tamara Dawes, a mother of two, received the devastating news that she had breast cancer. She was a primary school teacher, living in Lake Macquarie, NSW. Initially, she was relieved to hear that the cancer had not spread, but unfortunately, this was not the case when she underwent surgery to remove the 95mm lump and her breast. The cancer had already reached some of her lymph nodes.
Dawes had discovered the lump while keeping an eye on a patch of eczema that had appeared on her breast. Although she was told that there was no correlation between the skin condition and cancer, she believes that her body was trying to communicate with her. After her GP sent her for tests, she was quickly diagnosed with HR positive, HER2 negative breast cancer.
Reflecting on her diagnosis, Dawes admits that she was not entirely surprised, but one can never truly prepare for such news. At stage 3, the initial tests showed no signs of cancer in her lymph nodes, but by the time she had her surgery, it had spread to more than half of the lymph nodes removed. As a mother of two daughters, Willow and Finley, Dawes underwent a reconstruction immediately after the surgery. She then endured eight rounds of chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiation. Although she has completed her treatment for now, she continues to see all of her specialists annually.
Dawes shares that her specialists do not make any grand announcements, and she is simply on a maintenance program. She is also on hormone medication and receives treatment for osteoporosis, which was caused by her cancer treatment. However, there is hope on the horizon for patients like Dawes who are diagnosed at a young age. A new clinical trial called OLIO has been launched to identify better treatment options for young women with breast cancer.
Dr. Stephen Luen, the study chair, explains that the research aims to understand the unique biological features of these women and utilize this knowledge to improve treatments and outcomes. He also adds that younger women often have more aggressive breast cancers and lower survival rates, making this research vital.
The OLIO study will be conducted at 21 sites across Australia and will recruit 50 participants. Breast Cancer Trials, founded in 1978, conducts national and international clinical trials to research the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. Dawes believes that there is a lack of information targeted towards younger women when it comes to breast cancer. She emphasizes the importance of investing time and resources into researching and treating breast cancer in younger individuals.
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[email protected]. Let us raise awareness and support those fighting against breast cancer.
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