Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
Research. Support. Education.
Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
23rd October 2023 by Emma Hall
Secondary (metastatic) breast cancer is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Treatments aim to slow down the growth and spread of the disease, and manage symptoms, but it cannot be cured.1
Clinical trials can improve outcomes for people living with secondary breast cancer, yet evidence shows that there are barriers to participation and despite innovations in clinical research, little progress has been made to improve the diversity of trial participants over the past two decades.2
In 2021, Make 2nds Count, funded a national research study exploring the clinical trials experiences of patients living with secondary breast cancer.3 The results revealed enormous information barriers surrounding clinical trials and persistent myths that patients are treated as ‘guinea pigs’ and clinical trials are only for those who have ‘run out of options’.
In 2021 armed with this data, an innovative informational and support service was developed in partnership with the patient community and healthcare professionals, known as the Patient Trials Advocate (PTA) service. This free service aims to equip patients with knowledge about clinical trials, overcome common misconceptions and ensure that patients feel empowered to have clinical trials conversations with their treatment team. It offers patients 1:1 time with a clinical trials nurse, no matter where they live, where they can discuss their treatment and receive a personalised trials search report based on their eligibility.
We are thrilled to receive a grant of £20,000 from Breast Cancer Now to support the amazing work of the PTA service. We feel passionately about working in collaboration with like-minded organisations to provide information and support tailored to the secondary breast cancer community, widening access to new treatment options through clinical trials and giving much needed hope to those facing life-limiting illness. To date [31 August 2023], our PTA nurses have conducted 374 patient referrals and we are excited to see the service continue to grow and reach new and under-served areas of the UK.
After accessing the PTA service, one patient shared, “It was nice to speak with a sympathetic ear who seemed positive about finding something for me if it was out there. I felt for a moment that I wasn’t a lost cause.”
Dr Simon Vincent, director of research, support and influencing at Breast Cancer Now, said:
“We know how crucial clinical trials are for people living with incurable secondary breast cancer – they can provide access to a new treatment or a new way of receiving treatment that may otherwise not be available. This offers people the hope of more time to do the things that matter most to them and spend time with their loved ones.
“That’s why we’re delighted to provide a grant to Make 2nds Count's Patient Trials Advocate Service to support it to continue its important work helping patients navigate the clinical trials process and find one that could help them.”
Emma Hall, Head of Operations at Make 2nds Count said:
“We know that 77% of secondary breast cancer patients have never had a conversation with their clinician about clinical trials and we want to empower them to change that through our PTA service.
We are delighted that Breast Cancer Now has kindly donated £20,000 to our Patient Trials Advocate service to help us continue this vital work.
We want to ensure that every patient with secondary breast cancer has the knowledge and the opportunity to discuss trials as part of their treatment pathway.”
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