The Breast Bank will be the sole recipient of all proceeds from the Breast Wishes Ball in Brisbane on October 14.

The ball is the brain child of former Gunnedah woman Jo Menken who has the defective BRCA2 gene, an identified fault or mutation, which is commonly linked to an increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer, or both. 

After undergoing a preventative double mastectomy in April 2016, Jo decided she wanted a better future for her daughter Cameron who has a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the mutation. This sparked the launch of the inaugural Breast Wishes Ball just six months later in October.

The ball is once again being held in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with Brisbane Breast Bank’s Amy McCart-Reed and Jo’s own plastic reconstructive surgeon, Dr Matthew Peters, to take to the stage as guest speakers.

The Breast Bank is based at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Clinical Research, which is leading a new clinical trial  – the BoNSAI study – that is expected to provide major advances in understanding the dose of drugs needed to target tumours in the brain.

UQ’s breast cancer researcher, Dr Jodi Saunus, said the brain is normally protected from intravenous drugs by unique, impenetrable blood vessels. While the vessels that grow through tumours are ‘leakier’ than the rest of the brain, they are still not as permeable to drugs as blood vessels elsewhere in the body.

The degree to which this blocks the effects of cancer drugs in metastatic brain tumours is hotly debated in scientific literature.

By using cutting-edge medical imaging, the BoNSAI study will determine how much of a drug administered to breast cancer patients is absorbed into metastatic brain tumours.

“We will attach a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) tracer to a drug routinely used to treat breast cancer,” Dr Saunus said.

“Participants will then undergo two to three scans over the following week or so. These scans will enable us to see how much of the administered drug actually reaches the tumour and is retained there. Then we can better understand the factors controlling this, such as the patterns of blood flow and pressure inside the tumours.

“It is possible that drugs we thought were not working in the brain could be effective if used in higher doses to overcome the unique barriers to drug uptake.

“Quality of life for people living with brain tumours can be incredibly poor, so there is a great need for research to improve both manageability and survival rates.”

Dr Saunus said the research team is hoping to clarify speculation in scientific literature by providing the evidence for guidelines on dosing. This could also provide bench-marking for treatment of metastatic brain tumours originating from cancer types other than breast cancer, such as lung cancer and melanoma.

The Breast Wishes Ball will be held at the Queensland Cricketers’ Club. For tickets, visit https://breastwishesball2017.auction-bid.org/microsite/