Being able to access support services after a breast cancer diagnosis is an important part of the recovery process for some patients, as having access to meet and relate with others in a similar situation can aid in alleviating some feelings of anxiety and isolation.

Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) helps to connect those with breast cancer with support services in person and online. We caught up with BCNA's CEO Kirsten Pilatti about the importance of these groups, and how to access them.

The CHEK2 gene mutation is a genetic abnormality that can increase your risk of developing breast cancer.

We spoke with Cancer Geneticist Associate Professor Judy Kirk about this genetic abnormality, why testing for the gene is not common, and what preventative measures can be taken for those who have the mutation.

If you have had a mastectomy, either because you've been diagnosed with breast cancer or are at high risk of developing breast cancer, you may decide to have a breast reconstruction.

This is a very personal decision to make and it's best to know all your options before choosing what is best for you.

We spoke with a specialist breast surgeon at Belfast City Hospital, Ireland, Dr Stuart McIntosh about these options, what you need to consider before making a decision and what are the best questions to ask your doctor during your decision-making process.

Cousins Raylee and Lisa are the first Australian participants in the ground-breaking BRCA-P clinical trial.

The BRCA-P trial is a prevention trial which is testing the effectiveness of a drug called Denosumab in preventing breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 gene mutation, like Lisa and Raylee. This treatment has been fast-tracked from the lab to a stage three clinical trial due to its impressive pre-clinical results.

Listen in as Lisa and Raylee tell us what it's like to know you have a 70% risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer due to the BRCA1 gene mutation, their experiences in participating in the BRCA-P clinical trial, and what their children think about their 50/50 chance of having the BRCA1 gene mutation.

To find out more about our life-saving research, or to support our research visit: www.breastcancertrials.org.au.

Breast Cancer Trials researcher Dr Ross Jennens is a Medical Oncologist at Epworth Hospital in Melbourne and one of 4,000 Australian health professionals participating in the BRACE clinical trial.

This study aims to test the BCG vaccine, which was developed to prevent tuberculosis and is commonly used as a treatment for people with bladder cancer, to see if it can provide an immune system boost to protect people from COVID-19 symptoms.

Professor Fran Boyle and Associate Professor Nicholas Wilcken discuss how their institutions and teams have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss how some changes have been positive, how their patients have reacted to this new environment, and give a Breast Cancer Trials research update.

Early breast cancer refers to cancer that is confined to the breast or the axillary (armpit) lymph nodes. It's a research focus for Dr Stuart McIntosh who explains what the standard treatment is for early breast cancer, what clinical trials are currently investigating early breast cancer treatments, and how treatments differ to those used for advanced breast cancer.