Mate pukupuku (Cancer)

He aha te mate pukupuku? (What is cancer?)

Ko te mate pukupuku he mate ka whai pānga ki ngā tāngata o ngā reanga katoa, ngā momo iwi katoa, ā, ka puta ake ina tipu haere noa ai ngā pūtau i roto i te tinana. Ina pū haere ai, pakaru haere anō ai ngā pūtau ka mate, ā, he mea hou ka hao ake otiia, mēnā rā he tukanga kore o tēnei āhua, tēnā pea ka tipu noa ake, ā, ka hōrapa haere ki ētahi atu wāhanga o te tinana, me te aha, ka whai wero nui ki te ora o te tangata. Ko ngā panonitanga me ngā pakarutanga ki ō tātou hanga, pītau ira rānei e whakahua ai te whanaketanga o ngā mate pukupuku, ā, e taea ana te nuinga noa atu o ngā wāhanga o te tinana te hua ake.

Cancer is a problem that affects people of all ages and ethnicities and occurs when cells of our body grow uncontrollably. When cells of our body become old and damaged, they die and new cells grow in their place; however, if this process is uncontrolled, damaged cells may grow uncontrollably as cancers and spread to other parts of our body where they can become life threatening. Changes or damage to our genetic make-up or DNA can cause the development of cancers and can take place almost anywhere in our body.

Ka pēhea nei te mate pukupuku e whai pānga ki te iwi Māori, Pasifika anō hoki? (How does cancer affect Māori and Pacific people?)

He wero nui te mate pukupuku hei raruraru ki te iwi Māori, Pasifika anō hoki i Aotearoa. He tūponotanga nui kē atu tō ēnei hapori mō te pānga o te mate pukupuku ki ngā pukapuka, ū, kōpiro, kōpū, ate me te repe taiaki huka ki tēnā o ētahi atu mātāwaka. I te nuinga o ngā momo mate pukupuku maha, he nui kē atu te tūpono ka mate ai te Māori, Pasifika hoki ki tērā o ngā taupori iwi Pākehā, Āhia kei Aotearoa nei e noho ana. E whakapau kaha ana mātou ki te kimi rongoā ki ēnei manaritekore o te hauora mā roto mai i ā mātou rangahau.

Cancer poses a significant problem for Māori and Pacific people in Aotearoa. These communities have higher rates of lung, breast, colorectal, endometrial, liver and pancreatic cancers compared to other ethnicities. With many types of cancer, Māori and Pacific people are more likely to die earlier compared to European and Asian populations in Aotearoa. We are working hard to try and address some of these inequities through our research.

E aha ana te Pūtahi o Maurice Wilkins ki te kaupare i te mate pukupuku? (What is the Maurice Wilkins Centre doing to combat cancer?)

E tūhura ana mātou i ngā take o ētahi tū mate pukupuku me te kimi haere i ētahi ara hou hei rongoā, me te aronga nui rā ka pēhea nei te pūnaha awhikiri tangata e taea ai te pakanga atu ki ngā mate pukupuku. Ka rangahaua e mātou te tūāpapatanga koiora o te mate pukupuku, ka waihanga hoki i ētahi whakamātautanga whakatau hou, ka rangahau anō hoki ka pēhea nei e taea ai te whakarite tere nei i ngā rongoā āraimate ki tō ia tūroro takitahi pukupuku me te waihanga ake i ngā rongoā hou ki te tautoko i te pūnaha awhikiri kia rapa haere ai i ngā mate pukupuku ka whakahotu ai. E whakaatu ana te ahu peka rau nei i te whakataukī "Kimihia katoa, ngā pūtake o te kaupapa, ina, i kitea, kimihia te rongo”, “Search out all facets of the challenge, there in lies the understanding that provides your solution”. He tokomaha ngā kaipūtaiao Māori, Pasifika hoki e rangahau ana i te wā nei i ngā urutaunga tūhāhā ki ngā ira kei te Māori, Pasifika hoki e whai hononga ana ki ētahi mate kē tae anō ki te mate pukupuku kia ngana te kimi ake i ngā ara motuhake e hua mai ai he rongoā e pai ake ana. Ko ngā mahi rangahau a te Pūtahi o Maurice Wilkins e whai ana ki te whakamana i ngā tika Tiriti o te Māori i te ao hauora me te rangahau ā-hauora, waihoki ētahi atu manarite-kore o te hauora kei te aroaro o ngā tāngata Māori, Pasifika anō hoki kua pāngia e te mate pukupuku.

We are investigating the cause of various cancers and finding new ways to treat them, with a special focus on how the body’s immune system can help fight cancers. We research the biological basis of cancer, generate new diagnostic tests, research how we can rapidly make vaccines against each patient’s individual tumours and generate new treatments to help the immune system seek out and destroy cancers. This multidisciplinary approach to cancer research is expressed in the whakataukī “Kimihia katoa, Nga putake o te kaupapa, ina, I kitea, kimihia Te Rongo”, which can be translated as “Search out all facets of the challenge, there in lies the understanding that provides your solution”. There are a number of Māori and Pacific scientists currently researching unique adaptations in Māori and Pacific genes that may be associated with different diseases including cancer to try and find tailored approaches for better treatment. The research efforts of the Maurice Wilkins Centre aim to address Te Tiriti rights of Māori in health and health research as well as some of the health inequities faced by Māori and Pacific people with cancer.