‘Postcard lottery’ as regional residents lose life to blood cancer
More regional and remote Australians are continuing to lose their life to blood cancer than their city-based counterparts as alarming new figures are released by the Leukaemia Foundation.
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More regional and remote Australians are continuing to lose their life to blood cancer than their city-based counterparts as alarming new figures are released by the Leukaemia Foundation.
The figures confirm blood cancers combined are now the second most diagnosed cancers in Australia, and the second most common cause of cancer related deaths in the country.
Four in 10 Australians diagnosed with blood cancer live in regional and remote areas, and Leukaemia Foundation research has shown challenges and disparities in accessing treatment and care mean these Australians can experience higher mortality.
After an extraordinary 30% increase in incidence rates of blood cancer over the past decade, these latest rankings come at a time when the organisation is also experiencing a massive 30% increase in demand for its services as more Australians living with blood cancer than ever before reach out for support.
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The Leukaemia Foundation’s first-of-its-kind State of the Nation: Blood Cancer in Australia report revealed a 13% gap in survival rates between patients in regional and metropolitan areas (5%), and between states and territories (8%). It also showed over half of all blood cancer patients living in regional and remote areas are more likely to wait over a month to see a haematologist after presenting to a GP, a third are unsure about their treatment plan, and one in four also don’t know where to go if they have more questions about their blood cancer.
Leukaemia Foundation’s newly-appointed CEO Chris Tanti said this sobering combination made the 2021 World’s Greatest Shave campaign one of the most critically important in the organisation’s history to help Australia’s leading blood cancer charity keep pace.
“These new findings confirm that we really are dealing with some of the nation’s most diagnosed and deadly cancer killers – and that there is simply no time to waste to cure and conquer blood cancer,” he said.
“There is a shocking postcode lottery at play where Australians living outside metropolitan areas aren’t receiving the crucial diagnostics and specialist care they need, when they need it, and are more likely to face barriers in getting this care,” he said.
“The reality is this is impacting survivability and contributing to blood cancers earning the unenviable title as the second highest cause of cancer related deaths in the country.
“Last year alone, 17,321 people were diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma, and we know that come 2035, more than twice as many Australians will be diagnosed with one annually – which means more people than ever are going to be seeking the Leukaemia Foundation’s support into the future.”
“In 2020, the Leukaemia Foundation stepped in to support around 540 rural and regional families with a place to call home while receiving treatment in the city, and with blood cancer incidence and mortality rates what they are, we have to be at the ready for calls for help from Australians living far from major treatment centres to grow stronger this year and in years to come.”
With the Leukaemia Foundation continuing to face a devastating shortfall of donations due to the impact of COVID-19, those taking part in this year’s World’s Greatest Shave will make an extraordinary difference by fundraising toward a collective target of $15 million in 2021.
“There has never been a more vital time to get behind the World’s Greatest Shave to raise much-needed funds for the Leukaemia Foundation to continue answering the call of families across the country impacted by this complex set of diseases, including hundreds of families living regionally and rurally,” Mr Tanti said.
Officially ramping up to ‘Shave Week’ between March 10-14, join the fight against blood cancer and register by downloading the app, signing up online at www.worldsgreatestshave.com or call 1800 500 088 for more information.
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