A person's postcode or other personal circumstances should not dictate their access to best-practice blood cancer treatment.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Releasing its State of the Nation: Blood Cancers in Australia 2023 report, the Leukaemia Foundation said eight of the 18 Australians who lose their life to blood cancer every day could be saved if everyone received what is already considered best-practice treatment.
The report surveyed 4600 people with blood cancer, making it the largest and most comprehensive report of thoughts, priorities and personal experiences of people living with blood cancer to date.
Blood cancers combined are now the second most common cause of cancer death in Australia, making it one of the nation's deadliest cancers.
Today, 53 people will be told they have blood cancer, with this number set to nearly double by 2035.
Leukaemia Foundation chief executive Chris Tanti said the report provides a roadmap for how the lives of blood cancer patients across the country can be saved. He said achieving this must now be a priority.
"Getting an accurate blood cancer diagnosis and the best treatment can be challenging," Mr Tanti said.
"Difficulties can arise depending on where a person lives and, in some cases, whether they can afford to pay for tests and treatments.
"It's unfair that someone's postcode or other personal circumstances could affect the quality of treatment they receive."
Mr Tanti said inconsistencies in the healthcare system directly impacts people with blood cancer and the report shows this is costing lives.
Among the inconsistencies in accessing treatment, the report found that about 13 per cent of people with blood cancer wait more than two months from their first appointment to obtain a referral to a specialist.
A quarter of people with blood cancer were referred to one or more other specialists before being referred to the haematologist they needed.
More than a third waited more than a month to see a haematologist.
The report also found that many life-saving blood cancer treatments and therapies used overseas aren't routinely used or available in Australia yet.
"When it comes to potentially life-saving cancer treatment, Australia is still falling behind the rest of the world," Mr Tanti said.
"We need to bring Australia into line with international best-practice by providing timely access to new treatments and therapies, as they're being discovered."
Mr Tanti said out-of-pocket expenses can lead to significant financial challenges and bill shock impacting the health and wellbeing of patients and carers during an already stressful time.
The first State of the Nation: Blood Cancer in Australia report in 2019 helped accelerate a series of changes to the health system to improve outcomes for people living with blood cancer.
Mr Tanti said people living with blood cancer have made their views clear in the patient-centred report.
"They want a healthcare system that works for them. It is their lived experiences that are fuelling our call for action. We stand with the blood cancer expert community to address this challenge."
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler acknowledged that people diagnosed with a blood cancer "deserve to have the best, most effective treatment, regardless of where they live" and said the government is committed to improving outcomes for all cancer patients.
The full State of the Nation: Blood Cancers in Australia 2023 report is available HERE
READ MORE: Acute myeloid leukaemia project gets funding
