Cancer survivors and people living with cancer will get the support they need with $500,000 to fund new ways to better help Victorians recovering from the effects of a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Minister for Health Jill Hennessy today opened the next funding round of the Victorian Cancer Survivorship Program, while launching the annual Cancer in Victoria Statistics and Trends report with Cancer Council Victoria.
A new round of funding will open to health services in mid-December, providing grants of up to $100,000 to support five new survivorship care projects.
Earlier this year the Andrews Labor Government invested close to $3 million in 13 cancer survivorship projects at health services across metropolitan and regional Victoria.
Survivor care can include helping patients transition off active treatment, supporting rehabilitation and return to work, coping with the physical and psychosocial impact of cancer and better coordinating care between specialists and primary health care providers.
Examples of currently funded projects include developing resources to support women with a disability recover from breast cancer, helping young cancer survivors with education and job opportunities and improving cognitive function in people recovering from bone marrow transplantation.
The Cancer in Victoria Statistics and Trends report collates data from the Victorian Cancer Registry on the incidence and mortality data for a range of cancers, survival rates and future projections.
It shows that more Victorians than ever before are surviving cancer, with the five-year survival rate for Victorians diagnosed with cancer increasing from 47 per cent in 1985 to 67 per cent in 2014 – a testament to the ongoing investment in cancer prevention, treatment and research in Victoria.
However, in 2015, 31,628 Victorians were diagnosed with cancer and 10,937 died from the disease – this equates to 87 new diagnoses and 30 deaths every day.
The Labor Government’s Victorian Cancer Plan 2016-20 has set an ambitious target of saving 10,000 lives from cancer in the next 10 years.
The plan brings together a range of initiatives in cancer prevention, detection, treatment and research to give patients the very best chance of beating the disease.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy
“We’re putting people first and ensuring survivors get the world-class post-treatment care they need, when they need it, closer to home.”
“Cancer survival is now a key issue with the increasing number of people living with cancer in community. Our funding will help survivors lead better lives.”
“Cancer survival is at an all-time high, but too many people are still dying from the disease. That’s why we have an ambitious plan to save more lives and invest in more research to one day find a cure.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020