Forum calls for cancer care boost in regions

THE Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Alliance hosted its annual Consumer Engagement Forum at Bendigo Health earlier this month.

The VCCC Alliance aims to boost cancer care access and equity across regional Victoria, and the forum – hosted with Bendigo Health and the Loddon Mallee Integrated Cancer Service – was held to amplify the voices and perspectives of cancer survivors and specialists in the area.

VCCC CEO Professor Grant McArthur said during the forum that the state could be the first place in the world to eliminate a cancer outcome gap in metro and regional areas.

According to 2022 data from the Victorian Cancer Registry, regional Victorians are 10 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than those living in major cities, and 16 per cent more likely to die.

“Without immediate investment to improve outcomes across the whole cancer experience, the devastating reality that one in three Victorians die from cancer will remain,” Professor McArthur said.

Bladder cancer survivor, forum chair and alliance Cancer Consumer Advisory Committee chair Melissa le Mesurier said more expert specialists need to be based in the regions, but there are many doing great work.

“There’s a network of people who are working with their health service every day on all different aspects of research and also the treatment you receive,” she said.