Senate committee to investigate why some cancers still have a low survival rate

Tasmanian Labor Senator Catryna Bilyk has been appointed chair of the new Senate Select Committee into Funding for Research into Cancers with Low Survival Rates.

The Committee was established following concerns that, despite a significant overall improvement in cancer survival in Australia over the past 30 years, there has been little improvement in survival rates for some forms of cancer, and brain cancer has shown no significant improvement at all.

“Unfortunately, while we have seen survival rates for diseases like breast cancer and leukemia increase significantly in recent decades, rarer cancers like brain cancers have had little or no improvement,” Senator Bilyk said. “Currently brain cancer has a five-year survival rate from diagnosis of just 21.6 per cent, significantly lower than most other cancers.”

“This leads to the extremely tragic situation where brain cancer is the leading cause of death from disease in children,” Senator Bilyk said. “Approximately 35 children die in Australia every year from brain cancers. More people under the age of 40 die from brain cancer than any other cancer.”

Other cancers with low five-year survival rates from diagnosis include: liver cancer 16.0%; stomach cancer 27.0% and; pancreatic cancer 7.0%. In 2016, it is estimated that there will be 46,880 deaths from cancer in Australia.

“Many cancer deaths result from cancers that, while their incidence is low, have much lower survival rates than more common cancers,” Senator Bilyk said. “It is vital that we look into the range of factors that influence cancer survival, including diagnostic measures, earlier detection and varying treatment across a number of disciplines, including the development of new treatment and data management.”

The Senate Select Committee into funding for research into cancers with low survival rates will be accepting submissions and holding public hearings throughout 2017.

Terms of Reference

(1) That a select committee, to be known as the Select committee into funding for research into cancers with low survival rates, be established to inquire into and report on the impact of health research funding models on the availability of funding for research into cancers with low survival rates, with particular reference to:
(a) The current National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding model, which favours funding for types of cancer that attract more non-government funding, and the need to ensure the funding model enables the provision of funding research into brain cancers and other low survival rate cancers;
(b) the obstacles to running clinical trials for brain cancers and other cancers with relatively lower rates of incidence, with regard to:
a. Funding models that could better support much-needed clinical trials,
b. Funding support for campaigns designed to raise awareness of the need for further research, including clinical trials;
(c) the low survival rate for brain cancers, lack of significant improvement in survival rates, strategies that could be implemented to improve survival rates and;
(d) other relevant matters.
SENATOR CATRYNA BILYK DEPUTY OPPOSITION WHIP IN THE SENATE SENATOR FOR TASMANIA