Money spent on research will pay off in future

IN a small state like Tasmania, we often talk about how we punch above our weight, whether it be on the sporting field, in academia or in research.

Over the past 23 years, Cancer Council Tasmania has invested more than $4.6 million in Tasmanian-based cancer c research. This funding has contributed to clinical research trials at the Royal Hobart and Launceston general hospitals.

The outcomes from some of these th trials are now saving the lives liv of Tasmanians, Australians and people around the world.

How thankful we all should be for the evidenced-based research that is contributing to positive health outcomes for individuals, their families and their communities.

Researchers devote their lives to making a difference. However, we should also be thankful to the people who enter a clinical trial.

Without those people, the trials could not happen. Those who participate, as are the researchers and clinicians, are hoping the treatments will lead to cures, effective treatments and benefits for those living with cancer.

The outcomes from clinical trials can be life-changing. For some people who were initially diagnosed with an invasive cancer, it is now being held at bay, or in some instances has disappeared.

These outcomes were not being achieved 10 years or even five years ago. The many years of research are now producing positive outcomes and impacts for some people.

The aspirational vision for a cancer-free future may not happen in my lifetime, but progress is being made.

Seeing people live with their cancer and not die from cancer is indeed a reality.

Today, 68 per cent of people will survive five years after a cancer diagnosis. This is an increase of some 48 per cent since the 1980s.

However, while the fiveyear survival for cancers such as breast cancer has improved to 90 per cent due to longstanding investment in research, there has been a lack of research progress for low-survival cancers.

These cancers include mesothelioma, pancreas, liver, lung, oesophagus, gall bladder, brain, adult acute myeloid leukaemia, stomach, and “cancer of unknown primary”.

If you are diagnosed with a low-survival cancer, you may have a less than 50 per cent chance of being alive in five years. For some cancers, this is as low as 7 per cent.

Across the Cancer Council Federation, funding and conducting research is a key component of the Cancer Council mission. We are the leading non-government funder of cancer research in Australia.

We want people healthy and back in the workforce for their own personal wellbeing, as well as contributing to the economy.

Some new research has revealed that the cost of cancer to Australia’s health services was more than $6 billion per year. Another study showed that the indirect costs of cancer to Australia amount to nearly $2 billion annually due to the change in labour force participation, and the cost of absence resulting in lost productivity.

These are significant figures. They could be reduced if we can find cancer early and increase survival rates. We know that in the majority of occasions, early detection of cancer can save your life.

This is why programs such as the national bowel screening initiative for people over 50 are so important, and why regular checks for breast cancer or prostate cancer are imperative.

It is unfortunate that every Tasmanian has a cancer story. With now more than nine Tasmanians being diagnosed every day, how can we as a community not be affected?

But investment into research is about ensuring our children and grandchildren have healthy futures and have a different story to tell. There cannot be a better return on investment.