Rising gynae cancers meets a system forcing patients to pay the price

Sector leaders, government and women with lived experience unite in Canberra today to accelerate evidence-based action, as gynaecological cancer diagnoses are set to rise 21% over the next decade

Every day in Australia, 19 women are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer and six will die from the disease.

Today, more than 40 leaders will gather in Canberra for Australia’s first National Gynaecological Cancer Roundtable, convened by the Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG) and with The Hon Rebecca White MP, Assistant Minister for Women, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health, providing opening and closing addresses.

Professor Clare Scott AM, Chair of ANZGOG, said the Roundtable was an opportunity to shine a light on the gaps that have held back progress in gynaecological cancer for too long.

“Today marks a turning point. For the first time, government, researchers, clinicians and the women with lived experience are in the room together with one goal: to close the gaps in evidence, treatment and support for gynaecological cancer in Australia,” stated Professor Scott. “We now have the evidence; the expertise and the collective will to rewrite what’s possible and that is what unites everyone here today.”

A new McCabe Centre report has also exposed a widening gap between the support people with cancer need and what the system actually provides, with Cancer Council Australia calling for urgent reform across our workplace, welfare and healthcare systems.  

Nearly 1.7 million Australians are currently living with or beyond cancer. Cancer Council Australia Director of Cancer Control Policy, David Martin, said the findings reflected a system in urgent need of reform.

“Five-year cancer survival has risen from around 46% in 1986 to 72% today. That is something to celebrate. But surviving cancer is only part of the story,” said Martin. “Every person in the McCabe Centre research faced out-of-pocket costs. Nearly one in three lost income. And yet the majority received no government financial support at all. People in the most disadvantaged areas are already more likely to die from cancer, and when the system then adds financial and legal stress on top of that, it is failing the people who need it most.”

Despite advances in cancer research and treatment, gynaecological cancers have historically received disproportionately low levels of research investment. More than half (55%) are rare or less common cancers, many with limited treatment options and significant gaps in early detection, treatment and support.

“To fundamentally change the story of rare cancer, we need to move from project-based to system-level solutions. We need an explicit prioritisation of rare and poor-survival cancers in policy, including in the Australian Cancer Plan, state cancer plans and Medicare programs, to incentivise different ways of working and enable greater agility and focus,” explained Professor Scott.

Central to the day are the voices of women who have lived through a gynaecological cancer diagnosis. Their insights will sit alongside clinical and research evidence in shaping the Roundtable’s priorities, ensuring the outcomes reflect not only what the evidence shows, but what women and their families have actually experienced navigating diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

Martin added, “If we do not fix the systems that are failing people today, we are building a much bigger problem for tomorrow. A cancer diagnosis should not destroy someone’s livelihood. It should not come down to whether a person happened to have savings or income protection insurance. That is not equitable, and as more Australians live longer with cancer, this problem will only grow.”

Professor Scott said the Roundtable is about building momentum beyond a single day.

“The Roundtable is not an end point. It is a starting point for united action. By agreeing on the priorities that matter most, and identifying the evidence, investment, policy and system changes needed to progress them, we can create a stronger foundation for better outcomes and, ultimately, saving lives,” she said.

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