Cancer in the News

04 April 2022

A high-cost treatment for aggressive prostate cancer will now be available for more men who have the cancer causing BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, with the treatment Lynparza now subsidised. The $78,000 a year treatment will now cost $42.50 a month for gener... more

04 April 2022

An increase in teenagers vaping at school, has prompted action from the West Australian Education Minister Sue Ellery, as principals report kids daring one another to use e-cigarettes in class. Ms Ellery has ordered the department to look into how to... more

04 April 2022

Scientists have generated the first complete sequence of the human genome, that will pave the way for developing personalised medicine. The discovery published in the Science journal, will provide insights for tailoring medical care, for genetic dise... more

04 April 2022

Lifesaving medicines used to treat cancer, kidney diseases and other illnesses will be customised for patients and made in Victoria, following a $23m investment from the federal government. On Monday, Scott Morrison will announce a funding boost for ... more

04 April 2022

The Victorian government will invest $1.5bn into the “Covid catch up plan” to address the healthcare crisis, including funding for an extra 40,000 surgeries to be performed by March 2023. The action aims to clear the elective surgery waiting list and... more

04 April 2022

Australian scientists are investigating genetic similarities to try to identify new cancer-causing mutations that may put women at risk of breast cancer. The BRA-STRAP study has scanned more than 300,000 blood samples taken from people with breast ca... more

31 March 2022

New international research has found that melanoma deaths are predicted to rise by 68 per cent in less than 20 years. The research also found that the rates of melanoma are higher in Australia and New Zealand than any other country, with 42 men per 1... more

30 March 2022

The federal government will now subsidise the cancer drug Trodelvy, following extensive lobbying for expedited access. The drug is used to treat women with a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis, however it costs up to $80,000 per treatment. Treas... more

30 March 2022

New guidelines will come into effect for doctors performing breast implant surgery, as the national regulator cracks down on the multi-billion dollar cosmetic surgery industry. The new guidelines will aim to protect patients after years of complaints... more

30 March 2022

Cheaper medicines, PBS listing of a high-cost breast cancer treatment, access to MRI scans for regional and rural communities and additional pandemic funding, are some of the commitments made to health in the federal budget. Medicine prices will be r... more

30 March 2022

A $1bn extension to the national vaccine rollout, including funding for babies and young children, is one of several commitments to health spending made by the Morrison government. Total health expenditure for 2022-2023 is $105.8 billion. This includ... more

30 March 2022

The federal government has denied requests from state governments for an equal split of hospital funding, doubling down on previous commitments to boost hospital spending to $28.1bn over the next year. State governments argued that the pressures of C... more

29 March 2022

New research has found a possible association between consumption of artificial sweeteners and an increased cancer risk. The observational study analysed 24-hour dietary records and data from more than 100,000 adults who self-reported their medical h... more

28 March 2022

The Federal Government has announced that Western Australia will get a dedicated cancer treatment centre as part of a $375 million investment. The centre will be based on the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Sydney and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in ... more

28 March 2022

Research suggests that drinking coffee reduces the risk of suffering several health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and some cancers. A recently published 10 year study shows moderate coffee consumption is linked with a low... more

28 March 2022

Researchers at Deakin University have found that toddlers who have a less healthy breakfast are more likely to be overweight by the time they start school. The study tracked 320 children at age 18 months, three and five years for the first 2000 days ... more

28 March 2022

An app that claims to detect the most common signs of skin cancer has been registered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Users choose a location on the body map on the SkinVision app, then use a camera to get an instant risk assessment from an ... more

24 March 2022

Hundreds of thousands of cancer patients financially crippled by medical gap payments of up to $22,000 would be saved by a plan for a “cancer care no gaps” scheme. Under the $76 million-a-year plan, the Medicare Safety Net would immediately kick in t... more

24 March 2022

Australian tradies are being reminded to use sun protection, as new data reveals that one in four tradies rarely use sunscreen in summer and half do not use sunscreen in winter. This is despite six in 10 Australian tradies knowing someone who has dev... more

24 March 2022

Advocates say a “cancer care, no gaps” scheme could support hundreds of thousands of cancer patients financially crippled by medical gap payments of up to $20,000. The proposed $76m per year plan would introduce a Medicare safety net that would activ... more

23 March 2022

A world-first clinical trial is investigating a treatment for children living with Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), a rare genetic disorder which increases the likelihood of those affected dying of cancer in their 20s. Claudia Giurgiuman, Chief Executive... more

23 March 2022

Queensland researchers have found that immunotherapy using T cells from COVID-19 survivors could potentially provide extra protection for immunocompromised people with COVID-19. While vaccination remains effective, Professor Corey Smith, the lead res... more

22 March 2022

A radioactive drug used to treat advanced prostate, stomach and bowel cancers could now be available to more patients. Theranostics is a nuclear medicine treatment that can be used to treat prostate, gastrointestinal and neuroendocrine tumours that h... more

21 March 2022

Australian doctors are calling for a ban of non-nicotine vaping products designed to appeal to kids. The products cause unknown long term health consequences, while creating confusion that allows an e-cigarette black market to continue. The Herald ha... more

21 March 2022

Australian researchers have found a new way to deliver chemotherapy that has the potential reduce the toxic side effects experienced by many cancer patients. Drugs are hidden within nanoscopic fatty membranes, or liposomes, which have the ability to ... more

21 March 2022

Advocates are calling for tucatinib, a drug that has the potential to treat aggressive breast cancer, to be subsidised on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). When the PBS listing was assessed last year, the independent committee found the incre... more

21 March 2022

New research published in JAMA Oncology has found that the risk of bowel cancer for people who are overweight or obese may have been underestimated. The study shows the risk of cancer is higher, the longer a person is overweight, stressing the import... more

18 March 2022

New research reveals the drug olaparib can be used to treat people with early-stage breast cancer who have mutations on the BRCA1 or 2 genes. The international OlympiA trial studied 1836 patients who have HER-2 negative breast cancer and these gene m... more

18 March 2022

New research has revealed that raising taxes on tobacco is associated with reduced neonatal and infant mortality. Studying the links between tobacco taxes and neonatal and infant mortality rates in 159 countries over 10 years, researchers found that ... more

18 March 2022

Imagion Biosystems has revealed that human trials of the MagSense breast cancer imaging product show that the “imaging agent is safe, well tolerated and is reaching patient’s lymph nodes”. Current nodal staging requires surgical removal of a patient’... more

17 March 2022

Australian researchers are seeking to develop life saving cancer drugs with a $61.2 million federal government investment into the genomic screening of cancer patients, as part of its Modern Manufacturing Initiative. The Australian Genomic Cancer Med... more

17 March 2022

To address ongoing stigma and discrimination, a new dedicated health centre for LGBTIQ+ people will open in Sydney. The NSW government has committed $4.2 million to ACON to establish a centre to provide primary care, mental and sexual health and canc... more

16 March 2022

New Australian research has revealed that most parents of a child with cancer found the stresses, lockdowns and abandoned plans during the pandemic has helped others to understand the complex challenges they experience daily. Families affected by chi... more

16 March 2022

The latest round of cancer research grants from the Victorian government will strengthen work to reduce the impact of cancer. One project will focus on reducing the impact of cancer cachexia, a disorder where patients experience extreme weight, muscl... more

16 March 2022

Biotech company Imugene is developing its tumour treatment HER-Vaxx through a research partnership with Merck & Co. The phase 2 trial of HER-Vaxx aims to test the safety and efficacy of HER-Vaxx for patients who have gastric cancer and have alrea... more

15 March 2022

To prevent vaping amongst teenagers, the NSW government has launched a $300,000 education campaign. The campaign will feature the Get the Facts-Vaping Toolkit, containing resources and educational materials targeted at teachers, parents and students ... more

15 March 2022

The federal government will invest $995,000 into improving the care of Australians diagnosed with blood cancers. The funding, given to the Leukaemia Foundation, will be used to develop five new care pathways that outline best practice for diagnosis, ... more

14 March 2022

Breast cancer patients have fresh hope with a new treatment reducing their risk of death by almost a third. The drug Lynparza, already subsidised in Australia for ovarian cancer has been shown to extend the lives of women with breast cancer. It is fo... more

14 March 2022

The discovery of a link between the genetic risk of melanoma and auto-immune disease could lead to better treatment for people with either condition, a new study by the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute has shown. “This finding doesn't mean p... more

14 March 2022

A new study claims that one in four Australian medical researchers fails to declare important conflicts of interest in medical trials, such as payments from large pharmaceutical companies. The Journal of General Internal Medicine examined 120 clinica... more

10 March 2022

The approval of a new combination therapy will provide another treatment option for women with advanced endometrial cancer. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has given final approval to the combination immuno-oncology therapy Keytruda plus L... more

10 March 2022

Cancer Council Victoria is launching a new campaign calling on the Victorian government to protect children from advertising that promotes junk food and drinks linked to cancer and obesity. It comes as new research revealed that Victorian children ar... more

08 March 2022

New data has revealed that banned ingredients have been detected in a third of vape liquids tested by Australia’s peak medicines body, with no nicotine-containing products passing strict labelling rules. In October the federal government put in place... more

07 March 2022

Researchers from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research are investigating ways to treat a rare type of ovarian cancer, by unpicking the genetic “spelling mistake” that allows granulosa cell tumours to develop. This rare cancer grows from within the... more

07 March 2022

Prizes, toys and mascots could be banned as part of a crackdown on junk food marketing to children as outlined in the newly released National Obesity Strategy. The strategy, agreed upon by state and federal governments aims to reduce the proportion o... more

07 March 2022

Doctors, nurses and the general public are calling for major improvements to Australia’s public health system, following a massive surgery backlog, delayed diagnoses of cancer and other serious illness, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to COVID-19 ma... more

07 March 2022

More than 1 million Australians are spending $1000 a year on out-of-hospital services and medication, resulting in significant out-of-pocket medical costs. Analysis from the Grattan Institute found that about 25,000 people paid an average of $3000 a ... more

04 March 2022

Principals are locking toilets during class time to avoid students using vapes and e-cigarettes, as a black market of e-cigarette products continues in schools. NSW Education Minister, Sarah Mitchell said the issues needs to be tackled with a range o... more

04 March 2022

Public, Catholic and independent schools across NSW are locking toilets outside of break times to prevent students vaping e-cigarettes. The action comes as NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell told budget estimates that e-cigarette use among young p... more

04 March 2022

The HPV vaccination program has reduced the risk of cervical cancer so much that women may only need one smear test in their lifetime, according to a British expert. Research has found that the HPV vaccination offered to girls since 2008 has reduced ... more

04 March 2022

Tens of thousands of Victorian teenagers are behind on their HPV vaccinations, as COVID-19 restrictions forced school-based programs to be suspended. The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance released new data revealing that teen... more

03 March 2022

A revolutionary chair being developed at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre will help doctors better target cancer cells and allow patients more comfort during treatment. The initiative could also pave the way for mobile radiotherapy trucks, by scaling ba... more

02 March 2022

Calls for tighter controls on fruit-flavoured vapes following the hospitalisation of  a five-year-old after vaping with two seven-year-olds at his Geelong primary school. He was rushed to Geelong hospital coughing and vomiting and will undergo an x-r... more

02 March 2022

Since the onset of COVID-19 more women have got sicker, anxious and depressed. On Tuesday, twelve chief executives of Victorian women’s health services joined forces to demand an “immediate uplift” in government funding. Gender Equity Victoria reveal... more

02 March 2022

Canberra’s Snow family has awarded a further three $8m medical research grants to give Australia’s brightest minds the freedom to pursue audacious, long-term research goals. The three winning research teams from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Inst... more

25 February 2022

Australians diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia will be able to access an $18,000 drug via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for just $42.50 per script from Tuesday. The drug Mylotarg has been listed on the PBS and can be used in combinatio... more

25 February 2022

Australian researchers are developing tiny particles that can be packed full of cancer treatments and snuck inside cancer cells to destroy them from within. Antibody drug conjugates are a new class of highly potent cancer drugs, designed to have the ... more

24 February 2022

Researchers in Adelaide have found a new way to treat myelofibrosis, a rare blood cancer that affects one in 100,000 Australians. Symptoms for the disease can be controlled with existing drugs in tablet form but they have side effects and do not remo... more

22 February 2022

Over 80 community leaders have called on the federal government to abandon plans to cut the price of alcohol, while alcohol industry leaders say that view is based on a report that “sensationalises Australians’ drinking.” In a letter to Josh Frydenbe... more

22 February 2022

Researchers in Melbourne are testing whether transforming rogue immune cells that allow cancer to survive can be a new way to treat the most aggressive form of ovarian cancer. The project is one of two sharing $550,000 from the Ovarian Cancer Researc... more

22 February 2022

Before Queensland Health moves forward with its plan to allow pharmacists to diagnose and treat more than 20 serious conditions, doctors have asked for the release of the results of its trial allowing pharmacists to sell antibiotics for possible urin... more

21 February 2022

A shortage of doctors is jeopardising the health of people living in the bush. A Senate inquiry into the state of GP and other health services for outer metropolitan, rural and regional Australians has received hundreds of submissions raising concern... more

21 February 2022

Confusion over cervical screening could be preventing women from detecting the signs of ovarian cancer. Ovarian Cancer Australia CEO, Jane Hill said research shows “nearly half of women believe that their cervical screening test also covers them for ... more

21 February 2022

Smoking rates have halved in Australia since 1991 according to data from the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. However, according to the Australian National Institute of Health and Welfare, e-cigarette use by Australians aged 14 and older... more

21 February 2022

Ali Day’s breast cancer wonder drug campaign has high hopes for a vital subsidy. Trodelvy was approved for use in Australia after her campaign and is now under consideration for public subsidy to make it more affordable after initially being rejected... more

18 February 2022

Unhealthy lifestyle choices and lack of exercise cost the health system nearly $1b a year, according to a new government report. Conditions contributing to the cost include $361m on coronary disease, $317m on type 2 diabetes and $122m on bowel cancer... more

15 February 2022

Winemakers in Italy and Germany are protesting against a plan to make cans and bottles of alcohol carry health warnings across the European Union. Members of the European parliament in Strasbourg will debate a range of cancer prevention measures incl... more

15 February 2022

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has issued an urgent medical recall for a popular brand of cranberry hard capsules due to a cancer-causing contaminant found in the product. The particular batch contains the known carcinogen ethylene oxide. The ... more

15 February 2022

Cancer Council says that cancer patients are dipping into their superannuation to pay for treatment due to the slow listing of drugs on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. Melanoma survivor Peter Gourlay drew on his retirement savings and help from h... more

14 February 2022

Researchers are assessing whether routine genetic testing used to diagnose common cancers can also be used to determine the treatments most likely to work for individuals. A new clinical trial will investigate personalised treatments for Australians ... more

14 February 2022

More than 100,000 illegal vaping products have been seized by NSW Health in the past 18 months, as health professionals raise concerns about the rising uptake among school students. Vicky Sheppeard, from the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District... more

14 February 2022

Cancer Council is warning Australians to avoid aerosol sunscreens, after research from Cancer Council, Griffith University and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) showed they provide ineffective sun protection on w... more

14 February 2022

Australian researchers have developed a new dietary tool to quickly and accurately assess micronutrient levels aimed to help patients fight cancer. Chronic inflammation is now considered a risk factor for cancer. Flinders University PhD candidate Mit... more

14 February 2022

Doctors are sharing horror stories in a bid to get political parties to invest $20.5 billion into Australia’s public hospitals, saying underfunded public hospitals are buckling under pressures. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) warns there are... more

11 February 2022

Heavy drinkers and smokers are 35 times more likely to develop cancer than those who only drink or smoke. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has revealed that heavy smokers are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with mouth or throat... more

08 February 2022

The effectiveness of cancer treatments could be greatly improved by a simple blood test that would reveal which type of therapy would be most likely to eradicate an individual’s cancer cells. Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institu... more

07 February 2022

More GPs are prescribing nicotine vaping products to people who want to quit smoking after restrictions on the importation of e-cigarettes were tightened and large fines introduced for illegally importing or selling the products. Data from the Depart... more

07 February 2022

Treating cancer costs the health system $10b a year but one in three cancers are preventable with a few simple lifestyle changes. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of 13 different cancers including bowel, breast and ovarian. Alcohol increa... more

07 February 2022

New research shows that exercise in cancer treatment can extend survival by 50 per cent – the equivalent of chemotherapy. Professor Rob Newton from Edith Cowen University has proven that exercise causes muscles to secrete anti-cancer proteins called ... more

07 February 2022

Retailers are being caught illegally selling vapes to young teens in spite of a recent nation-wide crackdown on the black market products. Dozens of tobacconists in Victoria are brazenly selling illegal vaping products to teens with many in Melbourne... more

04 February 2022

In 2010, doctors in St Louis treated Doug Olson’s leukaemia with an experimental gene therapy that transformed some of his blood cells into cancer killers. More than a decade on, there is no sign of cancer in his body. According to the University of ... more

04 February 2022

Vaping is sweeping Victoria, with children as young as 10 the target of a police crackdown. Primary school teachers have been forced to warn year 5 and 6 students about the dangers of inhaling nicotine from vapes after children were given them by par... more

04 February 2022

Many of the most popular slushies contain more than eight day’s worth of recommended added sugar, with up to 49 teaspoons of sugar per serve. A new Victorian analysis found fast food chains and convenience stores are using incentives such as add-ons,... more

04 February 2022

A high-tech genomics hub to be established in Adelaide will give South Australian cancer patients a better chance of survival through more personalised treatments. The federal government has announced a $15m investment to help SA Pathology to establi... more

03 February 2022

Soft drink commercials could go the way of cigarette advertising as experts say graphic images showing heart disease and diabetes could help deter people from buying sugary drinks. US researchers asked 325 parents of children aged 2-12 to choose a sn... more

02 February 2022

In the lead-up to World Cancer Day, Australians are being reminded that there is no such thing as a healthy tan. Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world with two in three Australians diagnosed by the age of 70. It is also o... more

02 February 2022

World-leading Melbourne research to improve survival rates of children with cancer will receive an almost $10m boost. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt will award the group a $9.6m grant to assist their work over the next three years. The group inclu... more

01 February 2022

New Productivity Commission data has shown a decline in breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening of as much as 5 per cent during the COVID-19 crisis. Lockdowns and pandemic restrictions forced services including BreastScreen Australia to be tempor... more

27 January 2022

Australians have been urged to avoid aerosol sunscreens that may contain cancer-causing substances and instead choose creams and lotions. There has been a spike in sunburn-related hospitalisations in January. With the highest melanoma rates in the wo... more

21 January 2022

A new Vic Kids Eat Well campaign has launched, aiming to transform healthy food and drink options in Victorian schools. Vic Kids Eat Well supports schools and community organisations to take simple steps, such as avoid sugary drinks, improve healthy ... more

21 January 2022

Artificial intelligence could be used to help identify cancers, prevent paralysis, diagnose complex conditions quickly and take the pressure off strained hospitals and health workers. Google Health is using its existing image-recognition technology t... more

20 January 2022

Australians diagnosed with rare cancers and other illnesses may have greater access to clinical trials and innovative treatments under a plan to offer automatic tax breaks to run clinical trials. A federal government proposal would grant pharmaceutic... more

20 January 2022

Health professionals warn that some urgent cancer and heart surgeries are being postponed and that within weeks ambulance transfers could be significantly limited, following the “code brown” emergency implemented in response to the Omicron wave, whic... more

20 January 2022

The announcement of a “code brown” for Victoria’s hospital system has resulted in several screening and treatment appointments being cancelled, including breast cancer screening. Several patients are reporting cancellations, delays and service chaos ... more

19 January 2022

New research has identified widespread gaps in the services and infrastructure for Australia’s treatment of lung cancer, prompting calls for an overhaul. The study, led by Curtin University researchers, found that there were no treatment centres in A... more

19 January 2022

Cancer Council Queensland says that authorities have been ignoring a growing childhood vaping crisis, as research shows children who vape are five times more likely to take up smoking. Cancer Council Queensland has been advocating for stronger action... more

18 January 2022

A new drug for advanced ovarian cancer has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The drug, Zejula, is a PARP inhibitor, that will be available to women who have responded to existing chemotherapy and surgical treatments. Previously P... more

18 January 2022

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved a new treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer. The PARP inhibitor drug Zejula has been approved for women with advanced, high grade ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer ... more

18 January 2022

An increase in children requiring medical intervention for harmful conditions related to vaping is concerning GPs in Queensland. Gold Coast Medical Association president and GP, Dr Sonu Kaikerwal said she was concerned about children using vaping pro... more

18 January 2022

An investigation has revealed that at least 17 specialist vape stores are within 1km of South East Queensland high schools, resulting in concern from medical and education authorities about the lack of controls around vaping products and e-cigarettes... more

18 January 2022

Researchers at the University of Western Australia have been awarded $800,000 of federal funding to target obesity-related barriers to breast cancer screening. Approximately 40 per cent of women attending screening for the first or second time do not... more

17 January 2022

The federal government will invest $10m into cancer research, via a national program that aims to increase participation in breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening. Health Minister Greg Hunt said, “This research is critical because the more we ca... more

17 January 2022

The federal government is providing $10m funding to eight research projects, to identify new and innovative approaches to improve participation in breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening. Health Minister Greg Hunt said that that while participati... more

17 January 2022

Kids as young as ten are using e-cigarettes, as vaping is now rated by teachers as the most serious disciplinary issue they have faced. Education Minister, Grace Grace, will push for a national health promotion campaign at the next meeting of the nat... more

17 January 2022

The federal government has again announced changes to telehealth, reinstating temporary specialist inpatient telehealth services involving video and phones, and allowing specialist doctors to treat patients in hospital via telehealth and provide long... more

17 January 2022

Despite strict new laws coming into effect in October 2021, illegal use of nicotine vaping products continues. From October 2021, consumers needed a valid medical prescription to purchase or import vaping products, a move that the Therapeutic Goods A... more

10 January 2022

The federal government has invested more than $1.5m into clinical trials to treat children diagnosed with rare cancers. The funding will support researchers at the University of NSW to trial combination precision-guided therapies for high-risk childh... more

10 January 2022

Children aged five to 11 are now eligible for the paediatric COVID-19 vaccine, an important step for children who are immunocompromised, including those undergoing chemotherapy. Professor Robert Booy, an infectious diseases physician at the Universit... more

10 January 2022

The federal government has invested $40m into the McGrath Foundation’s breast cancer care nurse program, to support 20,000 Australians experiencing breast cancer for the next three years. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the funding would support t... more

15 December 2021

Australian smoking rates have reached an all time low, with data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showing that 10.7 per cent of adults smoked a cigarette daily during the pandemic. Cancer Council Australia warns that these figure... more

09 December 2021

A joint operation conducted by the Therapeutic Good Administration and ACT Health seized 4590 vaping products from three businesses in Canberra in October and investigations are continuing. Testing revealed two in three of the products contained bann... more

09 December 2021

Victoria’s overstretched healthcare system is bracing for a surge in advanced cancer cases and demand for urgent treatment as the impacts of the backlog of missed screenings and diagnoses are likely to be felt in the healthcare system for months and ... more

09 December 2021

Figures released by the Cancer Council Victoria’s Cancer Registry, (VCR) show 2420 fewer Victorians were diagnosed with the most common cancer types in 2020. VCR director, Professor Sue Evans said the figures meant that more people were at risk of de... more

07 December 2021

Cancer Council Queensland researchers, collaborating with clinicians from the Queensland Children’s Hospital and the Perth Children’s Hospital, have revealed their findings on incidence and survival in childhood central nervous system (CNS) tumours i... more

06 December 2021

New research has found a drug that “starves” cancer cells to death by depriving them of iron. Cancer cells need a lot of energy, most of which is generated in the mitochondria, the “engine” of the cell. Scientists from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Cent... more

02 December 2021

Cancer survival rates in Australia continue to improve and the rate at which Australians are being diagnosed with cancer has been declining since 2008. While the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report shows a downward trend in the rate of ... more

01 December 2021

Research shows that cancer survival rates in Australia are improving although the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on cancer diagnosis and treatment will not likely be known for several years. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) repo... more

30 November 2021

According to Australian researchers, doctors should be cautious about prescribing nicotine e-liquids for vaping as a means to help a patient quit smoking. The Therapeutic Goods Administration published a new standard last month making e-liquids with ... more

29 November 2021

A study has revealed a potential rise in skin cancer among millions of Australians is being attributed to Covid-19 lockdowns. A long-term health threat may have emerged with those living in the more heavily locked-down states of Victoria and NSW putt... more

29 November 2021

Queenslanders will be the first to test drive a lung cancer screening service. Funded by the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, a truck converted into a mobile lung cancer multi-platform research facility boasting state-of-the-art equipment will ... more

26 November 2021

According to research by Flinders University, a common medication used to treat heartburn, reflux and ulcers could lessen the effectiveness of lung cancer immunotherapy drugs. The study, published in Nature’s British Journal of Cancer, investigated t... more

25 November 2021

A study warns that vaping is linked to changes in DNA that can cause diseases such as cancer. The University of Southern California study included 82 healthy adults, including vapers, with and without a history of smoking. The study found that advers... more

25 November 2021

According to the latest mortality rate data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), public health measures put in place to reduce COVID-19 have probably depressed deaths from respiratory diseases and related causes. Professor Adrian Es... more

24 November 2021

Fatality rates from major diseases such as cancer, infectious disease, heart disease and injuries have declined in recent years according to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The report found that cancer contributes the la... more

22 November 2021

The sun-safe message is being ignored or forgotten by young people leading to calls for a major new campaign to address the problem. Data shows one in five 18 to 24 year-olds now use no sun protection. Cancer Council chief executive, Tanya Buchanan s... more

22 November 2021

Monday 22 November is the start of National Asbestos Awareness Week 2021. This year’s campaign challenges complacency by reminding tradespeople and home renovators that the danger of asbestos is far from over. Asbestos was only banned in Australia in... more

19 November 2021

Scientists in Queensland are at the forefront of the fight against women’s cancers with QIMR Berghofer leading the latest research that has found genetic links for endometrial cancer that will lead to tailored treatments. The study, led by Associate ... more

19 November 2021

The World Health Organization has called on wealthier countries and vaccine manufacturers to assist poorer countries and follow Australia’s lead in aiming to eliminate cervical cancer. Last year the WHO launched a plan to eradicate cancer’s most trea... more

18 November 2021

A new type of surgery is being trialled in Melbourne that “punches holes” in the cells of pancreatic tumours so the body can launch its own attack on the cancer. Surgeons at the Epworth and Alfred Hospitals are testing whether using electrical curren... more

16 November 2021

At least one in seven teens are vaping and it has become a parental nightmare linked to serious health issues including hospitalisations and deaths. Cancer Council NSW says parents need to be informed before speaking to teens about vaping. Research h... more

16 November 2021

Australian state governments must sent an end date for the sale of cigarettes through shops including supermarkets according to health experts. University of Queensland researchers, in an article in the Medical Journal of Australia, said that anti-sm... more

16 November 2021

It is highly unlikely Australia will hit its draft target of less than 5 per cent of the population smoking by 2030 unless it takes significant steps to reduce supply, including curtailing retail sales, experts warn. Writing in the Medical Journal of... more

16 November 2021

Cervical cancer is on track to be eliminated in Australia within the decade and the nation is set to become the first to give the option to self-collect a testing sample in a move designed to break down the final barrier to women who are not screenin... more

15 November 2021

One in three Tasmanians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 75 but the sun smart message is getting through. Data from the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute of Medical Research and a study by PhD student Bruna Silva Ragaini look... more

15 November 2021

A breakthrough cancer drug will buy time and save hundreds of thousands of dollars for Australians living with a rare stomach and bowel cancer. Qinlock, a new oral pill that slows the spread of tumour cells listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schem... more

09 November 2021

Waste giant Cleanaway will apply to start processing asbestos at its Ravenhall tip in Melbourne’s west. This is opposed by two councils that say it is another example of the western suburbs being used as a dumping ground. However, Cleanaway said its ... more

08 November 2021

A ground breaking vaccine developed in Queensland is being lauded overseas for preventing hundreds of cervical cancers and almost eradicating the disease in young women. A study published in The Lancet found cervical cancer rates in the UK were 87 pe... more

04 November 2021

Despite a campaign against tobacco by President Xi Jinping’s wife, the number of deaths in China caused by smoking is set to rise by more than 40 per cent in the next 20 years. More than a quarter of people in China over the age of 15 are smokers and... more

04 November 2021

Cracking the genome sequence of COVID-19, a therapy for the most aggressive form of breast cancer, and synthetic skin that accelerates the repair of human tissue were among achievements honoured in Australia’s top science prize. Oncologist Sherene Lo... more

04 November 2021

While demand for blood donations is at its highest in 10 years, the number of appointment cancellations from donors is at a record level. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood says 33,000 blood donations are needed each week but cancellations due to the COV... more

03 November 2021

Cancer Council WA has issued an urgent call for young women to make the most of the potentially life-saving cervical screening test, with the launch of a new campaign. According to new data, more than half of eligible West Australians aged between 25... more

03 November 2021

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provided the first regulatory approval for Illuccix, a prostate cancer imaging product from Telix Pharmecuticals. It is the first commercially approved PSMA-PET imaging agent available in Australia. It i... more

02 November 2021

Australian cancer researchers are investigating why chemotherapy and radiation make some cancer cells “go to sleep” and “reawaken” instead of killing them, in the hope of improving response rates from standard treatments. Dr Shom Goel, a laboratory s... more

01 November 2021

In a world first, Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) could start prescribing medically licensed electronic cigarettes to smokers. The updated guidance comes despite global concerns about the effects of commercially sold e-cigarettes and the popu... more

01 November 2021

The subsidised listing of a new treatment for multiple myeloma offers new hope for patients. Australians being treated for the blood cancer have previously received the drug Darzalex, or daratumumab by infusion over several hours at a treatment centr... more

01 November 2021

Australians being treated for prostate cancer will now have access to the treatment Nubeqa at an affordable price. The new pill will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for patients with non-metastatic castration resistant carcinoma... more

29 October 2021

The latest annual report from the Victorian Department of Health reveals that almost every part of the health system is failing to meet key performance targets, due to unprecedented patient demand and already stretched health services. Key performanc... more

28 October 2021

“Alarming” new data from a national Cancer Council poll reveals that two in five Australians want a suntan. 40 per cent of the survey participants said they would like to get a tan, and 62 per cent reported having a tan. Head of SunSmart and Cancer C... more

27 October 2021

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has promised “to act” in response to the state’s rural and regional health crisis. He said the government was building 80 healthcare facilities, two thirds of which are in rural NSW. He said of the “8000 new doctors, nur... more

27 October 2021

A Cancer Council survey has found that 40 per cent of Australian adults still actively seek a suntan, despite the risk of developing skin cancer. The 2019 Summer Sun Protection Survey found that a further 62 per cent reported having tanned skin thems... more

26 October 2021

A new $40m Brain Cancer Centre at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) will enable scientists to research promising new treatments for Victorian brain cancer patients. WEHI Director, Professor Doug Hilton said the facility w... more

26 October 2021

More than 1,300 Australians unnecessarily die from blood cancer each year because they live in under resourced rural or regional towns, says the Leukaemia Foundation. Chief Executive of the Leukaemia Foundation, Chris Tanti, said that delayed diagnos... more

25 October 2021

An Australian oncologist has had success in targeting chemo-resistant stem cells to control ovarian cancer. His team will conduct follow up research that aims to identify biomarkers on stem cells so more patients, including those newly diagnosed, can... more

25 October 2021

Older mothers are encouraged to be vigilant about changes to their breasts during pregnancy and breastfeeding as a breast cancer expert warns those over the age of 35 are six times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer. Surgeon Carissa Phill... more

25 October 2021

The latest DrinkWise survey has shown that year 12 students are drinking, smoking and experiencing eating disorders as their mental health deteriorates. The study found that 14 to 24 per cent of students are turning to starving themselves, drinking, ... more

25 October 2021

The Federal Government is adding another breast cancer treatment to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), said to benefit approximately 1,600 Australians a year. Verzenio (abemaciclib) will be listed for expanded use in combination with the drug ... more

25 October 2021

BreastScreen SA will inform women participating in mammograms of their individual breast density, as part of a six month research study. Higher breast density is a risk factor for cancer and can reduce the visibility of cancers on a scan. BreastScree... more

22 October 2021

A multidisciplinary team is investigating personalised therapies, as a potential treatment for glioblastoma, a brain cancer with a five year survival rate of less than 5 per cent. Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Head of Neurosurgery Professor Kate Drummon... more

22 October 2021

Almost 3500 cancer diagnoses were missed in Victoria between April 2020 and mid-August 2021, causing concern around the pressure on the state’s health system and the expected surge in people needing treatment. Data from the Victorian Cancer Registry ... more

20 October 2021

Adelaide cardiothoracic and trauma surgeon Craig Jurisevic has said patients are “waiting dangerously long for live saving surgery”. He has stopped all clinical activities at the Royal Adelaide Hospital until resources are improved, saying that “unti... more

20 October 2021

A survey of Australia’s ICU directors has found that a sharp drop in trained ICU staff in the past year, means that less than half of the nearly 3000 extra intensive care beds provided to meet COVID-19 demand can be used. The survey found that there ... more

20 October 2021

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) is calling for updated screening guidelines, as deaths from prostate cancer rise. PCFA say current clinical guidelines are outdated, as new technology that can improve diagnosis and reduce the fear o... more

19 October 2021

Sydney oncologist Nicholas Wilcken has described how he was reassigned to a COVID ward at his hospital during the recent outbreak. “I’m learning quickly,” he writes. “The reason I am doing this is that at my hospital there is a lot of COVID. So much ... more

18 October 2021

The use of cannabidiol as a potential cancer treatment should be further explored according to some British researchers. Researchers at Watford General Hospital studied the case of a woman in her 80s who refused standard treatment for lung cancer. On... more

18 October 2021

New research from Cancer Council reveals that junk food companies are exploiting loopholes in their marketing codes to push unhealthy food to children. The study investigated six years of complaints made about junk food marketing to children and foun... more

18 October 2021

New research from Cancer Council has found that junk food companies are exploiting loopholes in marketing codes to push products to children, demonstrating that the system fails to protect young people. The Australian study found that only 12 per cen... more

15 October 2021

The rollout of third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to immunocompromised people has been limited, as pharmacists waited for clear advice on reimbursement. 500,000 Australians, including cancer patients, are now eligible for a third dose following evid... more

15 October 2021

Doctors are warning that an expected rise in COVID-19 hospital admissions as the country reopens after lockdowns, could dramatically reduce elective surgeries and lead to patients being turned away, unless there is a funding overhaul. Modelling for t... more

13 October 2021

A decision by the Federal Circuit Court regarding the rights of employees to take leave for cancer treatment has highlighted the pressure many cancer patients feel to quit their jobs. Liz Tapping reached a financial settlement with her employer after... more

11 October 2021

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has approved a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for severely immunosuppressed Australians. ATAGI has advised that those with compromised immunity, including those receiving treatments ... more

11 October 2021

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) is calling for prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing guidelines to be updated. Jurgen Dous had been having regular PSA testing until 2012, and was told by his GP that they were no longer necessary.... more

11 October 2021

New coronial data reveals that one in five suicides in the over 40s age group are people with a terminal illness. This data comes as twelve NSW Labor MPs have said they will co-sponsor a bill to legalise voluntary assisted dying, supported by the Hea... more

11 October 2021

A new study from the Telethon Kids Institute and Curtin University testing 65 “nicotine-free” e-liquids, found that liquids used for vapes contain toxic chemicals. The researchers tested the chemical composition of the e-liquids before and after an a... more

06 October 2021

A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry has heard that cancer outcomes in Australia are among the best in the world, except for those in rural and regional areas. The inquiry is examining the state of rural and regional healthcare after a series of d... more

05 October 2021

Since BreastScreen Australia was introduced in 1991, breast cancer related deaths have decreased. A new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed that, the mortality rate for women aged 50-74 was 41 per 100,000 in 2019 compa... more

05 October 2021

An estimated 20,000 cancer cases will be missed because of COVID-19 disruptions. Melissa Blythe is one of many women whose regular mammogram was rescheduled in May 2020. She noticed a difference in her breasts, and following scans, was diagnosed with... more

05 October 2021

New Australian radar technology allows surgeons to find and remove tiny breast tumours more accurately. The reflector is inserted into the tumour days before the operation, so surgeons can probe to find “the cancerous needle in a haystack”. This remo... more

05 October 2021

A new study has found that exercise can help the body attack cancer cells and suppress the growth of tumours. Obese prostate cancer patients participated in a 12-week exercise program, as part of the study from Edith Cowan University. Blood tests rev... more

05 October 2021

New analysis reveals that 50 per cent of breast cancer cases among Australian women could be attributed to alcohol and weight gain. Breast and melanoma surgeon, Dr Heidi Peverill said increased alcohol consumption, a lack of exercise, being overweigh... more

01 October 2021

Emergency doctors are fearing a rise in cancer and cardiac deaths if Victoria’s hospital system is soon overrun with Covid-19 cases. In a new paper, Melbourne emergency doctors and researchers from Monash University flag concerns a flood of cases fol... more

01 October 2021

Doctors have warned that the health system is so overburdened by Covid-19 that people are dying from other treatable conditions as patients are stuck in ambulances and the corridors of emergency departments, unable to access a hospital bed. Surgical ... more

01 October 2021

Today new changes have come into effect making it illegal to access nicotine vaping products without a prescription. Royal Australian College of General Practitioner President Karen Price said vaping products would only be prescribed to people to ass... more

01 October 2021

Tobacconists are vowing to dodge a crackdown on the importation of illegal e-cigarettes while some Australian teenagers have taken to TikTok to protest the new laws enforced from today. The Australian Border Force now has the power to seize packages ... more

30 September 2021

New research has found a potential new treatment for pancreatic cancer that primes cancer cells by targeting a molecule that inhibits the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs and led to a 50 per cent reduction in tumour spread. Researchers at the Garv... more

30 September 2021

There are concerns that up to 20,000 cancers may have gone undiagnosed as a new report from Cancer Australia finds that the number of cancer related diagnostic procedures in Australia plummeted last year with COVID-19 restrictions. The research exami... more

30 September 2021

The overall death rate in Australia declined by 8001 people in 2020, however deaths linked to alcohol consumption increased by 8.3 per cent and there was concerning drop in diagnostic and other services for cancer. This new mortality data released by... more

29 September 2021

A promising new blood test may help detect ovarian cancer in its earliest stages, allowing tumours to be surgically removed before they spread. Griffith University and University of Adelaide researchers have developed a reliable way of screening usin... more

29 September 2021

A world first clinical trial being run out of Adelaide is providing new treatment options for people with a chronic myeloid leukaemia diagnosis. Professor Timothy Hughes’ team is trialling the drug asciminib, as a first treatment option in newly diag... more

28 September 2021

Researchers at the Australian National University have discovered a low-cost and non-toxic potential cancer treatment that could provide a new alternative to chemotherapy. The clinical trial of the Complete Freund Adjuvant treatment, which uses dead ... more

28 September 2021

Australian research published today has shown that an unconventional cancer treatment that costs $20 could shrink tumours and make patients more comfortable. The treatment injects a slow-release solution of dead mycobacteria into tumours to kick-star... more

27 September 2021

A groundbreaking new trial is testing a targeted and personalised approach to improve survival rates for the most common malignant brain tumour among adults – glioblastoma multiforme. The government’s Australian Brain Cancer Mission, in partnership w... more

27 September 2021

The Lung Foundation has said that a vaping epidemic, spurred on by social media trends, is damaging the lungs of young Queenslanders. The foundation is calling for the over-the-counter sale of vapes and e-liquids to be banned in Australia. The call f... more

27 September 2021

The government’s crackdown on e-cigarettes is a load of hot air according to the Tasmanian Small Business Council. Under new rules, vape users will require a prescription before they can purchase e-cigarette products from overseas or over the counter... more

24 September 2021

Northern Territory residents can donate non-regenerative organs to medical research after the territory’s parliament passed new reforms. The amendments to the Notifiable Diseases Act 1981 and the Transplant and Anatomy Act 1979 follow an advocacy cam... more

23 September 2021

Australian families affected by prostate cancer are expected to benefit from $2.25 million of federal funding into a world first trial for survivorship care. More than 200 men will participate in the trial to test the clinical and cost effectiveness ... more

23 September 2021

The World Health Organisation says that raising taxes on alcohol could prevent thousands of cancer deaths per year. 180,000 cancer cases and 85,000 deaths every year were estimated to be caused by alcohol according to WHO research. WHO says that incr... more

22 September 2021

Researchers from the Centenary Institute have found that a compound extracted from a commonly grown orchid could be a potential new treatment option for prostate cancer. The researchers examined erianin, a natural bibenzyl compound present in the orc... more

22 September 2021

Radiation therapy used to treat breast cancer could increase the risk of heart disease in younger women, according to new research. The study found that women with left-sided breast cancer who had radiation therapy between 1985 and 2008 had more than... more

20 September 2021

Forty-two per cent of Australian cancer patients said their treatment had been disrupted by COVID-19 according to a survey by NSW researchers. Forty-three per cent of health care workers said they had experienced delays in delivering cancer care. The... more

20 September 2021

Australian researchers have discovered a new approach to treat early-stage melanoma. While advances in immunotherapy drugs have improved the prognosis of more than half of those diagnosed with melanoma, there are no immunotherapy drugs approved for u... more

17 September 2021

Voluntary assisted dying will become legal in Queensland following a historic decision by the state’s parliament. The new legislation, coming into effect in 2023, will enable Queenslanders who face a terminal illness that is expected to cause death w... more

16 September 2021

Doctors warn that Sydney residents are delaying crucial screenings and blood tests as the lockdown continues. The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) say screening in Sydney for abnormal cholesterol levels, heart conditions, and certa... more

16 September 2021

Scientists have identified a possible link between antibiotics and breast cancer growth. Researchers treated mice using five antibiotics, and the broad-spectrum antibiotic cefalexin on its own, to investigate how disrupting the balance of bacteria in... more

14 September 2021

Victorian cardiac and cancer patients are already experiencing delayed care and it could worsen if hospitals are overrun with COVID-19 patients, warn doctors. As hospitals pause elective surgeries for all but the most urgent category one and two pati... more

14 September 2021

New technology to improve the early detection and treatment of Australia’s deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma, is being trialled across Australia. 3D body scanners will be rolled out by the Australian Cancer Research Foundation in Queensland, Ne... more

13 September 2021

Cancer Council is warning consumers not to be fooled by alcohol companies who promote alcohol products as healthier or better for you. They say promoting alcohol as “healthy” or “better for you” is a marketing tactic by alcohol companies who know tha... more

13 September 2021

Australian women diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer will soon have access to a revolutionary new drug. The Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods has listed Trodelvy as a treatment for women with advanced metastatic triple-negative ... more

13 September 2021

COVID-19 disruptions and a funding crunch have made it difficult for Australians undergoing treatment for blood cancer to access life saving stem cell transplants. Patients are matched with genetically suitable stem cell or bone marrow donors locally... more

13 September 2021

A breakthrough new method of classifying breast cancers could be used to predict which treatments will work in individual women and their response to immunotherapy. Researchers at the Garvan Institute discovered 50 distinct cancer, immune and connect... more

10 September 2021

A young researcher is using nanotechnology to drive anti-cancer drugs to their destination and improve treatments for ovarian cancer. Yesterday, Cintya Dharmayanti’s presentation “Highway to health: driving towards personalised ovarian cancer treatme... more

09 September 2021

A new campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of lung disease or lung cancer and increase early diagnosis has launched. Every year more than 13,200 Australians are expected to be diagnosed with lung cancer according to Lung Foundation Australia’s... more

09 September 2021

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) is calling for a review into government testing guidelines, following an increase in late diagnoses of prostate cancer. PCFA reported that 38 per cent of men found out they had prostate cancer when i... more

06 September 2021

General practitioners in Tasmania are being given hands-on experience in suturing wounds, conducting biopsies and removing skin cancers in a new skin cancer workshop. Workshop trainer Dr Elkerton said “a lot of GP registrars haven’t had the opportuni... more

06 September 2021

Rates of melanoma among men from regional Victoria have increased by more than a third in the past ten years. Cancer Council Victoria has launched an urgent advertising campaign warning men not to delay getting a skin check. The latest data shows alm... more

03 September 2021

Vaping products that deliver puffs of liquid nicotine disguised with flavours are being used by young Australians who have never smoked cigarettes before. The latest research and anecdotal evidence of increasing use of vaping products has parents and... more

03 September 2021

Perth’s inner suburbs, Bunbury and Mandurah have all recorded a steep increase in prostate cancer diagnoses, compared to the national average. The national average is 150 new prostate cancer cases per 100,000 men according to the Australian Bureau of... more

03 September 2021

Australians are “in the dark” on blood cancer symptoms, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment. Research commissioned by the Leukaemia Foundation found four in five Australians cannot identify the symptoms of blood cancer. A third of Australian... more

01 September 2021

A survey conducted by the Leukaemia Foundation revealed that 78 per cent of Australians can not confidently identify the symptoms of blood cancer. Recurrent infections, increased fatigue, night sweats and bone pain are some of the symptoms to look ou... more

30 August 2021

Mammogram results through BreastScreenNT will now be connected to My Health Record. Following assessment by two consultant radiologists, breast screen results can be uploaded to My Health Record accounts, providing women with faster access to their r... more

30 August 2021

The Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia (ADSA) has launched a community education campaign to discourage visitors to the site of a former asbestos mine in Wittenoom, Western Australia. Research has shown residents and tourists are still visiting W... more

30 August 2021

A new study suggests that more than half of Australians support ending the retail sale of cigarettes within the next 10 years. Research from Cancer Council Victoria surveyed 2,774 Australians and found that a total of 1,466 respondents (52.8 per cent... more

30 August 2021

The Queensland government will ban smoking in more areas and apply advertising restrictions to more tobacco products. Herbal cigarettes, pipes, loose smoking blends and flavouring for tobacco products will be subject to advertising restrictions under... more

30 August 2021

Researchers are using a patients’ own cells in a form of 3D printing material to make a model of their tumour and use it to test the efficacy of potential treatments for brain cancer. Scientists extract a “chunk” of the tumour from a patient with gli... more

27 August 2021

The impact of a person’s genes on their risk of developing common diseases wanes with age according to new research from the University of Oxford. The study followed 500,000 people in the UK and found that a person’s genetic risk is highest early in ... more

25 August 2021

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) warns more Australians are likely to become seriously ill and die as COVID-19 restrictions delay diagnoses of cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. They warn that Australia’s healthcare system is facing a... more

24 August 2021

A new study has revealed that finding breast cancer via a screening test or in between regular screening could depend on the age-specific impact of risk factors. Researchers found that a family history of breast cancer had a larger effect on cancer d... more

24 August 2021

A world first device, barely bigger than a grain of rice, that can deliver chemotherapy from inside a tumour may help treat pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic tumours have limited blood vessels and are encased in a tough fibrotic layer, which can prevent ... more

24 August 2021

Research from the University of Texas has found that pregnant women who are obese, may be raising the risk of bowel cancer in their children once they become adults. The study monitored more than 18,000 pairs of mothers and their children for 60 year... more

24 August 2021

Parents of children being treated for cancer are urging SA Health to relocate adult COVID-19 public vaccination services within the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. They are concerned the vaccination clinics expose children undergoing chemotherapy to... more

23 August 2021

Cancer Council and the Australian Council on Smoking and Health are calling for an urgent crackdown on vaping, following research that showed 14-year-olds who vaped were five times more likely to take up smoking by age 17. The study followed 10,000 t... more

23 August 2021

An online artificial intelligence (AI) program that cross references a patient’s medical data and family history against a database of 250,000 other men is being used to diagnose men with prostate cancer. Danny Hansen, a man with a family history of ... more

23 August 2021

A landmark global study has found that a revolutionary drug, talazoparib, can freeze the progression of advanced prostate cancer. The drug, already proven to be effective in women with advanced breast cancer, could benefit thousands of men a year. Th... more

23 August 2021

A Sydney mother has called for skincare brands to list all ingredients on their products following her three-year-old’s allergic reaction to a well-known sunscreen. This call comes as the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration announced that the... more

23 August 2021

A new robot is allowing breast cancer nurses to continue vital training despite COVID-19 restrictions. A pilot program delivered by the McGrath Breast Care nurses program, uses iPads on wheels controlled by nurses in hospital wards, to allow nurses i... more

20 August 2021

NSW Health has reversed a decision to cancel thousands of elective surgeries at private hospitals as positive COVID-19 cases continue to be found within hospital wards in Sydney hotspots. A letter from NSW Health clarified that category 2 surgeries c... more

19 August 2021

Experts warn that the suspension of breast cancer screening in NSW due to the COVID-19 outbreak could put women at greater risk. Associate Professor Peter O’Brien, Chair of the Radiation Therapy Advisory Group, said he was particularly concerned abou... more

19 August 2021

New data shows that the number of women dying from breast cancer has increased dramatically, from 14,693 to 20,030 cases in the past decade. The National Breast Cancer Foundation’s analysis of the Institute of Health and Welfare’s data, shows the dia... more

19 August 2021

Korean researchers have found that frequent drinking may be a more significant risk factor for gastrointestinal cancers than the quantity of alcohol consumed in a session. The study of more than 11 million people found that 300,000 people developed g... more

18 August 2021

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will investigate sunscreen products sold in Australia after a US study found some products contained potentially cancer causing chemicals. The TGA said they are “testing samples of sunscreen products contain... more

18 August 2021

MPs and health professionals are urging the NSW government to reverse the temporary closure of breast screening services across NSW. On Monday, BreastScreen NSW announced the temporary suspension of all routine breast screening due to the risk of the... more

17 August 2021

Positive COVID-19 cases have been found in at least three NSW hospitals, including the oncology ward at Sydney’s St George Hospital. The five cases in the oncology ward at St George Hospital, include three inpatients and two full vaccinated staff mem... more

17 August 2021

A report to be released today by the Radiation Therapy Advisory Group, will highlight the risks of delayed cancer screening and diagnosis. The report anticipates that when normal screening resumes, “patients will present with more advanced cancers be... more

16 August 2021

Australian biotech company Telix Pharmaceuticals is on the cusp of getting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for its product Illuccix. The company is a global leader in next-generation molecularly targeted radiation products, includin... more

16 August 2021

Advancements in artificial intelligence technology can assist the early discovery of prostate cancer and improve the chances of men starting treatment earlier. Dr Elliot Smith, the founder of Maxwell Plus, an AI diagnostic tool specifically for prost... more

16 August 2021

The Department of Health has declared that Australia is on track to become the first country in the world to eliminate cervical cancer. The Medical Services Advisory Committee recently recommended self-collection be made universally available. Accord... more

16 August 2021

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is urging e-cigarette users to book an appointment with a doctor before new laws banning the importation of nicotine vaping products without a prescription come into effect on 1 October. The laws will requir... more

13 August 2021

Haereticus Environmental Laboratory (HEL), an American chemical testing laboratory, has written to the US medicines regulator, the FDA, asking it to pull all sunscreens that contain the active ingredient octocrylene. The laboratory claims this ingred... more

13 August 2021

SA Health has chosen a computerised prescribing system, seven years after a chemotherapy bungle affected 10 cancer patients. It will be delivered by Allscripts Australia, the company that delivered the controversial EPAS electronic patient record sys... more

10 August 2021

More than 20 free breast screening clinics across Greater Sydney have been temporarily closed, as local health districts redeploy staff to support the NSW COVID-19 response. The BreastScreen NSW website stated, “For the safety of our clients, a numbe... more

10 August 2021

Australians who have not seen their GP during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to what health groups are calling “symptom hesitancy”, may be living with undiagnosed cancer. During the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, there were 148,000 fewer diagnostic ... more

10 August 2021

A new study from Imperial College London showed that a cup of coffee a day could help prevent liver cancer, but alcohol consumption remains a major risk factor for several cancers. The researchers investigated the association between food and nutrien... more

06 August 2021

Cancer treatment company Imugene, has unveiled a new research partnership with biotech company Celularity, to unlock a revolutionary new treatment for solid tumours. The new treatment combines Imugene’s immunotherapy candidate, onCARlytics, with Celu... more

04 August 2021

Monash University scientists are striving to confirm the discovery of two proteins thought to be crucial to the growth and spread of cancer cells. Their results could enable screening of potential new targeted treatments for triple-negative breast ca... more

04 August 2021

The MoST-LLy clinical trial at the Royal Adelaide Hospital is now providing access to genomic screening for people with blood cancers. It will initially investigate a range of treatments for patients with aggressive lymphoma, studying response or res... more

03 August 2021

In a motion in the Legislative Assembly, Labor backbencher Dr Marisa Paterson is calling on the ACT government to expand efforts to prevent young people from taking up e-cigarettes and lobby the federal government for tougher regulation. Dr Paterson ... more

03 August 2021

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has urgently recalled the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Spray SPF 50+ aerosol sunscreen product, after traces of the chemical benzene were found in some batches. The TGA said, “Exposure to benze... more

03 August 2021

Experts are calling on the federal government to establish universal access to self-collection for cervical screening. The Medical Service Advisory Committee recently endorsed changes to the national cervical screening program that allows women to co... more

03 August 2021

A new US study reveals that a third of the most popular articles about cancer treatment on social media contain misinformation, much of which is potentially harmful. Expert medical panels reviewed and assessed the claims for breast, prostate, lung an... more

02 August 2021

A Northern Territory government inquiry that found that there was insufficient evidence that the Ranger uranium mine caused high rates of cancer and stillbirths, could have been improved if stronger contributions from Aboriginal people were sought. T... more

30 July 2021

Philip Morris Australia, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, has said that cigarette sales could end in Australia within 15 years. Managing Director, Hannah Yun said that ending the sale of traditional tobacco products relies on the greater acceptance ... more

29 July 2021

Women with the most deadly type of ovarian cancer may now be eligible for new game-changing targeted drugs, following new research from scientists at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. The research found tumours in some ovarian ... more

28 July 2021

After pledging a $2.3 billion package to assist out of pocket costs for cancer patients at the 2019 election, Federal Labor is now looking to reduce it. The package included $600 million to improve access to diagnostic imaging, and $433 million to fu... more

28 July 2021

A new study from Newcastle University in England has shown that a single workout session releases certain molecules into the bloodstream to help reduce the effect of cancerous tumour growth. Leading scientist Dr Sam Orange said, “We saw a rise in lev... more

28 July 2021

A study in the journal Public Health Research and Practice has found that 28 per cent of Australia’s top alcohol companies’ Instagram accounts, and 5 per cent of their Facebook accounts are failing to enforce age appropriate controls, making their ad... more

27 July 2021

Queensland researchers are conducting a series of trials to test whether different formulations of medicinal cannabis can improve advanced cancer patients’ quality of life and overall wellbeing. The Mater-led studies aim to provide high-quality evide... more

26 July 2021

University of Queensland researchers have developed a new test that could potentially detect ovarian cancer years earlier than traditional blood tests. The test reads exosomes, or “handwritten letters” which cancer cells send to normal cells to sprea... more

26 July 2021

Australians will be asked about their long-term health conditions for the first time in next month’s national Census. Data will be collected to determine if people have experienced asthma, diabetes, cancer, dementia and kidney disease. Census spokesp... more

22 July 2021

There are renewed calls for a national ban on flavoured tobacco products following new research revealing that smoking menthol cigarettes makes it harder to quit. A study following 6000 Americans trying to quit smoking, showed that those who used men... more

21 July 2021

75 per cent of Australian men are considered above a healthy weight range, with many struggling with emotional eating. Foods that are often turned to for emotional eating include those high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat which may be putting men a... more

21 July 2021

Research on 700 international studies undertaken by the US Institute of Health Effects has found that living, working, or attending school near a very high trafficked road can elevate your risk of heart disease, stroke, preterm birth, immune damage, ... more

20 July 2021

A draft bill to legalise euthanasia in NSW could cause disagreement among the Coalition, as some Liberal MPs push Premier Gladys Berejiklian to rule out a conscience vote on voluntary assisted dying. The bill, drafted by Independent MP Alex Greenwich... more

19 July 2021

Teenagers are participating in dangerous and illegal vaping TikTok challenges, as video showing teens using vape smoke to make shapes gain millions of views. Videos also show teens in school uniforms admitting to “vape addictions” or providing inform... more

19 July 2021

Private equity company KKR is set to make an additional investment into Australian healthcare provider GenesisCare, which is offering a new precision medicine test for women diagnosed with early-staged breast cancer. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), ... more

15 July 2021

A “one-two punch” breakthrough method of treating rare and incurable forms of cancers, could be available for patients within two years. Dr Mitra Safavi-Naeini, Research Lead at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, is investiga... more

13 July 2021

Biotech company PharmAust, is partnering with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute to investigate the efficacy of the drug monepantel (MPL) as a treatment for the cancer-inducing virus, human t-lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1). The virus targets the immu... more

12 July 2021

A listening device to help children with hearing problems caused by childhood onset neurofibromatosis is being trialed, following a $2.2 million research grant. The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute received funding from the Medical Research Futu... more

12 July 2021

Australian start-up Omniscient Neurotechnology has raised $40 million in series B financing, with the funds allocated to a portfolio of medical device and research solutions aimed at helping people with disorders including Alzheimer’s diseases, depre... more

12 July 2021

New minimum safety and quality standards are being introduced, which will see businesses supplying nicotine vaping products hit with fines of up to $11 million from October. The new regulations are part of an overhaul of vaping regulations in Austral... more

12 July 2021

A new combination of prostate cancer drugs could cut deaths and shrink tumours for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Research published in The Lancet, suggested that patients given two different pills were three times more likely to experience comp... more

12 July 2021

Researchers don’t yet understand the impacts of popular vaping and e-cigarettes products on young people, as there is little medical data tracking their effects. A recent study from Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine ... more

12 July 2021

Scientists at Agriculture Victoria have uncovered the genetic code of medical cannabis through advanced DNA work. This will enable researchers to select the best traits of the medical cannabis by breeding improved strains to make the most effective p... more

08 July 2021

Researchers from St Vincent’s Hospital and RMIT University in Melbourne have found a way to detect prostate cancer even before symptoms present. They developed an artificial intelligence software to analyse CT scans in just seconds and the technology... more

07 July 2021

Australian researchers have been able to cure mice of medulloblastoma, a form of childhood brain cancer, using drugs already in use for the treatment of other cancers. In an international collaboration led by Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institu... more

07 July 2021

Research from the Leukaemia Foundation has found that the challenges for Australians with blood cancers from remote and regional areas in accessing treatment are meaning they can experience a higher level of mortality. “If a family lives in a regiona... more

07 July 2021

Research from the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation has found that eyes are 10 times more sensitive than skin to the sun’s UV rays. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 10 per cent of all skin cancers occur on the eyelid. Prolonged exp... more

06 July 2021

Research from SA Health and Medical Research Institute and Flinders University has found that chemotherapy destabilises the gut microbes of patients suffering solid organ cancer including the increase in pathogenic bacteria previously linked to an in... more

06 July 2021

A survey from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) has found that many people are not aware of the link between alcohol consumption and cancer. Only a quarter of respondents knew of the link between alcohol and breast cancer, more... more

06 July 2021

University of WA researchers have called for mandatory health warnings similar to those on cigarettes to be applied to junk food in a bid to manage obesity in Australia. The new report also recommends limiting access to fast food outlets, making the ... more

06 July 2021

Cancer specialists have raised concerns over a clinical trial in Melbourne that is screening patients for cancer using an unapproved test. Independent cancer experts say it is not accurate enough to be relied upon. The Melbourne institute has been ru... more

05 July 2021

Adelaide oncologists and researchers have received $2.4 million in funding to improve current treatment processes for children diagnosed with neuroblastoma. One study, led by Professor Yeesim Khew-Goodall, will work to identify the molecular drivers ... more

05 July 2021

A study has found that combining two existing types of radiotherapy could halve the speed at which incurable prostate cancer progressed, extending the life expectancy of patients by at least six months. “We found going early with these treatments all... more

05 July 2021

Unions have ramped up their campaign to get the federal government to introduce legislation to formally ban the use of toxic PFAS foam. They say little action has happened since the national regulatory body for industrial chemicals ‘sounded the alarm... more

02 July 2021

All Australian children diagnosed with cancer could soon be eligible for tailor made treatments following successful trials in treating children with high risk cancers. The Zero Childhood Cancer National Personalised Medicine Program (ZERO) is design... more

01 July 2021

Australian research has found that moderate levels of physical activity can undo the health effects of poor sleep. Inactive insomniacs were found to have a 57 per cent higher risk of early death including being 45 per cent more likely to die from can... more

30 June 2021

Next year, in a world first program, ten thousand young Australians aged between 18 and 40 will be given access to a free genetic test to see whether they carry cancer causing genes. The genetic screening will screen for the hereditary breast and ova... more

30 June 2021

A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that people paying off a mortgage are among those more likely to be overweight or obese. Other social factors impacting this risk include education, occupation and where someone is ... more

29 June 2021

Collecting their own samples to be used for cervical cancer screening can make women feel more in control of their own health, researchers say. Author Nicola Creagh and her team from the University of Melbourne interviewed 45 participants and 18 prac... more

28 June 2021

Criminals are making more than $800m on the sale of illicit tobacco, with hundreds of stores in Victoria being found selling it. A new report by KPMG showed that 2.2 million kilograms of illicit tobacco was consumed nationally last year, with busines... more

28 June 2021

An analysis of Medicare and private health insurance data has found that often it is considerably cheaper for patients to fly interstate for surgery. It also found that privately insured Australians are having to access their superannuation and other... more

28 June 2021

A paper in the journal Annals of Oncology has detailed a trial of a blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer. The test involves looking for cell-free DNA (cfDNA) shed by tumours in the blood. Genomic sequencing is used to detect certai... more

25 June 2021

Dozens of Victorian tobacconists have been found to be selling illegal vaping products to children, including kids in school uniforms. Staff were seen not asking for ID when selling to students, or providing receipts.  At one tobacconist, students we... more

23 June 2021

Drugs Opdivo and Yevoy, which work in tandem, have been given an expanded listing on the PBS to include treatment for inoperable or unresectable malignant mesothelioma. The listing will start on 1 July, and federal Health Minister Greg Hunt expects 7... more

22 June 2021

After years of research, Lisavanbulin, a new drug being trialled on British patients has been found to shrink tumours in Glioblastoma patients by 90 per cent. After "encouraging" early results at the trial being led by the Royal Marsden NHS Foundatio... more

21 June 2021

A new study published in the journal Cancer Discovery has identified the impact of diets rich in red meat in causing colorectal cancer through specific patterns of DNA damage. The analysis of DNA from 900 patients with colorectal cancer showed a muta... more

21 June 2021

In a world first study, led by Associate Professor Victoria Mar, of Monash University, 3D images of the skin of 15,000 Australian’s will be studied by researchers aiming to create an algorithm that can project who will suffer skin cancers and melanom... more

21 June 2021

Insurer AIA has developed The Vitality Age Calculator aiming to prompt people to consider taking small steps to improve their health and wellbeing. The calculator asks participants a range of questions about their exercise, diet, smoking, and alcohol... more

17 June 2021

Working with scientists in the US, Australian biotech company Patrys has developed the first antibody drug that could treat brain cancer. The therapy works by passing through a membrane transporter called ENT2, allowing the drug to penetrate into cel... more

17 June 2021

From 1 July, 800 extra Australians with stage IV advanced or metastatic clear cell variant renal cell carcinoma will be able to access the drug Carbometyx, previously a $120,000 a year drug, for $41.30 a script, or $6.60 for patients with a concessio... more

15 June 2021

Research from the University of Manchester has found that fitness trackers could unintentionally improve recovery times after major cancer surgery. The research participants who were wearing a Fitbit and provided an exercise program six weeks prior t... more

15 June 2021

A new radiopharmaceutical drug, which has been designed especially for ovarian cancers that are resistant to traditional therapies has proven to dramatically decrease the size of tumours and limit their growth in pre-clinical trials. The new drug can... more

15 June 2021

The UK has announced a new bill will be introduced to parliament this week, which will see “smoking kills” warnings needing to be placed in red ink on individual cigarettes. Any manufacturers who do not follow the new rules would face jail time and s... more

15 June 2021

A world-first study is being run by Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital BreastScreen service in which five AI candidate algorithms will be pitted against human interpretation in the hopes of improving screening accuracy of the national screening progra... more

11 June 2021

The NSW Secondary Principals’ Council says that vaping is leading to students exhibiting “really edgy behaviour” after a senior schoolboy at Waverly College was suspended for allegedly running a “pyramid scheme” using fellow kids to distribute the va... more

11 June 2021

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) has co-funded a new clinical trial aimed at preventing the deaths of 3000 Australian men a year. The trial will investigate the effectiveness of new radiotherapy treatment with existing forms of immu... more

10 June 2021

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has demanded a tax on high-sugar drinks and shown support for an increase in alcohol prices. AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid said the group would call for a 20 per cent tax on high-sugar beverages in a bid to c... more

09 June 2021

A study, published in Addictive Behaviours, has found telling people that alcohol causes cancer makes them want to drink less. Author Simone Pettigrew, from The George Institute for Global Health, had 8000 adults complete three surveys. She said alco... more

08 June 2021

Health experts have ruled out the possibility of a “cancer cluster” at a Gold Coast school, concluding that there were “no environmental exposures of concern”. But not all parents at St Andrews Lutheran College are convinced, with one saying there wa... more

08 June 2021

After decades in which mental health has been poorly funded and marginalised, one expert is confident plans to redress this — at least at a federal level - bode well for improvements in mental health treatments. ‘‘Mental illness is one of the top-thr... more

08 June 2021

Australians will be warned their hospitals would have failed a true stress test if COVID-19 cases had been anywhere near as numerous as was feared 15 months ago. The new Australian Medical Association president, Dr Omar Khorshid, who makes his first ... more

08 June 2021

Australian businesses can offer cash and other rewards to citizens who have received COVID-19 vaccines, under a significant change to the medicine regulator's advertising rules. The new regulations, which will be in place until December 2022, will al... more

08 June 2021

Australian researchers have uncovered a reason why lung cancer is resistant to chemotherapy treatment. A team from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and ANZAC Research Institute has uncovered a mechanism that helps lung cancer cells resist sta... more

07 June 2021

A new drug reduces the recurrence of some genetic forms of breast cancer by 42 per cent if caught early enough. Results from the OlympiA clinical trial shows the drug olaparib significantly reduces breast cancer recurrence in those patients who have ... more

07 June 2021

New research has revealed many Melburnians have used Covid restrictions as a "reset switch" for making positive health and wellbeing changes, and a third are exercising more and 40 per cent are eating better than they were at the start of last year. ... more

04 June 2021

Manufacturers of unhealthy products aren't letting the crisis go to waste. When public health advocates put out a call last July for examples of unhealthy industries seeking to capitalise on the disruption, they received several hundred documented ex... more

04 June 2021

Google have recently revealed plans to roll out an artificially intelligent, medically approved search engine for your skin that could name a rash or issue a warning about a suspicious mole. But while experts have largely welcomed its move, they also... more

03 June 2021

Tens of thousands of West Australians awaiting elective surgeries such as hip and knee replacements or cancer screening are in limbo after Mark McGowan announced nonurgent procedures would be slashed in response to hospitals “being overrun with patie... more

03 June 2021

Men with a family history of prostate cancer should be given early screening in their early 40s, research suggests. A 57-year study of more than 6.3 million men led by the German Cancer Research Centre found their risk of late-stage or fatal prostate... more

02 June 2021

Sitting is now considered “the new smoking'' with scientific evidence shows that sitting for too long — a ‘sedentary lifestyle' — can increase the risk of chronic health problems such as heart disease, obesity, stroke, diabetes and some cancers (espe... more

02 June 2021

PanKind Foundation, the peak body for pancreatic cancer in Australia, hopes to change outcomes with a goal of tripling the survival rate by 2030. “It seems audacious if you’re a researcher, and it seems not very impressive if you’re a patient — it’s ... more

02 June 2021

Tripling the survival rate of pancreatic cancer in the next nine years is a lofty goal, but Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research is up to the challenge. The Nedlands-based institute is tackling the biological barrier that makes pancreatic canc... more

02 June 2021

A group of leading Australian health organisations have ranked the NT government last out of every state and territory on efforts to combat smoking over the past 12 months, as part of their annual Dirty Ashtray Awards for World No Tobacco Day. Austra... more

31 May 2021

Almost 80 US brands of sunscreen, including some that appear to be sold in Australia, have been found to contain the cancer-causing chemical benzene. Valisure, a US company that chemically tests generic medicines and other products to make sure they ... more

31 May 2021

A new Cancer Council survey of 1500 people shows that less than one-fifth of respondents recognise that alcohol represents a cancer risk, despite it being linked to at least seven types of cancers, including breast, liver, mouth, throat and bowel. Th... more

31 May 2021

Researchers have been able to grow pancreatic tumour cells in a petri dish and keep them alive for almost two weeks in a groundbreaking development that has enabled scientists to develop promising new therapies for pancreatic cancer. By growing a pan... more

28 May 2021

Australia's largest cancer care provider, Icon Group, says there is a lack of access to top care facilities in regional Australia, where it plans to open more centres. Icon is also pushing across the Tasman with the expansion of its chemotherapy comp... more

26 May 2021

There is a rising number of West Australians diagnosed with silicosis. Silicosis is a progressive lung disease caused by a silica build-up in the lungs and breathing passages, causing permanent scarring. There is currently no cure. Cases in Australia... more

26 May 2021

In Australia, four women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every day. Three will eventually die of the disease. However, even if diagnosed through an early detection screening test today, women diagnosed will likely still have the same fate. That is ... more

24 May 2021

Most teenagers are not exercising as much as health guidelines call for, with many saying they are too starved of choice to get active at school. Cancer Council data reveals just one in six children aged 12 to 17 get enough physical activity, sparkin... more

24 May 2021

Cancer Council is calling for increased support for younger Australians to get active, following data that reveals just one in six Australian secondary school children aged 12 to 17 meet the recommended guidelines of one hour of physical activity eve... more

21 May 2021

Clearing Victoria's overcrowded emergency departments will take priority over cutting record elective surgery waiting lists as the state tries to avoid a worsening health crisis. With 30 per cent of emergency department patients not being treated in ... more

21 May 2021

Drug manufacturers will be invited to submit plans to make mRNA vaccines like the COVID-19 Pfizer and Moderna jabs in Australia from Friday. The Morrison government will put out an eight-week “approach to market” which it hopes will boost the nation’... more

20 May 2021

Australians need to prioritise their health and get back into regular routines after research found many were putting off their appointments. Conflicting priorities such as family and work needs or being timepoor are to blame. Osana Preventative Heal... more

20 May 2021

Four people have died in serious incidents without doctors present at Western NSW hospitals in the past year, an inquiry has heard. The inquiry heard virtual consultations are increasingly used in hospital emergency departments where there are no doc... more

19 May 2021

Eating yoghurt every day helps lower the risk of liver cancer, research shows. Data from 5000 people found they reduced their risk of liver cancer 5.4 per cent if they ate 40g of yoghurt a day. Researchers, writing in the journal Nutrition and Cancer... more

19 May 2021

Immuno-oncology company Imugene has penned a licensing patent deal with a California-based cancer research centre City of Hope for a novel cancer therapy that targets solid tumours. This immunotherapy transforms T cells – the natural disease fighters... more

19 May 2021

Commercialisation partnership BioCurate has teamed with Monash University to launch a new oncology start-up, Pio Therapeutics (Pio Tx), with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of immunotherapy via the development of an antibody called PIO-001. T... more

18 May 2021

A little poo may prove a lifesaver for children fighting cancer. SA Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) researcher Dr Hannah Wardill is working on strategy to prevent children who have a bone marrow stem-cell transplant ending up with orga... more

18 May 2021

The state government will push ahead with new laws requiring tattoo artists to certify that ink used on customers is not carcinogenic. A plan to amend the Poisons Act relating to the use of tattoo ink, requiring suppliers to certify that pigment does... more

18 May 2021

A dance instructor whose breast implants were recalled because of a cancer link has spoken out to warn other women of the dangers as new research shows a growing number of women are having problems with the implants. These implants have been linked t... more

17 May 2021

Tasmania has the second highest rate of smokers in the country and a confronting new advertising campaign has been launched to get the number down. Quit Tasmania’s new campaign, Voice Box, uses graphic images of a real laryngectomy procedure to highl... more

17 May 2021

A new class of drugs is showing signs of overcoming some of the most devastating forms of childhood cancer after groundbreaking Australian results. Using a combination of two new drugs Australian researchers have been able to cure high risk neuroblas... more

17 May 2021

Women who avoid mammograms due to fear of overdiagnosis and overtreatment are dicing with death, as early cancer detection outweighs harms and saves lives. A report released today in the Medical Journal of Australia highlights that while overdiagnosi... more

14 May 2021

Led by Malcolm McColl, the group recognised for the immuno-oncology success story Viralytics, ImmVirX is attempting to develop a therapy harnessing a patient's own immune system to treat colorectal, ovarian, and gastric cancers. The company is invest... more

14 May 2021

The results of the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening, a three-decade ovarian cancer study have revealed that while screening women detected the disease before they developed symptoms, it did not save lives. The result led to research... more

13 May 2021

The nation’s taxpayers are shouldering the burden of paying for the federal government’s budget plans, accounting for the highest share of tax revenue this century as company tax receipts collapse in the wake of the pandemic. By 2022-23, GST collecti... more

13 May 2021

Australia's lung cancer community is celebrating the Morrison government's promise to invest in plans for a potential national lung cancer screening program. But it says the $6.9 million being put towards it is relatively "modest", and national scree... more

12 May 2021

Companies that develop patents in Australia will receive tax reductions under an initiative to promote the manufacturing sector and innovations in the medical and biotech sectors. Dubbed the “patent box”, the initiative will see corporate profits tax... more

12 May 2021

The 2021 budget announced a number of costly medications to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. “Since coming to government, we have listed more than 2600 medicines on the PBS, an average of one each day,” Mr Frydenberg told parliament. “This has put... more

12 May 2021

The establishment of a nationwide network of multidisciplinary adult mental health clinics will be the most farreaching implication for Australian healthcare arising from this budget. The $487m commitment to establish 40 mental health centres modelle... more

12 May 2021

A loophole that dissuades people earning more than $90,000 a year from taking out private health insurance could be closed. Workers who earn over $90,000 as singles or more than $180,000 as families have to pay a higher Medicare levy if they don’t ha... more

11 May 2021

The dying wish of a brave woman seeking to help others battling aggressive breast cancer has been heard by the federal government, with funding for clinical trials and support for faster access to new drugs. Today's federal budget will include $5m to... more

11 May 2021

Health authorities have issued an urgent warning for thousands of women who have had breast implants after a link was found to a rare cancer. Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) has been detected in a small number of w... more

10 May 2021

The revelation that students in Canberra are being approached near schools to buy vaping equipment should be deeply concerning for the entire community. Vaping has been touted as a safer alternative to smoking and a useful tool in helping people to q... more

10 May 2021

A Canberra mum has said she and other parents were "feeling powerless" in tackling the rise of vaping among teens after her son was reportedly approached for vaping liquids. It comes after a number of ACT schools have told The Canberra Times there wa... more

10 May 2021

A new program that encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman to undergo breast cancer screening in the ACT will change lives, and provide them with an added sense of safety and dignity, community leaders say. The inaugural ACT "Beautiful... more

10 May 2021

Scientists have discovered that a key protein may be the secret to treating prostate cancer patients with “miracle” immunotherapy drugs. Clinical trials have now begun – with the goal of unleashing cancer-killing white blood cells to attack the tumou... more

10 May 2021

The federal government will more than double funding for domestic violence prevention to at least $680 million, while also unveiling $354 million in new money for women’s health programs in Tuesday’s budget. The women’s healthcare package will increa... more

10 May 2021

Sixteen Victorian women have developed cancer from breast implants, sparking a major health warning. Tens of thousands of women have had the implants. The rare cancer of the immune system has been linked to widespread use of common “textured” implant... more

10 May 2021

Federal Labor has criticised the Morrison government budget measures on childcare, health, economic security and domestic violence to support women as "managing a political problem" and coming too little, too late. There is more to be revealed on Tue... more

10 May 2021

New commitments to encourage female leadership in the corporate sector and boost the number of women entrepreneurs will be included in Tuesday’s budget, as the Morrison government attempts to change a perception it has a problem with women. The measu... more

10 May 2021

A massive $354m boost for women’s health is set to “pave the way” for better health outcomes. The package, detailed in the Sunday Herald Sun, includes $100m for improving cervical and breast cancer screening programs. Breast Cancer Network chief exec... more

10 May 2021

A trailblazing blood test that could warn women in their 30s they are at high risk of developing breast cancer is under development in Australia. The test, which is likely to cost less than $100, has been described as a landmark step towards preventi... more

10 May 2021

The moves to improve the long-term health outcomes for females will be a centrepiece of Tuesday’s Budget. A drug designed to stop women going in to premature labour will be listed to remove the $300 cost of treatment, while more than $100m will be po... more

10 May 2021

Beverage companies are spending big advertising sugary drinks, with a new study showing almost double is spent marketing these products than other drink options. The report, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, looked... more

07 May 2021

SA Health have made an urgent announcement regarding its electronic patient record system, Sunrise which has started adding an extra digit to prescriptions, turning 10mg doses into 100mg. While SA Health officials said they are not aware of any curre... more

06 May 2021

Parents, school principals, youth centres and researchers have sounded the alarm bell about the rise in young people taking up e-cigarettes across the country. In Australia between 2016 and 2019, current e-cigarette users aged 15-24 increased by abou... more

06 May 2021

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has registered a new medication to treat a particularly aggressive and advanced type of prostate cancer. Lynparza is manufactured by biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and has for years been used to treat peop... more

06 May 2021

Alcohol kills more Australians than illicit drugs and is involved in almost half of all drug-injury deaths, new data shows. The latest national coroner’s report shows booze was the primary cause of 482 deaths and a contributing factor in 968 other fa... more

06 May 2021

Advocates are calling for greater public awareness of risk factors for liver cancer amid rising instances of the condition, which sees fewer than one in five survive for five years after diagnosis. The most common form, hepatocellular carcinoma, is t... more

05 May 2021

Some of the most effective COVID-19 vaccines that produce the fewest side-effects could be manufactured in NSW under a plan launched by the state government. Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday announced she had tasked the state’s Chief Scientist t... more

04 May 2021

As governments race to establish domestic supply of so-called messenger RNA vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Queensland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology has received new federal funding for RNA and DN... more

04 May 2021

Bowel cancer survival rates could be improved if chemotherapy drugs were delivered via tiny nanoparticles directly to tumours instead of being taken orally. This is the finding, published in the journal Carbohydrate Polymers, of an Indian and Austral... more

03 May 2021

Canberra teenagers have been warned about being approached to buy e-cigarettes with one school principal saying vaping rates had been "steeply rising". Youth centres, doctors and researchers have also reported an increase in young people vaping. Meri... more

28 April 2021

Almost 80 per cent of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in the US have been overweight or obese, according a US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released last month. “The risks of hospitalisation, intensive care unit admission, inv... more

27 April 2021

Half of the more than 550,000 Australians expected to die from cancer in the next decade could be saved or have their lives extended if patients with rarer types of the disease had better access to emerging treatments and technology. In 2030 alone ab... more

22 April 2021

More than £6bn ($10.8bn) was wiped off the combined market value of Britain’s big tobacco companies yesterday in response to concerns that the Biden administration is considering cutting nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels. Officials are c... more

21 April 2021

Part of the Canberra Hospital will be accessible on Wednesday for the first time since 2019 following the refurbishment of its oncology ward. The ageing Canberra Hospital facility received a major upgrade in order to provide more single-bed rooms, re... more

21 April 2021

Geelong-based senator Sarah Henderson has called on the state government to investigate a potential cancer cluster at Barwon Heads. At a public hearing into high levels of leukaemia along Bellarine Peninsula, Senator Henderson said chief health offic... more

21 April 2021

A calculator that tells men their personal risk of developing prostate cancer could save thousands of lives. Researchers at Oxford University say their online tool can help GPs prioritise high-risk patients for scans while reassuring others. It is de... more

20 April 2021

Canberra Liberals are calling on the ACT government to clarify how wait times for endoscopy examinations will be reduced, following revelations at least two people have developed cancer while waiting more than a year to be seen. The Canberra Times la... more

20 April 2021

A new clinical trials project is working to narrow the city country divide and ensure regional cancer patients receive the best treatment. In an Australian-first pilot program, Alfred Health will on Tuesday launch its clinical trial program in region... more

19 April 2021

Leading cancer researcher David Thomas is urging the Federal government to attract pharmaceutical giants to the country with public private partnerships to provide lifesaving genetic tests and new treatments. Professor Thomas, head of cancer research... more

19 April 2021

Victoria has the most expensive private health insurance in the nation. An investigation shows differences of up to $500 a month on premiums depending on where customers live and work in Australia. Big savings were available to those whose employer h... more

19 April 2021

Tasmania's political leaders made their state election campaign “launches” personal, with Labor's Rebecca White questioning how Peter Gutwein “sleeps at night” and the Premier revealing a personal toll from pandemic leadership. Ms White placed health... more

19 April 2021

Kate McKenzie was aged just 20 when doctors discovered thousands of precancerous polyps in her bowel. She later developed rare Desmoid tumours and brain cancer. The Brisbane mum is now relying on charity to raise money to fund a $100,000-a-year treat... more

19 April 2021

New Zealanders are welcome, but not with their e-cigarettes, explains Michael Bailey. This week, the first direct flight between New Zealand and Australia is scheduled to touch down in Hobart. Recently, New Zealand brought into effect laws which lega... more

16 April 2021

Canberra health professionals have revealed that the wait list for endoscopy examinations in the ACT has now exceeded 7,200 people with at least two people having developed cancer while waiting more than a year to be seen. According to the most recen... more

15 April 2021

New research undertaken by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has found that hormones released by a woman during pregnancy triggered changes in tissue surrounding cancer cells. These changes include uncontrolled inflammation, tissue remodelling... more

15 April 2021

The University of Melbourne has revealed that Australians over the age of 65 are often given less access to acute treatments, information about side-effects and options for clinical trials. As a result, a new source of information has been developed ... more

14 April 2021

As demand for pain relief medicine has grown, a new $400m medicinal cannabis growing and production facility is planned for Queensland. The facility, which will be near Towoomba will be one of the biggest in the world and could produce 500 tonnes of ... more

12 April 2021

Teachers have labelled the dangerous vaping craze sweeping Victoria’s schools as “out of control”. The Herald Sun has uncovered dozens of online posts in which students from schools across the state brag about vaping in toilets, classrooms and on sch... more

08 April 2021

International border closures have exacerbated a Statewide GP shortage — blowing out waiting times at some practices to several days and increasing pressure on already busy emergency departments. GPs are also struggling to catch up on examinations de... more

07 April 2021

New therapeutic approaches to fighting liver cancer should be explored, new research suggests. Researchers from the Centenary Institute in Sydney have discovered that the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 gene family is “strongly implicated” in the development ... more

07 April 2021

Illegal tobacco consumption has skyrocketed in the past few years. One in five cigarettes consumed in Australia is now illegal – the highest level ever recorded, according to analysts KPMG. Australia’s illegal tobacco trade is now bigger than ever, i... more

05 April 2021

The state’s inmates are prematurely ageing up to 15 years faster than the rest of the population, according to a new report that warns health services are struggling to keep pace with the ballooning prison population. The report also found some inmat... more

05 April 2021

Thousands of Australians battling advanced and rare cancers would gain access to lifesaving medical trials and avoid unnecessary chemotherapy or radiation if the Federal Government invested $280m in a groundbreaking test, research shows. Over five ye... more

05 April 2021

It is the most used pain medication in the world but a new study published in the Medical Journal of Australia has found paracetamol is little better than a dummy pill for most conditions. In Australia, sales of the over the-counter drug have soared ... more

04 April 2021

Black-market sellers use social media platforms TikTok and Instagram to sell teens e-cigarettes, which are often sold in fruit and confectionery flavours that appeal to young people. Vaping is a problem for teenagers and schools, says Quit Victoria d... more

04 April 2021

A Sydney mother-of-two with terminal breast cancer has amassed more than 22,000 signatures on her petition to get better access to genomic screening and cutting edge oncology drugs. Alison Day shared her story two weeks ago, calling for fully funded ... more

03 April 2021

Australia’s medicines regulator has launched an investigation into a probable link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and a 44-year-old man who was hospitalised with blood clots more than a week after receiving the dose. The Therapeutic Goods Administra... more

03 April 2021

Smoking will be banned at some of Mornington Peninsula’s most popular beaches and public areas in a bid to reduce the tens of thousands of cigarette butts littering the coastline. The beaches and foreshore areas at Rye, Safety Beach and Mount Eliza w... more

02 April 2021

CSL has a new ray of hope in its research pipeline, with an experimental haemophilia drug it acquired last year cleared of any links to cancer following a scare in its clinical trial. UniQure was in phase 3 trials for the product and had released str... more

02 April 2021

Sufferers of chronic pain, cancer patients, people with epilepsy, and people with multiple sclerosis are all crying out for easier, subsidised access to medicinal cannabis products to help manage their conditions. But the existing system in Tasmania ... more

01 April 2021

Women with aggressive breast cancers are unable to access a groundbreaking treatment for chemo-resistant tumours at an affordable price, even though other cancer types are subsidised. Many patients are self-funding courses of the immunotherapy drug K... more

01 April 2021

Drinking alcohol in moderation is linked to a lower rate of cataract surgery, research published in the journal Ophthalmology suggests. Those who drink up to 14 units a week are nearly a quarter less likely to have surgery to remove cloudy patches fr... more

01 April 2021

Australia is poised to give the world a masterclass in eliminating a cancer that causes extreme suffering and death for women across the globe. It is aiming to eliminate cancer of the cervix in seven years, an extraordinary goal given the World Healt... more

31 March 2021

Perth researchers have discovered the cause of one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer in a breakthrough that could save thousands of lives. Researchers sought to identify why a sub-group of hormone sensitive breast cancers were particularly aggr... more

31 March 2021

One in every 11 premature deaths in rich countries is caused by inactivity. Led by experts at the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Louisiana, scientists reviewed the medical literature on inactivity and death and disease and found the relativ... more

31 March 2021

The Therapeutic Drugs Administration (TGA) has been criticised for being too slow to approve drugs, while thousands of seriously ill people are unable to afford a test that could save their life. A special investigation by The Courier-Mail has found ... more

30 March 2021

A pesky skin tag on the back of Hayden Price’s head turned into the most shocking diagnosis. At just seven years old, the schoolboy had melanoma that had spread to his lymph nodes. The latest data from Cancer Council Queensland shows that there were ... more

29 March 2021

Breast cancer patients will have access to a lifesaving medicine on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from next month, slashing the cost of treatment from $50,000 to a few hundred dollars. The listing of a generic version of fulvestrant is a win for... more

29 March 2021

At least 17 children aged five and under have been exposed to dangerous levels of nicotine in e-cigarettes or vaping liquids – almost all requiring hospitalisation – over the past three years, new figures reveal. Data obtained by The Advertiser from ... more

25 March 2021

COVID-19 has delivered a devastating blow to breast cancer researchers, setting back the race for a cure by years. The pandemic closed science labs, delayed clinical trials, resulted in breast screen numbers plummeting and significantly reduced chari... more

25 March 2021

The head of a community group that helps people with asbestos-related diseases says he has been blindsided after funding was slashed by tens of thousands of dollars. Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia (ADSSA) president Peter Photakis said o... more

24 March 2021

Strong walls are not just vital in building – it seems they may play a role in stopping the spread of cancer. Breakthrough research by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) has found stiff lipids can help stop cancer spr... more

23 March 2021

Doctors are being told not to use medicinal cannabis to treat patients with chronic pain and that there is no solid evidence it is effective as Australia’s medical regulator approves its 100,000th cannabinoid script. The recommendation from the peak ... more

23 March 2021

A cancer breakthrough developed in Brisbane is expected to give new hope to patients suffering a rare and deadly form of blood cancer that affects the brain and nervous system. The dual precision treatment designed at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital by hae... more

22 March 2021

Melbourne researchers have discovered how melanomas change genetically as they morph from early to late-stage disease, paving the way for new therapies to treat the most deadly stage of cancer. Cancer research is typically done on tissue of early-sta... more

19 March 2021

A do-it-yourself test for human papillomavirus that an expert says resembles a ‘‘really long earbud’’ could reduce deaths from cervical cancer among those who do not have access to screening, particularly Indigenous women. Experts from the Cancer Cou... more

19 March 2021

The controversial former ABC headquarters in Brisbane’s inner west has been sold with the waterfront site earmarked for a “premium residential community”. Consolidated Properties Group paid $43.5m for the 1.5ha site at 600 Coronation Drive, Toowong, ... more

18 March 2021

The treatment and diagnosis of brain cancer is being revolutionised by Australian researchers using artificial intelligence to take more accurate images of the brain, in the hopes it will speed up diagnosis and eliminate unnecessary surgery. Royal Au... more

18 March 2021

The Australian National University plans to shut its research in neuroscience, the field in which it won its first Nobel prize, as it reels from a 2020 deficit of $200m and heads towards its debt ceiling. The university’s vice-chancellor, Brian Schmi... more

17 March 2021

Rose Morton is urging South Australian politicians to immediately pass a Bill that would make voluntary assisted dying legal, saying it would help people suffering from terminal illnesses and their grieving families. Ms Morton, of Banksia Park, said ... more

17 March 2021

Rates of prostate cancer in Mandurah are among the fastest growing in the country, a damning new online calculator has revealed. And men face an “unacceptable” 24 per cent higher risk of dying from prostate cancer in some regions across Australia. Th... more

17 March 2021

Men face an “unacceptable” 24 per cent higher than average risk of dying from prostate cancer in some parts of Australia, a damning new online calculator has revealed. The STARGATE tool developed by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia shows m... more

15 March 2021

Employees with cancer want access to flexible work arrangements – such as part-time or remote work – when they are able to return to their duties, but many are unaware they have the right to request this. A Macquarie Business School lecturer who stud... more

15 March 2021

Thousands of prostate cancer patients are undergoing radical surgery without having consultations to give them the option of radiotherapy with less severe side effects. A new analysis of the way prostate cancer is treated in Australia has prompted do... more

15 March 2021

Specialised Therapeutics Australia (STA), has signed a new deal with IPO hopeful Latitude Financial Group, which will provide interest-free payment plans for up to two years for a genomic test for breast cancer that costs $5000. The multi-gene test, ... more

15 March 2021

More than 30,000 people with advanced cancer are being denied access to cutting-edge genomic screening that can match their cancer to targeted drugs that will extend or even save their lives. While a funded trial is under way at the Garvan Institute,... more

15 March 2021

A former employee is suing the University of South Australia for unfair dismissal, claiming he was fired after complaining about high levels of chemicals leaching from preserved bodies in the anatomy department. Mr Parry’s lawsuit is for compensation... more

12 March 2021

A pill containing a tiny camera that can detect tumours is set to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of bowel cancer. The cancer cam — known as a colon capsule endoscopy — is swallowed by patients and takes pictures of the lining of the bowel ... more

11 March 2021

Insurer TAL Life breached its duty to act with “utmost good faith” when handling a claim under an income protection policy by a consumer who had been diagnosed with cancer. In a referral to ASIC of a case study in the financial services royal commiss... more

11 March 2021

Vaccinating people over the age of 26 against a sexually transmitted virus that causes cancers might not be worth it, researchers say. Researchers used two mathematical models that simulated HPV infection and cervical cancer, as well as six non-cervi... more

10 March 2021

Cancer patients are among those next in line to receive scarce COVID-19 vaccines, but are being warned to consult their doctor first. Cancer Australia on Wednesday issued vaccination guidelines for cancer patients, including a detailed question and-a... more

09 March 2021

A Queensland doctor has launched a world-first trial of a promising drug treatment in patients with a neglected, rare and extremely deadly skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma. Princess Alexandra Hospital cancer specialist and researcher Wen Xu... more

08 March 2021

The National Retail Association has shrugged off claims it misled the Senate inquiry into e-cigarettes, saying it is not legally required to disclose who funded its campaign that supported Philip Morris’ position on vaping. National Retail was the ta... more

08 March 2021

Marlboro cigarettes maker Altria Group wants to enlist an unlikely partner in convincing consumers that nicotine isn’t as bad as they think – its regulator. The company asked the US Food and Drug Administration to tackle misperceptions about nicotine... more

08 March 2021

Australians continue to overdo their salt intake by eating almost double the recommended one teaspoon per day, sparking a call from scientists for mandatory regulations. The disturbing findings come from research by The George Institute for Global He... more

08 March 2021

A growing demand from cancer sufferers seeking out treatment ‘on par’ with Melbourne has forced an Albury-Wodonga facility to fast-track upgrades to patient accommodation. A unit connected to the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre – which services... more

08 March 2021

Authorities have made one of the biggest tobacco busts on record, uncovering more than $84 million in illegal crops on farms near the NSW-Victorian border. The enormous find puts a big dent in a growing area of influence for organised crime groups ar... more

02 March 2021

Victorian teens are becoming sunburnt rather than sun smart due to a lack of awareness of the sun’s dangers, new data shows. Teenagers made up a third of the 177 people sent to hospital for sunburn treatment this summer, and Heather Walker, of Cancer... more

02 March 2021

There could be a surge in cancer diagnoses in the next year, after researchers in Victoria estimated that thousands of cases went undiagnosed during the state’s COVID-19 restrictions. An estimated 2530 cancers were delayed or missed during the six-an... more

01 March 2021

The state government will ban firefighting foams containing PFAS chemicals, bringing NSW into line with Queensland and South Australia where foams containing the dangerous toxins are already outlawed. The ban will be announced today by NSW Environmen... more

01 March 2021

More than 2500 cancer diagnoses were missed in Victoria during the state’s coronavirus restrictions last year, with a steep fall in the detection of prostate, skin and breast cancers, along with head and neck tumours. Modelling by the Victorian Cance... more

01 March 2021

A team of “mythbusters” is taking on anti-vaxxer celebrities and influencers over spreading fake facts about COVID-19 on social media. The 30-strong team was quietly set up within the Department of Home Affairs last year to tackle fake facts peddled ... more

01 March 2021

A southside high school has taken tough action and suspended a group of students for using sneaky vaping devices that look like highlighter pens. Beenleigh State High School principal Matt O’Hanlon, who was crowned last year’s Queensland Principal of... more

26 February 2021

A tripling in child nicotine poisonings that left one having a seizure and 200 hospitalised has been fuelled by sales of illegal e-cigarettes. The Daily Telegraph has obtained exclusive footage of some of the 26,000 “vapes” seized by NSW Health inspe... more

26 February 2021

Breast cancer patients given a common beta-blocker at the time of diagnosis are almost twice as likely to be alive five years later. The findings from a retrospective study of 4000 women add to growing evidence a medication typically given to reduce ... more

24 February 2021

Popular fast-food slushies contain up to 41 teaspoons of sugar and in some cases more than double the amount claimed on health labels, a new study has revealed. The shocking results come from samples of sugary frozen drinks sold at McDonald’s, KFC, 7... more

24 February 2021

Perth haematologist Professor Chan Cheah is a leader in the Blood Cancer Research Western Australia 2016 collaboration, which continues to run multiple clinical trials for WA blood cancer patients at three sites in Nedlands. For many people, experime... more

24 February 2021

Breast cancer sufferer and Labor MP Peta Murphy has become one of the first immunocompromised Australians to receive the coronavirus vaccine, telling others the jab is “safe”. Ms Murphy has had radiation treatment and is now on hormone therapy and ot... more

24 February 2021

Labor MP Peta Murphy, who is undergoing treatment for metastatic breast cancer, volunteered to get her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in front of dozens of journalists and television cameras to show other people with underlying health conditions it... more

22 February 2021

Tasmania’s system of allowing patients access to medicinal cannabis is probably the worst in the world. If you examine and compare it to other nations or states, our system is draconian and hampered by red tape. Despite recommendations from a senate ... more

18 February 2021

Banana Shire residents could have previously ingested PFAS chemicals in drinking water, claims a former employee of a power station touted as “nil discharge” when it was constructed. Last week, CS Energy revealed toxic PFAS chemicals had been detecte... more

18 February 2021

Researchers at UniSA have found a way to detect and target pancreatic cancer before it is too late. UniSA PhD candidate Ashleigh Hull is investigating whether a receptor commonly found on the surface of pancreatic cancer cells may serve as a “biologi... more

16 February 2021

The federal government has announced it would invest $45.5 million over five years in the expansion of cancer treatment capacity throughout regional Australia by enhancing existing and building new health infrastructure, with radiation therapy servic... more

15 February 2021

A new combination treatment for the most aggressive and deadly childhood cancer will soon be tested on children after it eradicated cancer in animals with the brain tumour. And it has been the donations of tissue from Australian children who have die... more

15 February 2021

The WA Government has been urged to cap hospital parking at $5 a day for cancer patients and their carers. Cancer Council WA says the move would reduce the financial burden faced by the 33 West Australians diagnosed with cancer every day. CCWA chief ... more

15 February 2021

One hundred cancer sufferers are involved in a world first $2m Adelaide-based trial of next-generation drugs to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Researchers are conducting the first frontline clinical study that is set to revolutionise the trea... more

12 February 2021

One of the world’s groundbreaking cancer medicines will be produced in Melbourne, after the remarkable success of genetic-engineering technology in saving Australian patients. The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre is now the key Asia-Pacific site to manu... more

12 February 2021

Melbourne scientists are being backed to find the next generation of cancer breakthroughs. A project to gene-engineer a patient’s own immune cells so they turn against breast, lung and ovarian tumours is among 21 medical programs to share in a $10m c... more

12 February 2021

A simple scan could save your life. This is the key message of a new national day urging Australians to take care of their skin and get regular skin scans. National Skin Check Day will take place on February 25. Cancer Council Tasmania chief executiv... more

11 February 2021

Melbourne scientists are being backed to find the next generation of cancer breakthroughs. A project to gene-engineer a patient’s own immune cells so they turn against breast, lung and ovarian tumours is among 21 medical programs to share in a $10m c... more

11 February 2021

ABC broadcaster and celebrity doctor Norman Swan, who was once the resident health expert on reality TV show The Biggest Loser, is the new face of a bowel cancer screening campaign funded by the state government. The Health Report host was paid “a no... more

10 February 2021

Cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes and hypertension are the four main comorbidities leading to death from COVID-19, a study by scientists at Griffith University has found. The researchers analysed four global databases from 14 countries that he... more

09 February 2021

The head of the Greater Sydney Commission wants to see the city transformed into three leading global precincts with at least three universities in each area and the ability to attract global brands. Speaking at the Sydney Summit, a conference on the... more

09 February 2021

A new study published today in the peer-reviewed medical journal Nature Medicine has shown that a short course of immunotherapy drug treatment before surgery is effective in preventing the deadly spread of the disease in melanoma patients who are at ... more

08 February 2021

Artificial intelligence could soon help doctors spot bowel cancers more easily. Currently, doctors looking for cancers survey the bowel using colonoscopy but in a tenth of cases growths are so small that they fail to spot them. However, a new system ... more

08 February 2021

A breast cancer drug is being investigated for its potential to treat prostate cancer, in one of four new research projects funded by The Hospital Research Foundation Group. University of Adelaide research fellow Maggie Centenera will help guide trea... more

08 February 2021

Teenagers and young men are the targets of a new in-your-face advertising campaign designed to shock them about the realities of sugary drinks and expose how hooked they can become. The national Full of Crap campaign being launched on social media by... more

05 February 2021

Deputy Premier John Barilaro has described allegations in the Herald about the state of regional hospitals in NSW as ‘‘horrific’’. Mr Barilaro said some of the reports, which included allegations that public health officials were covering up and fail... more

05 February 2021

Every day in South Australia’s courts there is injustice occurring. Drivers using cannabis, approved by their doctor for medicinal purposes, are finding themselves convicted of drug-driving offences and losing their licence for three months and longe... more

05 February 2021

Yesterday was World Cancer Day. But in fact, every day is world cancer day for us at COSA and Cancer Council, because every day we are reminded of the importance of taking action to eliminate cancer from our lives. But it is important to understand t... more

04 February 2021

Dangerous cancer myths have taken root in Australia, with Cancer Council data showing too many people believing misinformation spread on social media. Almost two-thirds of people believed animals could sniff out cancer and two in five thought cancer ... more

04 February 2021

The latest frontier in cancer treatment is seeing Melbourne doctors scanning the genetics of their patients’ tumours to shed new light on their individual disease, saving lives. Although the use of genomics in cancer care is still rare in Australia, ... more

04 February 2021

Human clinical trials for a world-first drug candidate to treat the most aggressive form of brain cancer are set to get under way this year. Researchers from the University of South Australia developed the new drug, called Auceliciclib, to treat glio... more

04 February 2021

A two-story warehouse will be transformed into a 12- storey residential tower with a ground floor “men’s shed’’ for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The City of Melbourne has approved a $26m plan to demolish the warehouse at 69-75 Racecourse Road, ... more

03 February 2021

People with bladder cancer who receive a shorter, more intense course of radiotherapy have a lower risk of the disease returning, research has found. The shorter course should be adopted as the new standard of care, experts said, particularly because... more

03 February 2021

Patients and medical staff across NSW have sounded the alarm about a crisis in the state of country hospitals, telling of wards that look like they’ve been hit by tornadoes, hospitals requesting people bring their own bandages and doctors trying to m... more

03 February 2021

Former Mackay rail worker Byron May, 75, is suing his former employer for $865,000 in an effort to ensure some comfort in his final days as he battles deadly asbestosis. Maurice Blackburn Lawyers has filed a statement of claim in the Supreme Court of... more

03 February 2021

Scientists have revealed that working outside can cut the risk of women developing breast cancer. The key is the body’s increased production of vitamin D when in sunlight. Danish Cancer Society research, published in the journal Occupational & En... more

02 February 2021

Blood cancer has become the second-most diagnosed cancer in Australia and the second-most common cause of cancer-related deaths, according to new figures released by the Leukaemia Foundation. The number of blood cancer diagnoses soared by 30 per cent... more

01 February 2021

The most positive changes in drug use trends are emerging among Australian youths and young adults, Rural Health Tasmania chief Robert Waterman has said. The National Drug Strategy Household Survey Report 2019 found youth smoking rates dropped from 1... more

01 February 2021

Altria Group, the company that owns Marlboro, says that decades of annual declines in cigarette sales came to an abrupt halt last year. Sales that were expected to fall by 4 to 6 per cent instead levelled off in 2020, the company’s figures show this ... more

01 February 2021

Parents at a Gold Coast school subject to a cancer cluster investigation say they are concerned about a chemical leak of a now banned substance less than 2km away. A probe was launched in September after per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were... more

01 February 2021

Improvements to the screening and treatment of cancer have reduced cancer deaths in Australia by more than 20 per cent between 1996 and 2015, saving 107,000 lives, a Cancer Council NSW study reveals. The study found there were 20.6 per cent fewer can... more

01 February 2021

Rural and regional communities face a critical shortage of doctors despite billions of dollars in taxpayer funds having been spent on the problem over more than a decade, as medical graduates shun general practice and seek to become specialists. The ... more

01 February 2021

An expert is calling for parents to be vigilant after primary school teachers have found children as young as 11 vaping at school. Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia director Paul Dillon said while e-cigarette users are generally older,... more

28 January 2021

Tasmanian public hospital patients face longer waits for both emergency and elective treatment and suffer more adverse outcomes than patients interstate. The Productivity Commission’s Annual Report on Government Services compared state health systems... more

28 January 2021

Rising childcare and cigarette costs have pushed the inflation rate a little higher than economists had expected in the final quarter of 2020, leaving the overall increase in prices last year at just under 1 per cent. A 12 per cent rise in tobacco ex... more

27 January 2021

The University of Queensland’s first major fundraising campaign has collected $600m in donations for research, teaching facilities and student scholarships, beating its target by $100m. The campaign, chaired by eminent UQ researcher and former Austra... more

27 January 2021

Thousands of Australians have benefited from Professor Emily Banks' work in public health but they may never know who they are. The head of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health has saved countless lives through her research on s... more

27 January 2021

Despite just 25 minutes travel time between Bidwill and Cherrybrook, there’s a yawning gap between those two Sydney neighbourhoods on the most basic of indicators: lifespan. In Bidwill’s local public health area the median age of death was 69 years b... more

27 January 2021

Paula Benson first volunteered her professional skills to Ovarian Cancer Australia in 2006, three years after her own cancer diagnosis. This led to more than a decade of leadership within the organisation, which she chaired between 2011 and 2018 and ... more

25 January 2021

Immediately reinstating 100 closed public hospital beds — and committing to adding a further 600 across WA — tops the pre-election wish list of the State’s peak medical body. The Australian Medical Association (WA) is also calling on both major parti... more

25 January 2021

Labor says the Tasmanian government is ignoring its own Upper House when it comes to medicinal cannabis legislation and it is causing unnecessary suffering. Huon MP Bastian Seidel said the Legislative Council passed a motion in November last year tha... more

21 January 2021

Men are being urged to swallow their pride and slap on some sunscreen after it was revealed less than a third regularly did so to protect themselves from the sun. They also spend more time outdoors and exposed to UV light, despite knowing the risks. ... more

21 January 2021

A dying man is begging for medicinal cannabis to be made readily available. Peter Fielding, who is dying of oesophageal and lung cancer says cannabis is the only thing that eases his pain. While medicinal cannabis is legal, patients must obtain permi... more

21 January 2021

A 75-year-old man with cancer as a result of asbestos exposure has begun an $800,000 legal action against various government entities. Daniel Connolly, from Emu Park, filed the workplace injury lawsuit to the Rockhampton Supreme Court last month agai... more

19 January 2021

A drug developed for cancer treatment is being repurposed in the hope it could help stop diabetes patients from suffering a heart attack or stroke. The drug, which is being designed to treat solid and blood cancers, is being trialled in the fight aga... more

19 January 2021

Breakthrough Adelaide research is tipped to revolutionise the treatment of the most common breast cancers. Adelaide University researchers have discovered that male sex hormones have the potential to combat oestrogen receptor-driven breast cancers, w... more

19 January 2021

The lack of clear and accurate labelling on children’s food products has stymied parents’ choices for decades. In choosing what they take to be the “healthy choice”, parents have unwittingly fed their children highly processed foods rich in added sug... more

18 January 2021

Experts have hailed a “quantum leap” for women with ovarian cancer as a breakthrough treatment was given the go-ahead yesterday. The drug niraparib was approved for use by British regulators in the biggest improvement in 30 years for ovarian cancer t... more

18 January 2021

While it is well established that a virus transmitted through oral sex can cause oral cancer, a new study published in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, has detailed how the nuances of this intimate practice can affect r... more

18 January 2021

An innovative new screening program is helping men monitor their health by ‘predicting’ their risk of developing prostate cancer. Australian medical technology company Maxwell Plus is using artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the likelihood of ... more

18 January 2021

Researchers are “exhilarated” that the new and unconventional use of the tiniest diamonds to measure heat in living cells could lead to better diagnostic tools and thermal therapies for cancer. Australian scientists have been involved in the medical ... more

18 January 2021

New training opportunities are regularly being introduced for nurses, amid severe worker shortages in every area of speciality. Australian College of Nursing chief executive Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward says the shortage of specialist nurses comes de... more

18 January 2021

The health of many Tasmanians is in dire straits, a new report shows, with the state recording poor grades on smoking rates, stress levels, body mass index and blood pressure. Australia’s Health Report: When Health Care Meets Self Care branded Tasman... more

18 January 2021

Taking aspirin three times a week increases the chances of surviving breast and bladder cancer by up to a third, a study has found. The over-the-counter pill is taken by millions daily to protect against heart disease and strokes because it thins the... more

18 January 2021

Queensland is sitting on a skin cancer time bomb with more than half of adults and nearly as many children being sunburnt in figures that show the state has forgotten the Slip, Slop, Slap message. In a shocking report card, Queensland Health data sho... more

15 January 2021

Early-stage biotech BCAL Diagnostics has closed a $4 million pre-IPO capital raise led by Citadel Group’s Mark McConnell, which will fund clinical trials for a breakthrough low-cost breast cancer detection blood test. The funding round for BCAL comes... more

14 January 2021

The Fraser Coast’s only authorised prescriber of medicinal marijuana sees more than 270 patients after just one year in the field, proof of the rising demand for the drug in the region. Hervey Bay’s My Cannabis Clinic founder Dr Shahnur Rahman treate... more

13 January 2021

Drinking more coffee could lower men’s risk of developing prostate cancer. Research has found every extra daily cup is associated with a 1 per cent lower risk of the disease. The study compared the risk of prostate cancer associated with coffee consu... more

13 January 2021

Breast cancer nurses have received a $3m boost after the federal government made a major contribution to the Jane McGrath Foundation. The government donation comes in addition to $38m in funding to lift the number of breast care nurse positions from ... more

12 January 2021

Breast cancer nurses have received a $3m boost after the federal government made a major contribution to the Jane McGrath foundation. The money will be used to fund a survey among patients on breast care nurse support, with feedback informing the dev... more

12 January 2021

Youngsters who vape are three times more likely to become regular cigarette smokers. Researchers studied children and young adults and found vaping was a gateway to smoking as it causes a nicotine addiction. E-cigarettes deliver nicotine in vaporised... more

11 January 2021

Parents at a Gold Coast private school say they will continue to push for a building biology test to be completed immediately, after a probe into an alleged ‘cancer cluster’ was launched. The Gold Coast Public Health Unit (PHU) is investigating links... more

11 January 2021

Palliative care advocates say terminally ill patients in western Sydney are missing out on acute and holistic end-of-life care, as Westmead Hospital marks more than a decade without a dedicated palliative care unit. The hospital faces urgent calls to... more

11 January 2021

Doctors in Japan have discovered that mothers can pass cancer to their babies during labour through fluid inhaled as they give their first cries. A team led by doctors at the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo found two cases in which cervical cancer in... more

11 January 2021

Almost 50 high-cost medicines have been approved for government subsidy but never made it on to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, an investigation by The West Australian has found. And the problem is about to get worse under new reference pricing r... more

17 December 2020

Nine popular sun-protection products are exposing Australians to sunburn because they take too long to apply to get the right UV protection. The alarming discovery was made by Queensland University of Technology researchers, who examined nine commerc... more

17 December 2020

A nasal spray is being rolled out in Melbourne in an attempt to stop coronavirus in cancer patients and other highly vulnerable people who may not be protected by COVID-19 vaccines. The landmark Melbourne trial may also have benefits for the wider po... more

17 December 2020

Emergency rooms emptied, cancer screening fell, elective surgeries were delayed, prescriptions for mental health drugs grew and calls to crisis support lines soared as COVID-19 upended the lives of millions of Australians. These are just some of the ... more

17 December 2020

Patients presenting at hospital fell by 38 per cent at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the health effect from physical distancing service restrictions likely to be felt for years. New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ... more

14 December 2020

Chris Bowen, the Shadow Minister for Health, has flagged a major overhaul of Labor’s approach to health policy ahead of the election, including bringing more young people into the private system and reforming Medicare without large spending increases... more

14 December 2020

Doctors have welcomed a $311m boost to research into dementia, cancer and aged care to be announced in Melbourne today. Health Minister Greg Hunt will unveil funding for 12 grants into medical research to be paid from the commonwealth’s $20bn Medical... more

14 December 2020

An independent probe into a Redland Hospital surgeon who potentially failed to detect patient cancers is not expected to be completed until mid-next year – 18 months after problems were first made public. The Courier-Mail revealed in January that 100... more

14 December 2020

A British surgeon has developed a revolutionary device that could prevent thousands of bowel cancer deaths by eliminating the need for an intimate test. About 16,000 people die of the disease in the UK each year, partly because many are reluctant to ... more

14 December 2020

WA has the highest rate of mesothelioma in the world, with 4.4 cases per 100,000. About one in three houses in WA has asbestos but there is no way to find out if a house contains it unless samples are sent for testing. There are concerns of a new wav... more

14 December 2020

South Australians have good intentions when it comes to protecting themselves from skin cancer but fall short when it comes to putting that into practice. A survey by life insurer TAL found 54 per cent of South Australians would take every measure to... more

11 December 2020

Victorians ate more, felt stressed and changed their exercise habits during the pandemic, research has revealed. They also struggled to connect with loved ones and ceased hobbies. But families reportedly ate more veggies and spent time cooking at hom... more

10 December 2020

The new President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr Karen Price says Australians need to catch up on cancer screening and chronic health condition checks in 2021 or risk hiding health problems, after many people delayed see... more

09 December 2020

COVID-19 has already put a dampener on Christmas, and now Australians are being told they have to drink four fewer alcoholic drinks a week to meet health guidelines. The National Health and Medical Research Council delivered the sobering news just tw... more

09 December 2020

Adults should not drink more than 10 standard drinks a week and keep it at four on any given day in order to reduce the risk of alcohol-related health issues, according to new national guidelines. That's a reduction from the previous weekly limit of ... more

09 December 2020

Australians are being advised not to have more than 10 standard drinks in any given week — and no more than four on any day — under new national alcohol guidelines. Pregnant women and people under the age of 18 should not drink at all, according to t... more

09 December 2020

Medical experts are calling for alcohol to come with similar warning labels as cigarettes, saying there is currently “no punishment for killing people”, but the alcohol industry says Australians already understand the risks. After the National Health... more

09 December 2020

Australia’s chief scientific body says adults should drop their alcohol consumption from 14 to 10 standard drinks a week, a cut of almost 30 per cent. ‘‘We’re not telling Australians how much to drink. We’re providing advice for people who want to en... more

09 December 2020

A maximum 10 standard drinks a week is recommended for those who want to reduce their risk of alcohol-related harm under new national guidelines adopted by the federal government yesterday. Professor Anne Kelso, the chief executive of the National He... more

09 December 2020

Nasdaq-listed genomics giant Illumina is hoping to help spawn a new generation of cutting-edge Australian biotech startups as it cements its place as a long-term research partner for local businesses. The $US50 billion ($67 billion) genetic sequencin... more

07 December 2020

The alcohol industry is going to war with Australia’s peak health advisory group, saying its latest push to reduce the recommended consumption of standard drinks from 12 to 10 per week has no basis in science and is a “nanny state crusade” to treat d... more

07 December 2020

Patients could soon be offered a groundbreaking urine test that can spot bladder cancer after it proved 100 per cent accurate in trials. The pioneering liquid biopsy could replace the dipstick test used by GPs as a first check for the life-threatenin... more

07 December 2020

People who survive multiple separate instances of cancer are believed to hold the key to a future cancer vaccine that could be just a few years away. Researchers at the scientific institute WEHI, RMIT University and the University of NSW, together wi... more

07 December 2020

Jack de Belin’s three-year fight to clear his name has been overshadowed by the shock revelation he has undergone surgery for testicular cancer. The 29-year-old is believed to have found a lump in his testicle earlier this year. Testicular cancer is ... more

07 December 2020

Men having radiotherapy for prostate cancer could be spared one of the treatment’s most distressing side effects. More than 16,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in Australia and while surgery to remove the gland is one option, whi... more

07 December 2020

Routine checks and testosterone patches are the new normal for men who are diagnosed with testicular cancer — an issue that has suddenly found the spotlight after NRL player Jack de Belin’s recent diagnosis. De Belin is understood to have found a lum... more

07 December 2020

With the mercury on the rise, it’s a great time to hit the beaches and soak up some vitamin D. But new data shows that despite almost 30 years of SunSmart messages, a third of South Australians end up with sunburn at least once. Cancer Council SA’s 2... more

04 December 2020

Almost one in two Australians ended up with a tan last summer, prompting renewed warnings about the dangers of sunburn. Cancer Council Australia’s 2019 Summer Sun Protection Survey found 46 per cent of Australians got a tan last summer. Males were mo... more

04 December 2020

More than two million Australians couldn’t afford to see a doctor or get their scripts filled this year as rising medical out-of-pocket costs undermine Australia’s “free” health system. The unaffordability of health care just got worse after the Aust... more

03 December 2020

More than one in five electronic cigarette liquid mixtures contain nicotine, despite it being illegal in Australia, and people who vape are being exposed to an array of harmful chemicals that could be acutely toxic. They are they findings from a Curt... more

03 December 2020

WA children and young people are being targeted to buy e-cigarettes by manufacturers using cartoon characters, child friendly flavours, discounts and free shipping, alarming research reveals. Cancer Council WA audited 30 Australian websites selling e... more

03 December 2020

Tanning beds are known to increase the risk of skin cancer, but new research published in Human Reproduction Journal shows they could also cause another debilitating disease. Academics in Arizona found using a solarium six times or more a year could ... more

03 December 2020

For many cancer survivors, life is just as good as it is for those who have not had cancer. Research published in BMC Medicine on Tuesday found that posttreatment, the majority of cancer survivors rated their quality of life almost as highly as those... more

03 December 2020

The $740 million plans for an ambitious Western Sydney hospital redevelopment, which will eventually include a state-of-the-art health and academic precinct, have received the state government green light. Approved by NSW Planning on Monday, The Live... more

03 December 2020

The first weekend of summer after a challenging 2020 has prompted the Cancer Council to launch its latest campaign to warn West Australians about the risks of skin cancer. Cancer Council WA chief executive Ashley Reid said incidental exposure to the ... more

02 December 2020

Cancer survivors are at greater risk of needing hospital treatment for the flu, or even dying from the virus, even several years after their diagnosis, according to a study published in The Lancet. The largest study of its kind looked at the medical ... more

30 November 2020

Sunkissed Victorians say they would do anything to protect their skin from cancer but few follow through, new research has revealed. Almost 60 per cent of Victorians say they would take “any measures” to protect themselves from developing skin cancer... more

30 November 2020

Mix 102.3 newsreader Maria Gaban was 38 and breastfeeding her third child when she received a diagnosis of breast cancer. The prognosis was positive and and almost two years on from treatment Gaban is relishing life as mum. Her message is a simple on... more

30 November 2020

Cancer clinical trials must be accelerated in the same way the COVID-19 vaccine was fast-tracked to fight the country’s biggest killer, says one of Queensland’s leading oncologists. While hitting the pause button and putting all focus on ending the p... more

30 November 2020

Quick thinking by George Maddern’s parents, who suspected sunlight as the cause of their son’s pain, mean the family has been given the best chance of keeping their 18-month-old boy safe, their specialist says. Dr Anna Le Fevre of the Victorian Clini... more

30 November 2020

Higher rates of cancer and foetal deaths found in Aboriginal communities living near the Ranger uranium mine cannot be linked to ionising radiation, a six-year investigation has found. The NT Health-led investigation started in 2014 to look at a clus... more

30 November 2020

The way cancer cells feed on glucose and amino acids has Adelaide at the centre of international research to develop individual, precision treatment through metabolic drugs. A study involving the SA Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), the... more

30 November 2020

A blood test to check how well you are ageing has been invented by SAHMRI researchers with research published in the journal Autophagy – and now they are working on ways to wind back the clock. The test examines how well the cells are keeping house, ... more

30 November 2020

Shocking statistics show higher-than-average numbers of adults and children are seeking treatment for sunburn at regional hospitals. In another damning statistic for the region, a quarter of children got sunburnt two or more times in the past year. T... more

27 November 2020

Smoking and vaping are set to be banned in public spaces across central Melbourne — and the plan has already lit up outrage in some quarters. The City of Melbourne wants to outlaw smoking “throughout the majority of public spaces” over the next five ... more

25 November 2020

Researchers are hopeful new insight into how Tasmanian devil facial tumours evolved over the past two decades will help save the iconic marsupials. The research may explain why the carnivores have become endangered so quickly and shed light on the ev... more

24 November 2020

New technology, to be unveiled today at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Camperdown, will allow implants for reconstructive surgery to be created more quickly, with the process occurring entirely in Australia. The implants will initially be created usi... more

24 November 2020

Breast cancer screening can halve older women’s risk of dying from the disease, research published in the British Journal of Cancer suggests. Women who attend at least one mammogram are 37 per cent less likely to die from breast cancer. And for over-... more

24 November 2020

Mackay mothers are more likely to be overweight and smokers while pregnant, leading to riskier pregnancies and endangering the health of their newborns. An investigation into 2247 births found a number of health risks facing women and their children ... more

23 November 2020

Health star ratings on food packaging don’t just help consumers make better choices; they’ve also now been proven to encourage manufacturers to switch to healthier ingredients to bump up their score, prompting calls for the system to be mandatory. A ... more

23 November 2020

A breakthrough Australian nasal spray that not only stops COVID-19 but also prevents the common cold and influenza has been given government funding to start human trials. Developed by Australian biotech company Ena Respiratory, the blockbuster preve... more

23 November 2020

Taking vitamin D supplements could reduce the risk of cancer by up to 38 per cent, a study carried out at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and published in the journal JAMA Network Open suggests. Researchers found that the chance of advanced or... more

23 November 2020

Thousands of leukaemia sufferers could be spared chemotherapy thanks to a new two-in-one treatment that’s been found to keep twice as many patients free of the disease. The drugs also cause fewer side effects, meaning patients can carry on with life ... more

23 November 2020

Doctors believe proton therapy radiation, a treatment that attacks cancerous tumours with beams of magnet-controlled protons, could help save the lives of about 700 Australians each year. However, the life-saving treatment won’t be available in Austr... more

20 November 2020

A new topical medication could help organ transplant recipients who are 100 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinomas due to immune system suppressors. The new drug, which has been developed at the University of Queensland could help prev... more

20 November 2020

New research undertaken by Dr Paulette Chandler at Harvard University has revealed that people taking daily vitamin D supplements were 17% less likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. The study of 25,000 people over five years inclu... more

19 November 2020

New rules aimed at reducing vaping should include a time limit for doctors prescribing nicotine-containing vaping products, according to the nation’s peak medical body. The Australian Medical Association also wants the scripts, which become prescript... more

19 November 2020

Personal data from children as young as five is used to bombard them with gambling, alcohol and fast food advertisements, a new report has found. Aggressive marketing tactics from companies are exploiting children’s regular use of video games, viewin... more

18 November 2020

New research has found each full-term pregnancy reduces the risk of endometrial cancer by about 15 per cent. It’s well known having a full-term pregnancy reduces a woman’s risk of developing endometrial cancer, but research from Brisbane’s QIMR Bergh... more

18 November 2020

It’s one of the major illnesses killing Australian men — and new international research has found just a handful of nuts each day could be the secret to preventing prostate cancer. Eating an extra gram of nuts a day can decrease the incidence of pros... more

16 November 2020

ACT volunteer firefighters who develop cancer after years on the job will be more likely to get workers' compensation after an inquiry. The federal government on Friday announced it had accepted all six recommendations from a legislative review into ... more

16 November 2020

There are calls for “predatory” junk food advertisements to be banned on government-owned property as WA battles rising levels of obesity. A report released yesterday by health agencies including the Cancer Council and Telethon Kids Institute said th... more

16 November 2020

Alarming levels of contamination have been discovered in an Illawarra waterway by a member of the public, sparking an investigation by authorities into the lethal cocktail of pollutants. Extremely high levels of poisonous heavy metals and carcinogeni... more

16 November 2020

The NSW government paid three times as much as the valuer general’s estimate for a parcel of highly contaminated land near Parramatta that earned a Sydney property developer a $15 million windfall in a matter of months. In a series of transactions th... more

16 November 2020

Aussie millennials are slacking off on sun safety and experts fear their lax attitudes could be putting their kids at risk. Despite the fact they grew up with Sid the Seagull’s Slip, Slop, Slap message, one in four young parents admit they get sunbur... more

13 November 2020

An Australian convenience store and petrol station retailer says it would be happy to train staff to suggest e-cigarettes as an alternative to normal cigarettes in a bid to help reduce the smoking rate. Ampol, owner of Caltex and Foodary outlets, urg... more

13 November 2020

A new report has shown Australia learnt a short sharp lesson about the management of cancer during the first wave of COVID-19. For a month, at the height of the panic, cancer services were dramatically reduced as the health system pivoted to prepare ... more

13 November 2020

Testing rates for prostate cancer fell by almost one-third in the ACT at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, new research has revealed. A report released by Cancer Australia on the impact the pandemic had on lung cancer and prostate cancer found rat... more

12 November 2020

New research on the cost of living shows shows prices on everyday necessities growing far more quickly than those of life’s little luxuries. Across the seven years, the prices for all goods increased by 14 per cent. But for essentials, prices rose by... more

11 November 2020

Cancer patients in Australia are missing out on life saving new medicines available overseas because it takes four times longer for them to be subsidised here. An extra 800 cancer patients a year could be treated with breakthrough immunotherapies if ... more

11 November 2020

Flinders University is leading a study to find alternative treatments and improve early detection of malignant mesothelioma, with 650 Australians struck down by the deadly disease last year. The lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure can develop mor... more

11 November 2020

Super funds that don’t support big tobacco will now be easier to identify thanks to a new stamp alerting customers to those that are smoke-free. VicHealth on Wednesday launches the “tobacco-free finance pledge stamp” as a way for firms to let the pub... more

23 October 2020

Tens of thousands of illegal e-cigarette devices and liquids containing nicotine have been seized by state authorities – and many contain the substance at fatal levels. Poisons information lines are receiving dozens of calls about nicotine poisoning ... more

22 October 2020

Cancer and palliative care support groups say it is deeply troubling that many Victorian hospitals are enforcing tougher visiting rules than required by the government. ‘‘We are hearing multiple cases from distressed carers who are calling us to say ... more

21 October 2020

Above Hervey Bay Hospital’s emergency department is an entire floor which is not yet in use. One Nation candidate for Hervey Bay, Damian Huxham, says if elected, he will fight for the area to be turned into an oncology unit. He said “After seeing fir... more

21 October 2020

Men with inflammatory bowel disease may need extra checks for prostate cancer. Research published in the journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases analysed international data and found that those with conditions including Crohn’s disease and ulc... more

21 October 2020

Terminally ill breast cancer patients will have to pay $1600 a month for a lifesaving treatment, after the drug company rejected a government subsidy. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca was granted a subsidy for its drug Faslodex in July through the ... more

21 October 2020

Office heavyweight Dexus has flagged a significant push into healthcare property and has teamed with its specialist fund to snap up the Australian Bragg Centre in Adelaide from private developer Commercial & General for $446.2m. Dexus joined with... more

20 October 2020

Authorities say it’s unclear how a child in the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital’s oncology ward contracted COVID-19. Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley said on Monday it appeared the child had low levels of infection and tests were being und... more

20 October 2020

Up to one in four Queenslanders significantly underestimate their risk of developing potentially deadly melanoma, a study has found. Those at highest risk – people aged over 65, of European ancestry, with high numbers of moles and fair skin – are wor... more

20 October 2020

Primary school students will slip, slop and slap their way through spring thanks to an online learning program. Generation SunSmart teaches Victorian educators about sun protection and saw enrolments soar during lockdown with registrations more than ... more

19 October 2020

A baby born in Australia today is expected to live six years longer than its parents — but poor health would reduce the quality of the time gained, research has revealed. The latest findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study, published in the B... more

17 October 2020

A group of more than 500 Victorian doctors has urged Premier Daniel Andrews to end current lockdown restrictions and abandon mandatory wearing of face masks and a 5km limit on movement when he announces the next step of easing on Sunday. The group, c... more

15 October 2020

Juggling family stresses, bills and COVID pressure – Australians are ignoring their midlife health checks which experts warn can save them from the nation’s leading illnesses. Doctors and health experts warn that people in their 40s and 50s are faili... more

14 October 2020

Scientists have invented a drug they hope could be a “gamechanger” for the treatment of pancreatic cancer by breaking down a fibrous “shield” around cancer cells that makes them resistant to treatment. The drug, known as AMP945, is set to be trialled... more

13 October 2020

Drinking one alcoholic beverage per day has been found to increase the risk of liver cancer by 48 per cent in people over 45, according to new research. A recent study conducted by Cancer Council NSW and published in the British Journal of Cancer has... more

13 October 2020

Northern Territory women are being urged to learn about prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, a condition one in seven will get by age 85. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and doctors and health experts are urging people to g... more

13 October 2020

Get your kids to wear sunglasses. That’s the message from eye experts who say that Australian children could fall prey to a host of vision impairments if they neglect sun protection. Growths on the eye tissue such as pterygium and pingecula, cancers ... more

13 October 2020

Smokers could be forced to buy cigarettes from pharmacies or even need a prescription to get their hands on them as part of a bold new aim to stub out the unhealthy habit for good. The restriction of cigarette sales will be among the strategies explo... more

12 October 2020

Sydney’s “beautiful people” are risking skin cancer by using secret solariums — despite them being illegal since 2014. They were banned due to their shockingly high levels of radiation, but solarium “speakeasies” still flourish, with one offering eig... more

12 October 2020

Melbourne researchers have discovered three genes linked to aggressive forms of prostate cancer. The breakthrough has raised hopes of a test to identify men who are most at risk and shed some light on the behaviour of a disease that kills about 60 Au... more

12 October 2020

Just seven standard drinks a week can increase the chance of getting cancer by 10 per cent for those aged over 45, a major study has found. The Cancer Council NSW study of more than 226,000 Australians found alcohol was directly linked to the risk of... more

12 October 2020

A terminal cancer patient has had her request to quarantine with her Queensland family rejected for a third time, even after producing evidence from her doctors that her terminal skin cancer made her a high health risk for hotel quarantine. The state... more

12 October 2020

Scientists are growing real human mini-brains to test possible cures for childhood brain cancer. The Children’s Cancer Research Unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, is turning stem cells into human brain cells, which are then given br... more

12 October 2020

Perth medi-tech company Proteomics is about to begin developing an improved diagnostic method for the most common form of oesophageal cancer. Proteomics has partnered with Brisbane-based QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute to deliver the detect... more

12 October 2020

Men seeking treatment for prostate cancer in Australia’s private health system are much more likely to have radical treatment than their peers in the public system, according to a study in Victoria. The results, published in the Medical Journal of Au... more

12 October 2020

The NSW government has defended its decision to exempt Crown’s forthcoming Sydney casino from certain smoking regulations, as anti-smoking campaigners accused the casino operator of putting profits ahead of the health and safety of workers and patron... more

09 October 2020

Breast cancer patients could face long wait times for reconstructions due to restrictions on elective surgeries, a support organisation says. Following the COVID outbreak, Breast Cancer Network Australia surveyed more than 2300 Australians diagnosed ... more

09 October 2020

COVID-19 restrictions resulted in a significant downturn of Australians going for breast and cervical cancer screening tests in the first half of 2020, a new report has found. While more than 70,000 mammograms were performed in Australia in March 202... more

09 October 2020

More than half a million Australians have been pushed back on elective surgery waiting lists due to the COVID pandemic. In Victoria, waiting lists have blown out by a massive 40 per cent, with 56,039 people waiting for surgery. As a result of the ear... more

09 October 2020

Sick and vulnerable Victorians have become “collateral impacts” of COVID19, according to an expert. Associate Professor Kate Burbury, a haematologist and chief medical officer at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, says many Victorians have been left ... more

09 October 2020

Moderate exercise can be just as effective as high-intensity training to keep older adults healthy, new research in the British Medical Journal shows. Research led by Norwegian University of science and Technology researcher Dorthe Stensvold, and pub... more

09 October 2020

Peak health charities are for the first time publicly calling for designated smoking areas in pubs and clubs to be phased out by the State Government. The Heart Foundation Queensland and Cancer Council Queensland are urging the incoming Queensland go... more

08 October 2020

The pandemic may claim more lives as collateral damage as people put off having potentially life-saving cancer screening tests, experts warn. Data released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed between January and June there ... more

08 October 2020

Tens of thousands of Queensland women missed out on lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screenings in the early half of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The worrying data, released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, has spar... more

08 October 2020

Lifesaving cancer screening tests have plummeted in Australia during the coronavirus pandemic, fuelling fears of a surge in delayed diagnoses and avoidable deaths. A stark new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on the impact of ... more

08 October 2020

The coronavirus epidemic led to a collapse in the number of women having life-saving tests for cancer, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. "While more than 70,000 mammograms were performed in March 2020, this fell to around ... more

08 October 2020

The intense focus on the coronavirus throughout 2020 has distracted from other medical issues — some of them extremely serious. Additionally, lockdowns and concerns over contracting or spreading the coronavirus have led many to postpone or cancel imp... more

08 October 2020

Testing numbers for some of Australia’s most common cancers rapidly declined during the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting Australia could have a cancer storm on its hands. Experts are concerned without early detection and regul... more

08 October 2020

Tests for common cancers plummeted during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, raising fears that Australia could have a cancer storm brewing. There were more than 70,000 mammograms for breast cancer screening in March but the number fell to... more

07 October 2020

The world’s largest maker of healthcare products will have to pay out more than $140m to settle lawsuits over claims that its baby powder caused cancer. Johnson & Johnson has agreed to the payout to resolve more than 1000 lawsuits after four year... more

07 October 2020

A lab-grown tumour could hold the key to testing and improving treatments for women with ovarian cancer. An international team of researchers has created a 3D model of the deadly cancer outside the body which can re-create how tumour cells grow. It’s... more

07 October 2020

The world’s largest maker of healthcare products will have to pay out more than $140m to settle lawsuits over claims that its baby powder caused cancer. Johnson & Johnson has agreed to the payout to resolve more than 1000 lawsuits after four year... more

07 October 2020

Bristol-Myers Squibb says it will buy biotech MyoKardia in a $US13.1bn ($18.2bn) deal aimed at expanding the cancer-drug powerhouse’s line-up of heart drugs. The all-cash deal would snag MyoKardia’s promising experimental heart drug, which if approve... more

07 October 2020

Victoria will receive $50m for a new state-of-the-art melanoma centre at The Alfred hospital, to give cancer patients world-first access to new treatments. The Victorian Melanoma and Clinical Trials Centre is expected to be treating patients by 2022.... more

07 October 2020

Women with advanced ovarian cancer will be able to obtain a subsidised drug treatment for only $41 a script as part of $375.5m allocated in the budget towards listing medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Lynparza, also known as olaparib, ... more

07 October 2020

Young Australians will be able to stay on their parents’ private health insurance until they turn 31 under a measure designed to prop up ailing health funds. And the number of Medicare-funded mental health consultations accessible to Australians will... more

07 October 2020

Hundreds of patients with ovarian cancer are being given affordable access to a groundbreaking drug that was previously restricted to those who had failed conventional treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy. Lynparza, which costs more than $140... more

06 October 2020

People suffering from liver cancer, a range of eye conditions and Parkinson’s disease will save thousands on medication bills under changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. More than $230 million will be dedicated to expanding the scheme as par... more

06 October 2020

Research on cures for heart disease, stroke, cancer, brain injury and motor neurone disease are being paused or cancelled and key researchers are losing their jobs, as the university revenue crunch starts to bite into science. Scientists say the dama... more

06 October 2020

The ability to use a person’s breath analysis for rapid and accurate early-stage testing for cancer has taken a leap forward. Flinders University researchers have progressed a method to test exhaled breath, which accurately identified head and neck c... more

06 October 2020

A life-saving program has used genetic testing to find treatments that shrink or stabilise aggressive tumours in children with rare cancers. Research on the ZERO Childhood Cancer program, published in Nature Medicine today, found the testing of the g... more

06 October 2020

Australia will become the first country in the world to publicly fund a new combination treatment for a deadly form of liver cancer in a $230 million promise in Tuesday’s federal budget. The commitment will expand the listing, Tecentriq and Avastin, ... more

02 October 2020

E-cigarette users are three times more likely to take up conventional smoking than those who don’t vape, a new report suggests. The study led by Australian National University, in collaboration with University of Melbourne researchers, also found ex-... more

01 October 2020

Breast cancer treatments and antibiotics are among more than 25 containers of vital medicines stuck on ships off Australia’s coast that can’t be unloaded due to industrial action on the wharves. Dennis Bastas, the chief of Australia’s biggest medicin... more

01 October 2020

Cancer physicians and pharmaceutical companies have raised concerns the crisis on the waterfront could result in drug shortages as talks between the parties over a peace deal drag on. Patrick Stevedores and the Maritime Union of Australia were locked... more

01 October 2020

Breast cancer will overtake prostate cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia this year. And without more money for research, 30,000 women will die of the cancer in the next decade, new calculations from the National Breast Cancer Fo... more

01 October 2020

Vaping is a “gateway” to conventional smoking with those using e-cigarettes three times as likely to take up tobacco, a new study reveals. Lead researcher and epidemiologist Emily Banks said there was “insufficient evidence” that vaping could help sm... more

30 September 2020

Using e-cigarettes triples the chance of a non-smoker taking up cigarettes, research shows. An Australian National University report released today found there was “insufficient” evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit, bolstering concerns that ... more

30 September 2020

Anthony Albanese has refused to condemn a wharfies go-slow delaying medical supplies bound for Sydney as cancer specialists warn the stoush will have a “shocking” impact on patients. It has been argued the Maritime Union of Australia’s industrial act... more

30 September 2020

Melbourne twins are taking part in a new Australian study which aims to draw on the closeness of twins to identify factors in early life that may predict the wider risk of breast cancer. By using twins’ matching DNA and their shared upbringings as a ... more

30 September 2020

Thousands of men could be spared the ordeal of having radiotherapy after surgery for prostate cancer, scientists said last night. The treatment is used to eradicate cancer cells and to try to ensure tumours do not return. But research published in Th... more

30 September 2020

Former employees of the Australian tobacco industry have revealed how it uses a loophole in the law to give incentives to retailers and drive sales. They told researchers how the loophole enables tobacco companies to engage in relationship marketing ... more

29 September 2020

The Australian Natural Therapeutic Group facility, near Armidale, is about to start producing medicinal cannabis oil on a commercial scale – the first such manufacturing licence granted in the state. The company’s chief executive, Matthew Cantelo, sa... more

29 September 2020

There has been an alarming rise in the number of young people, particularly women, being diagnosed with tongue cancer, a disease predominantly found in older men with a history of smoking or heavy drinking. Researchers from the cancer hospital Chris ... more

28 September 2020

A Silicon Valley software company is developing a blood test that uses machine algorithms to detect more than 50 types of cancers. The American biotech giant Illumina has announced an $8bn deal to purchase the Grail liquid biopsy, due to hit the mark... more

28 September 2020

Blood cancer patients will have better access to lifelong treatments and more tailored support as part of a multimillion dollar boost in next month’s Federal Budget. Health Minister Greg Hunt will today commit more than $600,000 to the Leukaemia Foun... more

28 September 2020

Researchers have detected an alarming rise in tongue cancers among young Australian women who have none of the known risk factors for the potentially deadly condition. Tongue cancers have increased 385 per cent over 32 years in women aged from their ... more

28 September 2020

As the US prepares to return humans to the Moon this decade, one of the biggest dangers future astronauts will face is space radiation, which can cause lasting health effects from cataracts to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Though the Apollo ... more

28 September 2020

New training opportunities are regularly being introduced for nurses, amid severe worker shortages in every area of speciality. McGrath Foundation chief executive Holly Masters says there is a dire shortage of breast cancer nurses. Before COVID-19, t... more

28 September 2020

A new partnership combining research, clinical care and a drive for innovation aims to address some of the greatest health challenges of our time. The Adelaide Health Innovation Partnership brings together the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (C... more

28 September 2020

Laziness is killing tens of thousands of Australians a year and costing the health system $4.5 billion annually. But the good news is one in every six deaths is preventable, and tens of thousands of Australians could avoid dying from our biggest kill... more

28 September 2020

A massive drop in patients presenting at hospital emergency departments has raised fears people may be neglecting serious health checks because of the pandemic. But researchers believe the fall also is a sign that isolation may have led to fewer inju... more

25 September 2020

One in five young people have tried or used e-cigarettes in the past 12 months, prompting renewed calls for stricter laws on illegal nicotine sales. Quit Victoria is leading a push for tighter laws to protect youths from buying e-liquids and cigarett... more

24 September 2020

Retailers, convenience store owners and “smoke-free” advocates have blasted the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s interim decision to allow Australians to buy nicotine-based e-cigarettes from pharmacies if they have a script from their doctor. The T... more

24 September 2020

Baby foods are hiding nasty sugars and misleading parents who think they’re healthy, according to a study. Research by the Cancer Council Victoria has found baby foods are using packaging and health-focused names to spruik products that are full of p... more

23 September 2020

Retailers have urged the Morrison government to scrap its plan to sell vaping products in pharmacies with a prescription, warning the “deliberate exclusion” of small businesses from selling the “less harmful” products was “unconscionable, illogical a... more

23 September 2020

Australians will be able to buy nicotine-based e-cigarettes at chemists with a script from their doctor, under an interim decision made by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The proposal, which will be open to public consultation before a final de... more

23 September 2020

Plain packaging has moved smokers to buy cheaper cigarettes – and to consume more of them. As a result, James Cook University researchers are calling for cigarette price increases. Head of Economics and Marketing Riccardo Welters said plain packaging... more

23 September 2020

Despite bladder cancer being equal to malignant melanoma as a cause of death for West Australians and prostate being the most common cancer in men, Fiona Stanley Hospital urological surgeon Dickon Hayne says “below the belt” cancers continued to be o... more

23 September 2020

Students as young as 13 are suffering from severe vomiting and others report chronic bouts of diarrhoea caused by an alarming spike of vaping in high schools. Medical experts have revealed some teens are ingesting as much nicotine contained in a pack... more

22 September 2020

A new treatment for patients with a common type of breast cancer has cut the risk of recurrence by a quarter, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has shown. The treatment involves patients taking the drug abemaciclib along with horm... more

22 September 2020

Cancer has become one of the first diseases to show how medicine will benefit from COVID-19. The pandemic has significantly disrupted cancer care, but as the model has been shaken up good ideas have fallen out. Cancer Australia yesterday published a ... more

22 September 2020

New research suggests that plain packaging — banning colours, logos, and trademarks from product packaging, and replacing them with health warnings — might actually lead smokers to buy more cigarettes. In a study published today in the journal Nature... more

21 September 2020

People with lung cancer have been given hope following a major breakthrough involving Australian researchers. A promising wonder drug, Lorlatinib, has just been tested in an international trial for patients newly diagnosed with ALKpositive Non-Small ... more

21 September 2020

Banning the sale of tobacco to anyone under 21 in Tasmania would cost the small to medium business sector up to $1.5m a year, an economist has found. However, the report — commissioned by anti-smoking advocate Andrew “ Twiggy” Forrest — suggests the ... more

18 September 2020

Cancer patients are more likely to die of their disease if they use common antacids at the same time as immunotherapies, a groundbreaking Australian study, published in the Journal of Clinical Cancer Research has found. Flinders University researcher... more

16 September 2020

Pathology testing rates for conditions such as cancer has fallen by more than 10 per cent in the ACT due to the coronavirus pandemic. Medical experts have said they're alarmed by figures that reveal testing rates remain down in 2020 compared to the s... more

15 September 2020

COVID-19 is thought to be the first disease in the modern era to disrupt cancer services in Australia as fears over coronavirus turned people away from check-ups and surgery. At its height the pandemic drastically reduced cancer services with the eff... more

15 September 2020

The diagnosis and treatment of three of the most common cancers plummeted with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a review of Medicare data by Cancer Australia has found. Concerned that people were delaying medical screening and treatment, Cancer Au... more

15 September 2020

The sun’s out and so is the skin cancer message for NSW schoolkids. Children will be taught how their choices at a young age could help them avoid skin cancer as part of an updated program being rolled out in the state’s schools from Tuesday. The “no... more

15 September 2020

Inner Melbourne’s newest park is set to be smoke-free when it opens later this year. A City of Melbourne survey has found overwhelming support for a smoking ban at Market Street Park in the CBD. Nearing completion, the park runs between Collins Stree... more

14 September 2020

Burglaries, low profit margins and hefty licence and insurance costs are key reasons Tasmanian retailers give up selling cigarettes, a study has found. The Department of Health study found that financial rather than ethical concerns were the most com... more

14 September 2020

Victorian men are skipping potentially lifesaving cancer tests because they fear catching COVID in doctors’ clinics and hospitals. Royal Melbourne Hospital gastroenterologist Andrew Metz said fewer men were doing bowel screen tests at home and going ... more

14 September 2020

Jaxon Hach was given just months to live after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Genetic testing showed Jaxon, who was diagnosed with cancer aged 18 months, had a mutation where a piece of the chromosome containing a gene called NTRK breaks off a... more

14 September 2020

The nation’s leading doctor and pathology groups have raised the alarm that healthcare services face being overwhelmed in coming years as people who have delayed vital screening checks due to the coronavirus pandemic present for treatment. Over 30 ma... more

14 September 2020

Victorian men are being urged to screen themselves for bowel cancer, with two thirds of eligible men passing up the chance for lifesaving detection. Cancer Council Victoria screening program manager Kate Broun said people spending more time at home p... more

14 September 2020

With 560 Tasmanians needlessly dying as a result of smoking each year, advocates for increasing the age for buying cigarettes say the state has “nothing to lose and everything to gain”. Despite Tasmania leading the way in smoking restrictions, tobacc... more

11 September 2020

Pinprick ink dots for breast cancer radiotherapy are now a thing of the past, thanks to new technology. At present in South Australia, virtually all breast cancer patients get several small tattoos to help the radiation therapist deliver treatment to... more

10 September 2020

Spending on anti-smoking public health campaigns has plummeted over the past decade as health experts say Australia risks losing its momentum on tobacco control. The article in the journal Public Health Research & Practice calculates that spendin... more

10 September 2020

An ambitious bid to hunt and destroy cancer tumours – using their own decay as a scent to land a lethal blow – has started on patients at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The APOMAB technology uses antibodies which home in on a specific protein given off... more

09 September 2020

Shares in Perth-based Suda Pharmaceuticals have soared after the company announced it had received an Australian patent for its cancer treatment. Suda has repurposed the drug Anagrelide, a blood disorder medication, to treat certain solid tumour canc... more

07 September 2020

A Rockhampton doctor has been recognised for his work contributing to cancer research. The Australasian GastroIntestinal Trials Group’s fundraiser of the year award was given to medical oncologist Matthew Burge for his raising money for gastrointesti... more

07 September 2020

An action plan to help Australia reach zero blood-cancer deaths by 2035 is set to be backed by government, in the hope it will accelerate help for the silent pandemic. It comes as new figures show blood cancer is diagnosed in Australia every 31 minut... more

07 September 2020

Cross-border community members living just inside Victoria say they are being shut out of breast cancer screening services, despite SA Health claiming they are still welcome. Two women were told the closest breast screening service available was in H... more

07 September 2020

WA cancer patients who previously had to travel across Perth for care will be able to access the State’s first private “one-stop shop” early next year. Hollywood Private Hospital will open a radiation oncology centre alongside established services, i... more

07 September 2020

Groundbreaking cancer research technology acquired by the University of Tasmania will position the state as a medical leader, scientists say. The Cytek Aurora flow cytometer will allow Tasmanian scientists to more than triple their capacity to unders... more

07 September 2020

Illicit drug users who turn to trafficking will likely go to jail, warns one of South Australia’s most experienced judges, who has denounced the ubiquitous and serious societal problem. A Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia spokeswoman said was... more

07 September 2020

Half of Victoria has been left mentally scarred by the strict lockdown, with higher levels of depression and anxiety among the young, exclusive new polling reveals. Polling of over 1000 Victorians by research firm Dynata for the Institute of Public A... more

07 September 2020

As the ACT government rolled out its comprehensive outlook for improving the health and welfare of prisoners, one persistent problem within the Canberra prison system was unaddressed: smoking. The ACT and Western Australia are the only jurisdictions ... more

04 September 2020

Tasmania is the only jurisdiction that has not agreed to participate in the Special Access Scheme through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Instead, Tasmania administers a Controlled Access Scheme. Under the Controlled Access Scheme, any pa... more

03 September 2020

Bee venom is effective in killing aggressive breast cancer cells, a new Australian study, published in Nature Precision Oncology journal has found. Results revealed the venom — from honeybees sourced in Western Australia, England and Ireland — rapidl... more

03 September 2020

September marks Blood Cancer Awareness Month and the Leukaemia Foundation is warning Australians that diagnoses are on the rise. According to the Foundation, diagnoses for one of Australia’s most common and deadly types of cancer have risen 38 per ce... more

01 September 2020

A state Coalition MP has called for his own government to legalise vaping by allowing the sale of nicotine e-cigarette liquid in NSW. Michael Johnsen has launched an online petition calling for the state government to legislate in favour of vaping to... more

01 September 2020

Pancreatic cancer has long been an orphan disease, orphaned because it is so deadly there is no army of survivors to advocate for it. It’s estimated that this year 3933 Australians will be diagnosed with this cancer and 3300 will die of it. ‘‘We reco... more

28 August 2020

An innovative technique to improve cancer treatments using tumour biopsies less than 30 minutes after they’re taken has been developed by the University of Queensland. The cutting-edge technique was developed after researchers found fresh biopsies re... more

28 August 2020

A Perth woman has been awarded more than $1 million in damages from James Hardie Industries’ compensation fund in the first West Australian mesothelioma case to run to judgment since 2011. The case marks a major victory for WA mesothelioma sufferers,... more

27 August 2020

Doctors who fear a spike of cancer deaths could be a legacy of the pandemic are urging West Australians not to stay away from their GP or hospital. A drop in the number of people attending health appointments has prompted warnings that deaths from ca... more

27 August 2020

SA Health has been ordered to hand over medical documents to the wife of a man who died following a cancer misdiagnosis – 14 months after his family started its battle to access the records. Lynda Burg, of Brahma Lodge, sought information relating to... more

26 August 2020

While many Aussies have turned to unhealthy habits to get them through COVID, smokers are using it as an opportunity to finally boot tobacco. Quit smoking resources have recorded big spikes since March, with either coronavirus itself or its many impl... more

26 August 2020

An early detection test for ovarian cancer would save the lives of more than 8000 Australian women in the next decade, however research funding has fallen fatally behind other diseases. A landmark report into the state of ovarian cancer in Australia ... more

25 August 2020

A fat attack may be the way to beat prostate cancer. Landmark research at the SA Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), University of Adelaide and the Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing found prostate cancer cells can be stopped... more

25 August 2020

An early detection test for ovarian cancer would save the lives of more than 8000 Australian women in the next decade, however research funding has fallen fatally behind other diseases. A landmark report into the state of ovarian cancer in Australia ... more

25 August 2020

Having cancer as a child or young adult can accelerate the ageing process by about 25 years, a study published in the journal Cancer has found. Researchers looked at 60 cancer survivors who got the disease when they were young, at an average age of 2... more

25 August 2020

Australia’s health regulator has formalised a ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, rejecting suggestions they present a safer alternative for smokers and people trying to quit. In a final decision published yesterday, the Therapeutic Good... more

24 August 2020

Australian men at risk of dying from prostate cancer can now get a breakthrough lifesaving drug for free. The $55,000-a-year treatment, called Nubeqa (darolutamide), has extended the life of men in a clinical trial by five years, but was knocked back... more

24 August 2020

Young women who have surgery to cut their risk of ovarian cancer could now avoid an early menopause, thanks to a new technique that saves the ovaries. Surgeons first carry out an operation to remove the fallopian tubes, where many ovarian cancers are... more

21 August 2020

The blood of the elderly helps cancer spread, while the blood of the young keeps it contained, scientists say. Research suggests that along with other reasons ageing makes us susceptible to tumours, blood can play a role in propagating cancerous cell... more

21 August 2020

A new campaign is urging Victorians not to delay seeing a doctor after a scary drop in cancer notifications. The Cancer Council Victoria will next week roll out the Don’t Delay campaign after new data revealed the number of people diagnosed with mela... more

21 August 2020

Teenage girls who identify as transgender boys are being warned of a potential cancer risk from gender clinic medical treatment and told that they may later wish to have their uterus and ovaries removed to eliminate this possibility. Patient informat... more

20 August 2020

Students will be transported into lungs to try to kill cancer cells with various treatments as part of a new virtual-reality game that aims to teach youth that it is easier to prevent skin cancer than cure it. Excite Science this week launched its Ma... more

19 August 2020

The reality dawning on doctors, that hundreds more cancer and chronic disease sufferers will probably die because Melbourne’s stage four lockdown is scaring people away from taking medical tests, could prove a tipping point in scrutinising the trade-... more

19 August 2020

The Heart Foundation and other leading health bodies are calling for the next NT government to ban smoking on school grounds amid a rise in the number of Territory schools allowing staff to light up on campus. NT Tobacco Control Action Committee stat... more

19 August 2020

It is the deadliest of childhood cancers but a discovery by Australian researchers has found it could be destroyed by an already available drug. Tests by researchers from the Children’s Cancer Institute at the University of NSW has found a treatment ... more

18 August 2020

Vaping should be legalised to help Tasmania cut smoking rates while helping the health system and economy, a retail group says. The Australian Retail Vaping Industry Association (ARVIA) said research had shown vaping was up to 95 per cent less harmfu... more

17 August 2020

Scientists at Monash University have offered a glimmer of hope to brain cancer sufferers after discovering a drug that could lead to a potential treatment for the deadly disease — including one of its most aggressive forms. Researchers claim the drug... more

17 August 2020

Locally-listed small cap biotech company Prescient Therapeutics hopes to shift the conversation around cancer from treatments to cures, as it invests in a new-age technology showing early success in helping terminal patients called CAR-T. On Friday t... more

17 August 2020

A much-needed radiation cancer treatment facility will be established at Nambucca Heads under a $45.5 million commitment from the Federal Government to expand cancer services. This means the hundreds of cancer patients living in Nambucca Heads will n... more

14 August 2020

The average Territorian is likely to die 14 years earlier than other Australians and is almost twice as likely to die a potentially preventable death, recently released data has shown. Mortality statistics released by the Australian Institute of Heal... more

14 August 2020

A new treatment for an aggressive breast cancer that often kills young women is on the horizon after a breakthrough. The often fatal cancer affects 3000 mostly younger women every year and unlike other types of breast cancer, there is no new age trea... more

13 August 2020

A Queensland clinical trial is showing great success in the treatment of a very deadly brain cancer. The results of the phase I clinical trial have been published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Researchers have found that patients wh... more

13 August 2020

There are tentative signs Australia could be on the cusp of beginning to reverse very high levels of childhood obesity, with the proportion of young people overweight or obese declining in the past three years. The Australian Institute of Health and ... more

12 August 2020

Hundreds more Victorians are likely to die from cancer and serious illnesses because of fears about COVID-19 and Melbourne’s lockdown causing people to skip health appointments and miss early disease diagnoses, medical professionals warn. New Cancer ... more

12 August 2020

The singular focus on coronavirus will lead to many more deaths from cancer, heart disease, suicide and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, according to a growing number of medical experts. In the UK it is estimated three million people have mi... more

10 August 2020

A revolutionary treatment in Brisbane is giving terminal brain cancer sufferers – who with traditional treatment would struggle to survive more than a few months – hope of spending years with their families. Icon Radiation oncologist Associate Profes... more

10 August 2020

Disposable e-cigarettes packed with high concentrations of nicotine have become the latest dangerous craze among school students. One principal has spoken out about the use in schools of the highly addictive pods, which are brightly coloured, come in... more

10 August 2020

Based on statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics, the cost to the NT for healthcare attributable to smoking is $103 million per year and is $13 million per year for rheumatic heart disease. H... more

10 August 2020

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute is leading a study to identify children and adults who are likely to develop heart disease posttreatment. The trial will use genetic biomarkers, or clues, and medical imaging to pinpoint which children are at... more

10 August 2020

Prescription medicine prices are being bumped up almost fourfold because of additional charges by pharmacies. A Herald Sun investigation shows that under a deal reached between the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the federal government, chemists are ... more

07 August 2020

British American Tobacco has used the COVID-19 pandemic to push for a freeze on excise duty increases from next month, claiming international border restrictions are fuelling an emerging illegal tobacco black market. The multinational giant said high... more

06 August 2020

A popular drug used to treat high blood pressure has been linked to an increase in serious skin cancer in older Australians, according to a new study published in the journal Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology. It has been linked to 2... more

05 August 2020

A popular high-blood pressure drug has been linked to increased skin-cancer risk in older Australians. Hydrochlorothiazide – one of the most prescribed high-blood pressure drugs – contained photosynthesising properties that could make skin more sensi... more

04 August 2020

BreastScreen NT will open for breast screening for the women of Central Australia from August 10 until October 2. All women aged 50 to 74 years are encouraged to access this free service every two years. “A screening only takes a few minutes and it c... more

04 August 2020

Residents are protesting against a proposed Telstra 4G mobile tower flagged for Ilparpa, Alice Springs, with the potential construction of a 31.4m mobile tower being planned for their boundary. Telstra regional general manager Nic Danks said a propos... more

03 August 2020

Smuggled tobacco products are being sold illegally on the streets of Adelaide, with organised crime gangs believed to be raking in profits generated from the “low risk, high reward” industry. The black market is undercutting lawful cigarette retailer... more

03 August 2020

Patients presenting to Victorian medical clinics have plummeted by up to 40 per cent as fear of rising coronavirus cases stop people from seeking potentially lifesaving help and referrals to cancer clinics have plunged. Australian Medical Association... more

03 August 2020

Genetic testing for all women over 30 would prevent millions of deaths from breast and ovarian cancer globally and be cost effective in medium and higher income countries. That is the conclusion of international research published in the journal Canc... more

31 July 2020

Cancer patients will soon have access to a new specialist nurse following the expansion of the Federal Government’s Prostate Cancer Nurses Program. The nurse will work across four GenesisCare radiation oncology centres in Adelaide to provide care and... more

31 July 2020

This year marks the 70th anniversary of two major studies that confirmed smoking causes lung cancer, and next year will be the 40th anniversary of a landmark report that confirmed exposure to second-hand smoke also causes lung cancer in non-smokers. ... more

29 July 2020

Experts agree the most common health issues Australian men face can be curbed or managed better if patients get regular health checks to pick up problems in people not yet experiencing symptoms of disease. With many conditions developing slowly over ... more

29 July 2020

A large fall in cancer referrals during the pandemic has prompted a specialist to urge people to see their GP soon. Oncology specialist Professor Alhossain Khalafallah, who directs the Specialist Care Clinic at Ulverstone, said he estimated a fall in... more

29 July 2020

With restrictions easing and life returning to relative normality in Western Australia, it is now time to stop postponing vital health checks, and for women aged over 40 that means it’s time to reconnect with your breast health. Having regular mammog... more

29 July 2020

A QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute study has revealed that being a pessimist can cut an average of two years from life span, though being an optimist did not extend life expectancy. Lead researcher, Dr John Whitfield from QIMR Berghofer’s Ge... more

29 July 2020

Western Australians are encouraged to stay on top of their health with a visit to their general practitioner now COVID-19-related measures have relaxed in the state. Australian Clinical Labs National Clinical Director Associate Professor Chris Barnes... more

28 July 2020

Plastic surgeons want Medicare to pay for cutting edge fat implant operations. The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons says a procedure known as autologous fat grafting should be subsidised by taxpayers so it can be used on breast cancer survivors... more

28 July 2020

Cancer tracer maker Ferronova have won $828,000 in Federal Government Funding in the third round of grants from the $45m BioMedTech Horizons program. Ferronova’s specialist polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles, made to global standards at a lab in... more

28 July 2020

Queensland scientists say the discovery of new cellular immunotherapy targets for a deadly head and neck cancer caused by human papillomavirus could lead to better survival rates. The type of head and neck cancer – oropharyngeal cancer – can affect t... more

28 July 2020

Vaping is likely to be banned in 11 areas of Melbourne’s CBD and surrounds. The move would extend the definition of smoking, under local laws, to include e-cigarettes. The City of Melbourne has been working for months to extend its localised smoking ... more

27 July 2020

A bid to ban vaping in inner city smoke-free areas has been slammed by a business lobby group as unscientific. Melbourne City Council wants to amend its laws in line with state legislation controlling the use of e-cigarettes. A meeting on Tuesday wil... more

23 July 2020

Tasmanian cancer patients will benefit from new, state-of-the-art equipment that will deliver highly accurate radiation treatment in Launceston. The equipment was delivered through the state and federal government’s Commonwealth Radiation Oncology He... more

20 July 2020

High-protein diets and supplements are very much on trend. People of all ages are obsessed with proteins and believe that eating plenty of them will be instrumental to losing weight and gaining muscle mass and staying healthy. Not only are people eat... more

20 July 2020

Australia’s most promising research into treatments for cancer and other diseases will get a major cash boost to fast-track their development. The Morrison Government yesterday announced it was spending $18.8 million to accelerate the discovery of be... more

20 July 2020

Hormone replacement therapy could protect against common illnesses, a study suggests. Women taking HRT to cope with the menopause had a greater variety of beneficial bacteria in their urine, potentially cutting their risk of urinary tract infections.... more

20 July 2020

Cancer scientist from Newcastle University and the Hunter Medical Research Institute, Dr Matt Dun, has been researching medicinal cannabis to kill cancer cells, including leukaemia and DIPG cells, without harming normal cells. After three years of re... more

20 July 2020

More than 131 tonnes of illicit tobacco has been seized in Australia in the past financial year, with crooks trying to dodge $171 million in tax. The Australian Taxation Office took and destroyed the illicit tobacco in the 2019-20 financial year. Wit... more

17 July 2020

Perth researchers have identified a specific pool of donors whose cells can be successfully used to treat children with leukaemia. The research by Telethon Kids Institute, University of WA and Curtin University published today analysed “natural kille... more

17 July 2020

The RMIT University building investigated over fears of a cancer cluster among staff in 2006 has been listed for sale. RMIT Building 108, also known as The Tivoli, made headlines in 2006 after a series of brain cancer cases emerged at the building, w... more

17 July 2020

Queenslanders and Northern Territorians continue to smoke tobacco at a higher rate than those in any other Australian state or territory, but daily smoking numbers are down nationwide. The findings are included in the latest National Drug Strategy Ho... more

16 July 2020

Multimillion-dollar subsidies for compression tights will help people deal with incurable lymphoedema, including around 20 per cent of women with breast cancer. The Federal Government has committed an ongoing $2m a year nationally while the State Gov... more

16 July 2020

The number of cannabis users in Tasmania has increased by 50 per cent in a decade, although the number of people smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol has fallen, new figures show. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s National Drug Strateg... more

16 July 2020

People aged 14 to 29 are less likely to smoke, drink alcohol or consume illicit drugs than previous generations, a health report shows. A study of 22,000 people also revealed a drop in the non-medical use of painkillers and opioids, but found a rise ... more

16 July 2020

Young Australians are turning away from alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, consuming them less than their parents’ generation in a trend that has public health experts baffled. The Australian Health and Welfare Institute’s National Drug and Alcohol Surve... more

16 July 2020

A government-backed remote retailer established to promote healthy eating has been earning hundreds of thousands of dollars annually through incentives for selling tobacco products. The company, Outback Stores, has collected at least $20m in rebates ... more

16 July 2020

Almost two-thirds of Victorians have never smoked a cigarette, with females least likely to take a puff. More people are also choosing not to light up, with an extra 200,000 smokers giving up the habit in 2019 compared with more than a decade ago. Th... more

15 July 2020

Some prostate cancers are “highly likely” to be caused by human papillomavirus, according to a review on the topic. For the new paper, published in the journal Infectious Agents and Cancer, researchers from the University of NSW reviewed 26 studies o... more

13 July 2020

There are ways to prevent bowel cancer, though many are not taking that opportunity. Part of preventing bowel cancer may be as simple as taking aspirin. Recently, a 10-year follow-up of people who had inherited a high risk of developing bowel cancer ... more

13 July 2020

The Alfred hospital has moved to restrict access to its COVID-19 ward after eight healthcare workers tested positive, sending hundreds of staff into 14-day isolation in the hospital’s second outbreak since the pandemic began. A healthcare worker at t... more

13 July 2020

A Medical Journal of Australia study published in early 2020 explored lifetime risks for five types of cancer – prostate, breast, renal and thyroid cancers and melanoma. By comparing the difference between 1982 figures (where there were no screening ... more

13 July 2020

Sydney tobacconists are selling illegal miniature throwaway e-cigarettes with kid-friendly flavours, which are giving their young users 300 nicotine hits for just $15. The under-the-counter e-cigarettes called Cuvies are being sold throughout Sydney ... more

10 July 2020

Australians are surviving to a healthy old age despite having genes that cause cancer or heart disease, a breakthrough study has found. It means women who have genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer, may be having breasts and reproductive organs r... more

06 July 2020

Principals have written to parents warning them of a significant increase in vaping among teenagers, with teachers catching students in year 7 using vapes in Sydney. NSW Secondary Principals’ Council president Craig Petersen said vaping was now a maj... more

06 July 2020

In a Queensland first, a new technology is available at GenesisCare cancer treatment centre at Chermside, Brisbane. AlignRT is a unique radiation therapy system which tracks a patient’s positioning before and during their therapy, to assist with set-... more

06 July 2020

Hundreds of thousands of Australians who import liquid nicotine from overseas have won a six-month reprieve from new rules that would have put them at risk of hefty fines, but the battle over vaping is far from over. Now public health experts and vap... more

02 July 2020

A major international seller of e-cigarettes will push ahead with plans to open 20 stores across Australia, despite the Federal Government announcing tougher restrictions on the importation and sale of nicotine products. Spokesman Nibhik Gupta of New... more

02 July 2020

Adelaide’s Centre for Cancer Biology is leading research into a new therapy for brain cancer, training the body’s own defence cells to detect and kill the diseased ones. The approach has worked for leukaemia and other blood cancer treatment. In allia... more

02 July 2020

Scientists have discovered that high levels of a protein found in human melanoma cells could be the reasons patients do not respond well to treatment. Research by Australia’s QIMR Berghofer found high levels of the protein CD155 in melanoma cells mad... more

01 July 2020

Queensland scientists have discovered that high levels of a protein found in human melanoma cells could be the reason patients do not respond well to treatment. New research by QIMR Berghofer found high levels of the protein CD155 in melanoma cells m... more

30 June 2020

Canberra vaping stores have welcomed moves by the federal government to delay a ban on importing liquid nicotine. The ban was set to come into effect on 1 July but has since been pushed back by health minister Greg Hunt until 1 January following oppo... more

29 June 2020

Health Minister Greg Hunt has delayed plans to impose a $200,000 fine on Australians who import liquid nicotine and will review the government’s policy on smokers who use vaping to give up cigarettes after a backbench revolt. The ban, which the Thera... more

29 June 2020

Social smokers who light up only occasionally over a drink with friends may be doubling their chances of an early death. Startling new research shows smoking as few as six to 10 cigarettes a month can still cause serious harm. Strokes, heart attacks ... more

29 June 2020

The federal government has thrown a lifeline to people using e-cigarettes with nicotine as a means to ending their smoking addiction. Nicotine vaping products are currently banned under state and territory regulations. Earlier this month, Health Mini... more

26 June 2020

The Morrison government is facing an open backbench revolt over the decision to ban personal imports of the liquid nicotine used for vaping, with 28 Coalition MPs signing a letter condemning the restrictions announced last week. The restriction has b... more

26 June 2020

Cancer patients may have been subject to doses of radiation at a Bendigo clinic that were too strong or too weak to safely fight their disease, health authorities fear. As investigations stepped up into the Quality Cancer Care clinic yesterday, it em... more

26 June 2020

A decision by the German maker of the controversial weedkiller Roundup to pay out almost $16 billion to settle thousands of US lawsuits has given hope to litigants in Australia. Maurice Blackburn is leading one of several Australian class actions aga... more

26 June 2020

Bayer will keep selling its weed killer Roundup in Australia and fight local litigation against the product, despite agreeing to pay up to $US10.9 billion ($15.8 billion) to settle tens of thousands of claims in the US alleging it causes cancer. Exec... more

26 June 2020

Melbourne researchers are behind a new international trial using an anti-cancer drug in the hope it could save the lives of seriously ill COVID-19 patients. Researchers from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Clayton have been probing whethe... more

26 June 2020

Former minister Matt Canavan is leading a charge to overturn the government’s ban on e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping refills. Senator Canavan and fellow Queensland MP George Christensen have created a petition to encourage people to protest the ban ... more

25 June 2020

Senator Matt Canavan is calling for Australia to legalise e-cigarettes after the Morrison government moved to ban the importation of vapes and nicotine refills unless prescribed by a doctor. The Nationals senator from Queensland has started a petitio... more

25 June 2020

Australia has closed the door on e-cigarettes, banning the personal importation of the devices and nicotine refills for vaping devices from July 1. The 12-month import prohibition closes the last remaining legal avenue for buying nicotine refills, af... more

25 June 2020

Researcher Marian Burr uses the power of the human body’s immune system to find new treatments for cancer. Her life-saving work into how our own bodies can hunt down and eradicate cancer has now been given an $8 million boost. The fellowship funding ... more

25 June 2020

A drastic diet may make chemotherapy more effective for breast cancer patients, evidence has found. Participants of a study who ate very little for the four days leading up to the treatment were more likely to see their tumours shrink by more than 90... more

25 June 2020

Thousands of cancer patients face a distressing wait after revelations they may have been mistreated or misdiagnosed at a regional treatment clinic. An investigation has begun into whether radiotherapy was conducted by suitably qualified staff at Qua... more

24 June 2020

Scientists experimenting with a new way of identifying the source of mystery cancers are among researchers to share in $35.9 million to tackle rare diseases. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt will announce the funding boost for 17 research projects t... more

23 June 2020

Australia will join an international clinical trial to test a new daily pill which uses targeted therapies that bypass healthy cells in children with brain tumours, the biggest cancer killer of young Australians. Leading the clinical trial is Profess... more

23 June 2020

Personalised vaccines, when given in combination with a drug that boosts the body’s natural defences to fight cancer, have shown “promising signs” in early clinical trials of patients with advanced cancers. Researchers have found the experimental tre... more

23 June 2020

Vaping nicotine in Australia is set to end as the Federal Government moves to ban the importation of e-cigarettes. From 1 July, it will be illegal to important e-cigarettes and refills containing nicotine liquids or salts. Retailers and users of e-ci... more

22 June 2020

Cancer has overtaken circulatory disease as the leading cause of Indigenous deaths in NSW and Victoria, prompting a new campaign aimed at improving screening, treatment and lifestyle factors. The latest data from the NSW Cancer Institute shows the nu... more

22 June 2020

According to the doctors of Adelaide’s Forward Medical GP Clinic, it’s time to assess the fallout of social distancing. Dr Uri Scelwyn said, “One of the frightening statistics was that, during the COVID lockdown, GP consultations across Australia wer... more

22 June 2020

Men who eat yoghurt twice a week are 19 per cent less likely to develop abnormal bowel growths, a precursor to bowel cancer, a study in the Gut journal has found. This is likely due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Sunday Herald Sun, 21/06/2020,... more

22 June 2020

The Federal Government is extending a ban on the importation of e-cigarettes containing vaporiser nicotine unless prescribed by a doctor. The ban will remain in place for 12 months to allow for public consultation on the regulation of nicotine produc... more

22 June 2020

Importing nicotine liquid for electronic cigarettes will be banned by 1 July in a move vaping advocates say will cost lives. The new regulation will ban all personal importation of nicotine liquids. Pharmacies or medical suppliers would be able to im... more

18 June 2020

Men who have survived prostate cancer don’t feel supported after their treatment, with more than a third saying they want more comprehensive after-care. A landmark 15-year study of male patients and survivors also revealed most men continued to repor... more

16 June 2020

A breakthrough by Queensland researchers offers new hope for sufferers of a highly deadly blood cancer. The research findings will be published today in the international journal Nature Communications. QIMR Berghofer has identified how an early genet... more

15 June 2020

More than a dozen kids have had lifesaving cancer treatment at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, after it was made freely available for the first-time last year. The revolutionary treatment, called chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy – or C... more

15 June 2020

Victorian hospitals are set to benefit from increased staffing after the federal government announced a $23 million investment into its prostate cancer nurse program. The funding will employ additional specialist nurses at 24 health services and canc... more

15 June 2020

Breast cancer surgeons are reporting a 40 per cent drop in breast cancer diagnoses over the pandemic months, sparking a warning that thousands are unaware they are living with the disease and the delayed detection will lead to more deaths than COVID-... more

15 June 2020

Cancer testing plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic and is yet to recover to normal levels, prompting fears that thousands of Australians could be missing the window for early diagnosis. Nationally representative figures from major private patho... more

15 June 2020

Most people aged 50 to 70 should be taking aspirin daily to help ward off bowel cancer. A long-running global study involving the Royal Melbourne Hospital, published in the Lancet this week, has indicated that taking aspirin for just a few years can ... more

15 June 2020

The Morrison Government is providing more than $3.5 million to Cancer Council NSW to research what demand will look like for cancer treatment over the next five years. It is one of the six projects researching five-year patterns in cancer that will s... more

11 June 2020

Smoking giant Philip Morris has had a setback in its bid to sell a new tobacco product in Australia: “heated sticks”, it says are an alternative to vaping and smoking that produce fewer and lower levels of toxic chemicals than cigarettes. The heated ... more

11 June 2020

A breakthrough treatment for prostate cancer by Melbourne specialists has delivered “stunning” results. Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has been running trials for the state-of-the-art method using radioactive molecules to detect and treat prostate can... more

11 June 2020

The treatment of cancers next to the brain, eye and spinal cord, as well as deadly tumours in children, will become much more precise and effective with the creation of Australia’s first proton therapy centre in Adelaide. In a major boost to people f... more

09 June 2020

An increase in women turning to the bottle during COVID-19 and a more than 300 per cent spike in online alcohol advertising clicks are being investigated by a Flinders University researcher, Jessica Thomas. A recent ABS survey showed 17 per cent of w... more

09 June 2020

The search for a cure for childhood brain cancer has received a multimillion-dollar boost from the Federal Government. Research trials into treatments for melanoma, as well as reproductive and gynecological cancers, will also benefit from the $13.6 m... more

09 June 2020

People who eat fatty foods over a prolonged period are at risk of a fast-killing cancer that is growing in prevalence. New QIMR Berghofer research indicates that the high-fat diet could induce early Barrett’s oesophagus, a precursor condition to oeso... more

05 June 2020

Australian researchers have found a way to stop cancer cells becoming resistant to treatment in a major breakthrough that could extend the lives of patients. When researchers blocked the resistance process in an experimental model of pancreatic cance... more

05 June 2020

A glimmer of hope has been given to metastatic breast cancer sufferers with a drug that can slow the progression of cancer being made available to more people in Australia. The Breast Cancer Network will today announce a new access program for the dr... more

02 June 2020

Genetic screening could spot thousands of cases of prostate cancer that would otherwise go unnoticed until it is too late, research suggests. A pilot study led by doctors at the Institute of Cancer Research in London found that DNA testing in GP surg... more

02 June 2020

South Hedland has been revealed as the worst town in WA for smoking, closely followed by four in the Goldfields. According to the latest Australia’s Health Tracker by Area: Smoking Rates Report, Boulder, Kambalda, Coolgardie and Norseman tied behind ... more

01 June 2020

Doctors say they are seeing a surge of terminally ill people asking to end their lives at home amid fears the coronavirus crisis could thwart their hopes for a swift, painless death surrounded by loved ones. Figures show more than 300 applications ha... more

01 June 2020

Tasmania has signed a record $2.4 billion deal with the Federal Government to lock in extra hospital funding for five years. It will boost the state’s current hospital funding by $400 million, ensuring more cash for doctors, nurses and services. The ... more

01 June 2020

Victorian hospitals will receive an extra $7.3 billion in federal support over the next five years after a new funding deal was finally locked in. The commonwealth’s share of funding for Victorian hospitals will swell to $32.4 billion by 2025 in a na... more

01 June 2020

Vehicle emissions along the $16 billion North East Link will exceed the state’s new air pollution standards, with the Eastern Freeway also predicted to fail pollution checks as an extra 100,000 vehicles come onto the road each day. Air pollution mode... more

01 June 2020

A rugby ball-shaped nanoparticle supercharged with cancer-killing drugs could revolutionise the treatment of one of the most common brain tumours in children. The microscopic nanoparticle will directly attack medulloblastoma tumours, which is in cont... more

01 June 2020

Women who do not attend regular breast screenings are more likely to face out-of-pocket costs if diagnosed with cancer than those who do, research has found. A Monash University study found women who had regular screenings were more likely to detect ... more

01 June 2020

Health Minister Roger Cook wants smokers to know exactly what’s in cigarettes, saying he did not want “a new generation of smokers” as he flags pushing for regulative reform. Mr Cook said this week there needed to be “full disclosure” of individual c... more

01 June 2020

The ACT government will award nearly $900,000 to three community anti-smoking programs, as part of efforts to curb smoking rates in vulnerable communities. The funding, announced on World No Tobacco Day, will support programs designed to reach groups... more

01 June 2020

Social media influencers are helping Big Tobacco get the next generation of Australians smoking. A Sunday Mail investigation has found the companies are using devious tactics to get around laws banning advertising – with Facebook, Twitter and TikTok ... more

01 June 2020

There has been a surge of smokers trying to quit amid concerns they are more likely to suffer severe complications from coronavirus. Health Minister Greg Hunt said more than 24,000 people downloaded the Department of Health’s Quitbuddy app between Ja... more

29 May 2020

The national response to COVID-19 should prioritise the reduction of smoking among disadvantaged communities, researchers say, as some Hobart suburbs continue to house the most smokers nationwide. Research released from the University of Victoria’s M... more

29 May 2020

Just a few months vaping may raise the risk of gum disease. E-cigarette smokers have communities of bacteria in their mouths that closely match those of people with gum disease, a study has found. The findings from the study suggest chemicals from th... more

28 May 2020

Shoppers are being misled about the healthiness of many junk foods, researchers fear. A Deakin University food labelling study, published in the journal Nutrients, found three-quarters of heavily processed food and half of discretionary foods with he... more

28 May 2020

Undiagnosed people with cancer are losing precious time by putting off GP visits during the coronavirus pandemic. The Leukaemia Foundation is predicting a dramatic spike in the number of people diagnosed with blood cancer in coming months as people w... more

27 May 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken over our lives and our attention. However, there is another older pandemic also recognised by the World Health Organisation – and that is tobacco smoking. The tobacco smoking pandemic claims six million lives worldwide... more

27 May 2020

Some experts believe in counting excess death in measuring the impact of coronavirus on people’s health helps everybody glean a fairer and more accurate picture of the country’s ultimate mortality rate. It captures not only the COVID-19 deaths but al... more

27 May 2020

Decisions about whether new chemicals entering the Australian marketplace pose a danger to consumers or workers will be left in the hands of private industry from next week, as a major overhaul of chemical regulation takes effect. Changes to the rule... more

27 May 2020

The life-threatening six-month wait for a colonoscopy to diagnose bowel cancer has become even longer thanks to COVID-19 and lives could now be at risk. Before the pandemic, Australians with a positive bowel screen test were waiting six months or lon... more

26 May 2020

A new cancer treatment being trialled on dogs has raised hopes for human patients, with initial results showing 30 per cent of the canines went into complete remission. Curtin University has developed the treatment and is conducting the trial with ca... more

26 May 2020

Queensland scientists are trying to find ways to diagnose ovarian cancer earlier and more accurately in the hope of boosting the survival rate. Last year, 1046 Australian women died from ovarian cancer, while 1510 were diagnosed with the disease. Glo... more

26 May 2020

Forronova, the Australian company developing a technology to speed up the early detection of the spread of cancer, has received $3.5 million funding as it plans human trials for oral, breast and colorectal cancers. The technology – a hybrid smart mag... more

25 May 2020

A therapy that has revolutionised the fight against blood cancer is being adapted to help fight solid tumours such as lung and breast cancers. Researchers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre are trialling a new take on CAR T-cell therapy – a type of... more

25 May 2020

Illicit tobacco seizures have soared and under-the-counter sales at suburban shops are rampant with concerns that rising taxes will continue to fuel the black market. It comes as the federal government considers whether to form a new task force that ... more

25 May 2020

Hospitals are set to be swamped by a wave of patients suffering serious conditions left to fester during the coronavirus pandemic. An audit of doctor appointments across Victoria and NSW shows a looming crisis for patients and specialists dealing wit... more

25 May 2020

The National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia has awarded $10 million to research into treatment and early detection in a push to meet a target of zero breast cancer deaths by 2030. The not-for-profit has picked 16 research projects to fund. Eig... more

25 May 2020

An alarming new look at the impacts of type 2 diabetes has found Australian sufferers are at a higher risk of developing other chronic diseases than previously thought. In a report released by the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute today, research sh... more

25 May 2020

Australian researchers hope a soon-to-be-trialled breast cancer vaccine will stop recurrences of the disease and eventually be used to fight other common cancers. The jab will not prevent cancer in the first place but will be given to people who have... more

22 May 2020

Patient advocates and doctors are urging governments to devise a plan to catch up on elective surgery after the coronavirus shutdown added an estimated 400,000 people to hospital waiting lists. State governments have given hospitals in NSW and Victor... more

21 May 2020

If you have struggled to give up smoking, the reason you’ve failed could lie in your genes. Professor Sulev Koks, from Murdoch University and the Perron Institute, said variants in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene was strongly associated with high... more

21 May 2020

Walking, cycling and taking the train to work rather than driving may help reduce the risk of early death from heart disease and cancer, new research suggests. The findings are base on a study of more than 300,000 commuters in England and Wales over ... more

21 May 2020

Johnson & Johnson, besieged by lawsuits, will stop selling baby powder made with talc in the US and Canada, citing a decline in customer demand amid safety concerns about one of its most famous products. J&J has been facing lawsuits alleging ... more

20 May 2020

Queensland researchers have unlocked some of the mysteries surrounding a rare form of melanoma in the eye, hopefully paving the way for the development of more effective treatments. Scientists from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and th... more

20 May 2020

Victorian medical experts will receive almost half of a $400 million federal funding boost for research tackling everything from binge eating and online depression treatments to dementia screening and genetic cancer risks. It is expected 267 research... more

20 May 2020

Locals pushing for a respite facility for younger people with terminal illness in Queanbeyan are calling for the state and federal governments to come to the table with ongoing funding for running costs, to ensure their efforts don’t fall at the last... more

19 May 2020

Greens-dominated Byron Shire council has bowed to conspiracy theorists who are fighting against implementation of high-speed internet. Protesters have been fighting to prevent Telstra workers from accessing the company’s 5G tower in Mullumbimby for t... more

18 May 2020

The State Government is looking to ban junk-food advertising on State-owned assets and premises in a bid to curb WA’s obesity epidemic. It has been urged to take immediate action to address the crisis after a report this week revealed one in 10 hospi... more

18 May 2020

Postponing elective surgery during the pandemic in Australia has created a backlog of almost 400,000 cases, according to an international study published in The British Journal of Surgery. After six weeks of complete restrictions, limited elective su... more

18 May 2020

Medicinal cannabis could be available from chemists without a prescription from early next year – with the controversial move pitting doctors against patient groups. The nation’s medicines watchdog has opened public consultation after pressure from a... more

15 May 2020

Scientists have developed a “game changing” new test that can detect prostate cancer without the need for the uncomfortable alternative. The 15-minute scan means people can avoid having to undergo rectal examinations, according to researchers. The “p... more

14 May 2020

In a potential world-first discovery, Queensland researchers have developed a saliva test that can detect hidden throat cancer in patients who show no symptoms. The discovery was made during a HPV-prevalence study which included 665 health individual... more

13 May 2020

Researchers have developed a brain cancer drug that can cut through the brain’s protective coating in a major breakthrough that could save thousands of lives. Brain cancer has among the lowest survival rates of cancer, with just 4 per cent of people ... more

13 May 2020

Doctors are concerned more people are turning to alcohol, sedatives and illegal drugs as they deal with stress caused by the isolation and upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is warning that sub... more

12 May 2020

Early breast cancer screening can slash the risk of dying from the disease by more than 40 per cent, a new study has revealled. The study stresses the importance of women having regular mammograms. Screening allows doctors to use an X-ray to spot tum... more

12 May 2020

Melanoma experts are worried skin checks have been put into a holding pattern during the coronavirus pandemic, with many people avoiding trips to their doctors. The delays are concerning Melanoma Patients Australia chief executive Victoria Beedle, wh... more

11 May 2020

The fast food industry has been accused of using marketing strategies to cash in on the pandemic lockdown. Domino’s Australia is promoting “5 reasons to eat pizza in isolation”, Red Rooster is featuring “social distancing” in its promotions and McDon... more

11 May 2020

The number of blood tests recorded across Australia has halved during the pandemic. Pathologists and cancer experts say people should still be getting tested when needed. Full blood tests from private pathologists plunged 60 per cent in April compare... more

11 May 2020

The introduction of the HPV vaccine in 2007 is likely to have prevented 2000 Australian babies from being born prematurely over eight years, findings of a research study have found. In 2007, Australia was one of the first countries to provide a vacci... more

08 May 2020

More than $16 million will be invested into medical research projects to better understand ovarian cancer, which is predicted to kill 1000 women by the end of this year. The devastating disease has the lowest survival rate of all female cancers. The ... more

07 May 2020

Opponents and proponents of vaping will have a chance to lobby Melbourne City Council before it decides whether to ban e-cigarettes from smoke-free areas. The public will have about a month to make submissions to the council on a local law to make va... more

07 May 2020

The Northern Territory could become the first jurisdiction in Australia to legalise vaping should fledging political party Territory Alliance seize power at the upcoming election. Under the party’s policy, laws would be introduced to regulate e-cigar... more

07 May 2020

A cancer drug that can “kill” sleeping cancerous cells and increase the effectiveness of current treatments offers hope to breast cancer patients. Venetoclax is being tested on patients after lab research found it could attack and kill cancerous cell... more

06 May 2020

More than 60,000 patients a day are missing out on vital medical tests – and doctors fear a tsunami of illnesses could overwhelm the heath system after COVID-19. The dramatic decline in medical testing and health presentations has led to GPs, pharmac... more

05 May 2020

Taking aspirin just once a week could slash cancer risk by over a third, experts claim. Scientists looked at 113 studies into digestive cancers including stomach, oesophageal, bowel and mouth. Results showed regular aspirin use – one or two pills a w... more

04 May 2020

Seriously ill Victorians are risking their lives by refusing to go to the hospital or call an ambulance over fears of COVID-19. Melbourne hospitals have also reported a fall in patients. These concerns have promoted a plea from medics for unwell Vict... more

04 May 2020

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is launching two separate inquiries into the exorbitant food prices charged in remote indigenous communities. The States and Territories will also explore how they can address the shocking cost inequality that is leading... more

04 May 2020

Up to 20 people may have developed cancer after being exposed to contaminated soil at a school on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, a federal inquiry has heard. But a senate committee investigating whether there was a cancer cluster in Barwon Heads and... more

04 May 2020

Cases of cancer and other serious illnesses could rise because of a fall in testing at the height of the coronavirus crisis, experts say. The biggest private pathology laboratory in Canberra is doing 450 fewer tests for cancer a week than it did last... more

01 May 2020

Tens of thousands of patients with rare cancer will get a faster diagnosis from today with new Medicare rebates making sophisticated molecular tests affordable. Each year more than 52,000 people are diagnosed with rare cancers, and 25,000 die from th... more

01 May 2020

Public health spending across Sydney’s western epicentre is a startling $800 per person less than in other regions despite the area’s growing population, leading to huge disparities in cancer treatment across Sydney. Figures tendered at a parliamenta... more

01 May 2020

Vaping may damage blood vessels in a similar way to smoking, raising the risk of a heart attack or stroke. A study in the Journal of the American Heart Association has found concerning signs of stiffened arteries in young people who use e-cigarettes.... more

30 April 2020

Two dozen staff at Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne’s west have been sent home to isolate after a patient who underwent emergency surgery later tested positive to COVID-19. The incident has renewed calls by the Australian Medical Association for mandat... more

29 April 2020

Demand for chemotherapy at home is rocketing amid the COVID crisis as vulnerable patients try to minimise public contact. Health fund Bupa, which covers the home treatment in all policies where chemotherapy is included, has seen demand surge in the p... more

29 April 2020

Doctors’ groups say it is unacceptable that they are being forced to ration flu vaccination as they battle a severe nationwide shortage caused by distribution failures and record demand. While a record 16.5 million flu vaccines have been secured this... more

28 April 2020

Australian researchers have played a lead role in an international study that has more than doubled the number of genetic regions linked to melanoma, a skin cancer that kills more than 1700 Australians a year. The study identified 33 new genetic regi... more

27 April 2020

A mercy mission is being planned to collect desperately needed nuclear medicine used to threat children with high-risk cancers across Australia. Organised by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the $100,000 emergency o... more

27 April 2020

Cancer referrals at Australia’s leading oncology centres have plummeted by up to 30 per cent, fuelling concerns seriously ill people may be going undiagnosed. The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre said referrals for patients were down by a third this mon... more

27 April 2020

Smoking when you are stressed causes a vicious cycle, because smoking actually increases your stress hormones. So the more you smoke, the more stressed you’ll feel and the more you’ll feel like a cigarette. Worse still, smokers are at greater risk wh... more

27 April 2020

Almost 600 medicines, vaccines and vital cancer treatments are in short supply, with stocks of 75 of them critically low, thanks to COVID-19 panic-buying. The shortages, which existed before the coronavirus emerged, have grown by 33 per cent in the p... more

23 April 2020

With the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the influenza season on the horizon, there really has never been a better time to quit smoking. We know that smoking can put you at greater risk of getting chest infections and influenza, and emerging... more

23 April 2020

Melbourne-based biotech oNKo-Innate has scored a major three year research partnership with global biotech giant Gilead and its subsidiary Kite to further develop its immunotherapy research. The business, founded by PhD scientists Jai Rautela and Nic... more

23 April 2020

Cancer and other chronic diseases are going undiagnosed as Australians fearful of COVID-19 avoid their doctor – and those most at risk are not using new telehealth solutions. Since new telehealth rebates were introduced on March 13, there have been m... more

23 April 2020

Cancers and heart disease are going undiagnosed as people avoid visiting a doctor during the COVID-19 outbreak, doctors say. Doctors around the country are reporting a significant drop in cancer diagnoses in April. They have also raised concerns abou... more

22 April 2020

The Prime Minister declared “we are already on the road back” to reopening society, as he unveiled a “gradual restart” to elective surgery, with category two and some category three procedures able to go ahead after the Anzac Day weekend. Post-cancer... more

22 April 2020

Elective surgeries suspended during the coronavirus pandemic will resume on Monday as hospitals reopen about a quarter of waiting lists. Post-cancer reconstructive procedures will be one of the surgeries in focus, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison sai... more

22 April 2020

Elective surgeries suspended during the coronavirus crisis will start again on Monday, with hospitals expected to re-open about a quarter of operating waiting lists, including post-cancer reconstructive procedures. Category two and three elective pro... more

22 April 2020

Elective surgery will resume next week after Scott Morrison announced the National Cabinet had decided to ease virus restrictions. The reopening is largely thanks to extra personal protective equipment secured by the Federal Government and the slowin... more

21 April 2020

Screening for bowel cancer at a younger age based on family history could improve early detection and in some, help prevent the disease, scientists say. An analysis by researchers in the US suggests almost all patients between 40 and 49 years of age ... more

21 April 2020

Sienna Cancer Diagnostics and the University of Adelaide have announced a licencing partnership around a process which has the potential to detect a sugar molecule only present in cancer cells. University of Adelaide and Griffith University researche... more

20 April 2020

With COVID-19 infections remaining low in WA, 544 as of yesterday, the Australian Medical Association has called on the Health Minister to restart some elective surgeries — something Roger Cook says he is supportive of, confirming he backs a phased a... more

20 April 2020

Taking vitamin supplements does not guarantee a healthier, longer life and in some cases can increase the risk of serious illness. A 20-year US Institute of Health study found those who take supplements to have the same likelihood of early death as p... more

20 April 2020

US regulators have approved a new drug, Tukysa, for an aggressive type of breast cancer that can spread to the brain. The Food and Drug Administration said the twice-daily pill is for people with what is known as HER2-positive breast cancer that has ... more

17 April 2020

Clinpath Pathology’s at home collection services have been extended to include anyone that needs to undertake regular testing, including cancer patients. Clinpath Marketing’s engagement lead Charlie Robinson said, “It is imperative that regular medic... more

17 April 2020

Taking aspirin just once or twice a week could lower the risk of getting several deadly cancers, scientists have claimed. The over-the-counter painkiller is believed to block an enzyme which helps tumours to form. Italian researchers looked at a rang... more

16 April 2020

A high-level taskforce has been set up to advise the Palaszczuk Government about when some cancer screening services can restart, though it will depend on whether the state’s protective equipment is considered adequate amid the continuing coronavirus... more

16 April 2020

Some states are preparing to resume elective surgeries and health screenings after services were suspended to make hospital beds and equipment available for an expected influx of coronavirus patients. Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said, “We... more

16 April 2020

Getting more sleep, eating healthier food, and exercising more is getting tougher in the lockdown period for many, a YouGov survey of 2085 Australians has found. More than one in three respondents (35 per cent) said they were doing less exercise now ... more

14 April 2020

Nearly half a million people needing surgery could be waiting 18 months or longer as all non-urgent elective surgery has been cancelled, with some men currently being unable to get surgery for prostate cancer. Waiting times for elective surgery were ... more

14 April 2020

A fatal coronavirus cluster at The Alfred hospital should be the subject of an inquiry to help avoid any other mass hospital infections, as sources claim cancer patients at The Alfred may have been infected by COVID-19 for days without being tested a... more

14 April 2020

IVF clinics around Australia have stopped most egg collection and embryo transfers due to national guidelines around non-urgent elective procedures. Hobart-based fertility doctor Bill Watkins, said exceptions would be made at his clinic for cancer pa... more

14 April 2020

Almost 160 Victorian healthcare workers have been infected with coronavirus, a figure which has doubled in a week, prompting the state’s peak medical body to demand an explanation from authorities. The Australian Medical Association’s state president... more

14 April 2020

COVID-19 clusters are blooming within several Australian hospitals, as the virus spreads between staff, patients and their visitors from untraceable sources. Undetected coronavirus cases have infiltrated wards and units at Westmead Hospital, The Alfr... more

14 April 2020

The World Health Organisation has warned governments about engaging with the tobacco industry over the development of coronavirus vaccines. British American Tobacco said this month, that it had made a breakthrough in developing a potential plant-base... more

09 April 2020

Drinking alcohol and smoking are common ways to cope with stress, uncertainty or boredom and reaching for a drink or cigarette can feel like an escape. Alison Lai, chief executive of the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council of Tasmania, says all ... more

08 April 2020

Dozens of medical staff at The Alfred have been cleared to return to work following a cluster of COVID-19 cases in the oncology ward. A spokeswoman for The Alfred said it could take weeks or even months before the source of the infection was determin... more

06 April 2020

Women who breastfeed have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer, a study has found. The international study involving QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute researchers discovered ovarian cancer risk may be cut by almost 25 per cent in women w... more

06 April 2020

A decade ago, a diagnosis of advanced or stage four melanoma was effectively a death sentence within six to nine months. Leading medical oncologist, Associate Professor Alex Menzies from Melanoma Institute Australia, believes immunotherapy – using th... more

06 April 2020

The Alfred Hospital is at the centre of a coronavirus cluster, having so far claimed three lives, while the origin of the outbreak remains unknown. The hospital has since ordered 100 staff members to go into isolation while investigation continues in... more

06 April 2020

Smokers are at greater danger of COVID-19, according to new research. Early data from China and Italy suggests smokers may face twice the risk of having a severe case of coronavirus. Quit director, Dr Sarah White, said the combination of a reduced im... more

03 April 2020

The death of a woman in her 60s on Wednesday night was the sixth coronavirus fatality in Victoria. The woman was admitted to The Alfred about five weeks ago for treatment and tested positive to COVID-19 on Friday. Her death has intensified concerns a... more

03 April 2020

The sixth Victorian to die from COVID-19 was part of a cluster of 15 cases linked to The Alfred hospital’s cancer ward. On Thursday, The Alfred revealed a woman in her 60s had become the third inpatient in the haematology and oncology ward to succumb... more

03 April 2020

Two radiation therapists at Westmead Hospital’s Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre have been diagnosed with COVID-19, sending two cancer patients and roughly 20 radiation oncology staff into quarantine. In a statement Western Sydney Local Health Distr... more

02 April 2020

Smokers have an opportunity to kick their habit during this time of spatial distancing as a combination of influenza and COVID-19 are likely to have a greater impact, including higher hospitalisation and death rates, on them over the coming months. E... more

02 April 2020

Three-quarters of all deaths in Australia resulting from the coronavirus pandemic are linked to just three sources of infection — the Ruby Princess and three other returning cruise ships, an aged care facility and the cancer treatment ward of a major... more

01 April 2020

Tasmanian respiratory researcher Dr Sukhwinder Sohal has warned smokers of the serious risk posed to them from coronavirus, urgently warning Tasmanians to give up the habit. Dr Sohal’s team at the University of Tasmania has just published research fi... more

30 March 2020

Two cancer patients at The Alfred Hospital Melbourne, died on Wednesday 25th March after having been infected with COVID-19. The two men, aged in their 70s were being treated for blood cancers in the Alfred’s oncology department. The hospital confirm... more

26 March 2020

Inequality in obesity levels between the rich and poor is resulting in more than 3500 extra deaths and adding $1 billion to Australia’s public health expenditure each year. The study is the first to estimate the human and economic costs of Australia’... more

24 March 2020

An improved prostate cancer scan, called a PSMA-PET/CT scan, could save lives by detecting those at risk of recurrence. The study found using a radioactive molecule, which sticks to prostate cancer cells and lights them up during a scan, to be 27 per... more

23 March 2020

South Australia’s health industry is reaching for the next frontier of cancer treatment and the impact will be far-reaching, saving lives, accelerating science and technology businesses, and enhancing the new world of radiation and clinical research.... more

16 March 2020

Cancer Council WA is calling for a ban on all e-cigarette liquids amid concerns of some Perth retailers displaying fruit and flavoured e-liquids next to kids toys and sweets. Make Smoking History manager, Libby Jardine said these products were eviden... more

16 March 2020

Perth researchers have been awarded a $200,000 grant to develop a less toxic treatment for childhood brain cancer. Dr Nicholas Gottardo and the team at the Telethon Kids Institute are developing a therapy that uses the patient’s own immune system to ... more

13 March 2020

Melbourne City Council is set to ban e-cigarettes in existing smoke-free zones in parts of the CBD. Eleven no-smoking areas will be set up if the council passes an amendment next Tuesday night. Lord mayor Sally Capp said, ‘‘E-cigarettes are relativel... more

11 March 2020

Every Australian would need to eat an extra 9kg of nuts each year to help lower their risk of cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer and type 2 diabetes, new research shows. The University of Wollongong study, published in Public Health Nutrit... more

11 March 2020

Sydney students view up to 2800 advertisements for junk food while travelling to and from school each year, prompting Cancer Council NSW to call for a ban on such ads being displayed on government property. Research published by the Sax Institute yes... more

11 March 2020

Australia needs to ban the importation of liquid nicotine for use in e-cigarettes to protect young people’s health, South Australian Senator Stirling Griff says. But the nation’s leading retail lobby says such a move would drive people back to tradit... more

11 March 2020

Illegal liquid nicotine is being sold throughout Melbourne despite a host of laws banning the poisonous e-cigarette products. In frustration at inaction by government authorities, Quit Victoria last week visited several CBD stores to purchase alleged... more

09 March 2020

A new artificial intelligence assisted technology means one prostate cancer expert can provide a tailor-made treatment. Dr Amy Teh said the new radiotherapy treatment meant fewer side effects and a better experience for her patients. “You can actuall... more

09 March 2020

Audits of 31 licensed e-cigarette and vaping retailers in Adelaide have registered no serious breaches of new packaging and advertising laws. In March 2019, the e-cigarette industry in South Australia became more regulated. Advertising and point-of-s... more

04 March 2020

A landmark finding that there is ‘‘good evidence’’ toxic firefighting chemicals potentially cause harmful health effects including cancer has undercut the federal government’s claim that the risks are ‘‘minimal’’ and left it exposed to the threat of ... more

02 March 2020

Melanoma patients forking out more than $100,000 for advanced cancer treatment will now be able to access cheaper medicines. From today, the Morrison Government has added a host of Opdivo (nivolumab) treatments to the medicines that are on the Pharma... more

02 March 2020

Public health advocates have denounced the move by food delivery companies Uber Eats and Deliveroo to partner with convenience stores to deliver junk food. Two weeks ago, BP service stations expanded their ‘‘Couch Food’’ range in a partnership with D... more

02 March 2020

A study has found people order more wine at a restaurant when a 370ml glass is placed in front of them, rather than a 300ml one. Study author Mark Pilling, from the University of Cambridge’s Behaviour and Health Research Unit, said: “Pouring wine fro... more

02 March 2020

A crackdown on Australians who illegally import nicotine vaping products online is imminent, in a move set to reignite debate over whether e-cigarettes are helpful for smokers who need help to quit. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is seeking to tig... more

28 February 2020

Australian researchers have played a key role in the world’s biggest genetic analysis of breast cancer risk, laying the foundations for the development of new preventive drugs and earlier treatments. Geneticist Georgia Chenevix-Trench, of the QIMR Be... more

27 February 2020

Tobacco companies are offering cash and gift incentives to retailers to boost sales of cigarettes, with one shop owner admitting to getting a $1000 bar tab to throw a party for staff, new research out today reveals. A national Cancer Council probe in... more

27 February 2020

An electronic nose has been found to accurately detect a condition which precedes oesophageal cancer. The device can pick up Barrett’s oesophagus, a condition where healthy cells in the food pipe are replaced by abnormal ones, and often a precursor t... more

26 February 2020