Cancer in the News

18 August 2017

Tens of thousands of Victorians are missing out on vital but costly tests to detect cancer, birth defects and other serious conditions owing to a Medicare freeze, radiologists claim. Gap fees for MRI and ultrasound procedures for some conditions have... more

18 August 2017

A worldwide review, by researchers at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, has found young patients with acute infections, skin infections, appendicitis, urinary tract infections, chest infections in cystic fibrosis and infections in cancer, ca... more

18 August 2017

Women who eat junk food such as burgers or pizza are increasing their risk of cancer even if they are not overweight, research has warned. Energy-dense foods may raise the chances of suffering certain cancers by 10 per cent. The study linked high-ene... more

18 August 2017

Having a positive attitude can improve outcomes for those living with chronic illness, a research review has found. Researchers at Curtin University have studied the power of positive and negative thoughts on people living with cancer, diabetes and c... more

16 August 2017

Prostate cancer patients are forking out as much as $10,000 in out-of-pocket costs for radical surgery, with some urology surgeons charging about $40,000 more than their peers for prostatectomies, the latest Medibank data shows. The urology surgical ... more

16 August 2017

A lifetime spent near cows may help cut the risk of lung cancer later in life by up to 40 per cent, the American Journal of Epidemiology reports. Exposure to horses has a similar benefit but pigs and chickens offer no protection. Researchers in Franc... more

15 August 2017

The introduced rabbit disease myxomatosis has become far deadlier, an example of an “evolutionary arms race” that imperils people — particularly unvaccinated ones. Scientists have found the disease has mutated and now completely shuts down non-resist... more

15 August 2017

A breast cancer wonder drug is being used in IVF to boost success rates for older women. Tamoxifen is normally given to patients who have undergone surgery for breast cancer to prevent tumours growing back. But a British clinic is pioneering its use ... more

15 August 2017

Hamburgers made from beef are giving way to ones made from beetroot on UK barbecues in a dramatic shift away from red meat. Traditional carbs such as pasta and rice are also being pushed aside by butternut squash fusilli and cauliflower couscous. New... more

14 August 2017

The number of smokers in Australia has increased for the first time since anti-smoking campaigns ramped up a generation ago, casting doubt on the effectiveness of further taxes on cigarettes. An unexpected standstill in the national smoking rate sinc... more

14 August 2017

Doctors will be able to prescribe the first South Australian-produced medicinal cannabis products from next month. GD Pharma’s oils will hit the market in September after the pharmaceutical manufacturer recently received the green light to import two... more

14 August 2017

Unhealthy gums could put women at higher risk of developing cancer, according to a new study. Periodontal disease, a chronic infection and inflammation of the tissues that support the teeth, is linked to an elevated risk of oesophageal, skin, breast ... more

14 August 2017

A breast cancer drug could be the key to treating the most common form of childhood brain tumour, research has found. A University of Queensland Institute for Molecular Bioscience study has shown the drug has the “remarkable” effect of rapidly shrink... more

11 August 2017

A bid to decriminalise medical cannabis has been shot down by the NSW Government. Legislation put forward by Labor to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis for treatment of chronic and serious medical conditions was voted down yes... more

10 August 2017

A new vaccine could prevent up to 93 per cent of cervical cancers in Australia, a milestone researchers say could almost eradicate the cancer and mean women would need just three human papillomavirus tests in their whole life. The largest study to an... more

10 August 2017

More Australians are choosing healthy foods when dining out, in what experts say is an encouraging shift in the fight against obesity. The latest Eating Out in Australia report identified healthy eating as a key trend, increasing by almost 15 per cen... more

09 August 2017

A radical new report offers the federal government a roadmap for addressing inequitable access to rare and less common cancer treatments. More than 52,000 people are diagnosed with rare or less common (RLC) cancers and an estimated 25,000 people die ... more

09 August 2017

Australia’s love of alcohol is making it hard for public health messages about moderate drinking to sink in, prompting Flinders University researchers to seek answers. Flinders University academic Emma Miller said despite the proven link between brea... more

08 August 2017

Just one alcoholic drink a day could give you skin cancer, scientists have warned. In alarming news for those who like to relax with a glass of wine in the evening, any type of tipple raises the likelihood of developing two non-melanoma forms of the ... more

08 August 2017

For the first time in Australia a clinical trial is paving the way for patients with leukaemia and lymphoma to access a potentially lifesaving immunotherapy treatment. A team of researchers at WIMR and Westmead Hospital has been given the go-ahead by... more

08 August 2017

Tiny flecks of gold could be used in the fight against cancer, suggests new research. Scientists at Edinburgh University have just completed a study which shows the precious metal increased the effectiveness of drugs used to treat lung cancer cells. ... more

07 August 2017

Illegal tobacco weighing more than 400 tonnes and worth almost $300 million in lost duty has been seized by the Australian Border Force in the past two years. New statistics released reveal the scale of the booming tobacco black market in Australia. ... more

07 August 2017

Schools are being urged to slip, slop, slap, seek and slide – despite the best part of a month of winter remaining. The Cancer Council says UV levels rise from August onwards, putting students and staff at risk of skin damage. As of January this year... more

04 August 2017

Scientists for the first time have successfully edited genes in human embryos to repair a common and serious disease-causing mutation, producing apparently healthy embryos, according to a study published overnight The research marks a major milestone... more

04 August 2017

WA’s medical community and desperate families are asking visiting Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to help the State’s vital “brainchild” research. They want more government funding for research into rare childhood cancers, particularly brain tumours,... more

04 August 2017

Targeting hijacked healthy cells could deliver a “knockout” blow to many different cancers, scientists say. When tumours take over healthy connective tissue cells called fibroblasts, the altered cells help the cancer to grow, spread and evade therapy... more

04 August 2017

A breakthrough treatment for early stage breast cancer destroys the disease with fewer side effects than the usual approach, trials show. Targeting tumours directly with radiotherapy is as successful as treating the whole breast, the research led by ... more

04 August 2017

Of an estimated 10,000 Australians who have Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a genetic time bomb that makes them virtually certain to develop a lethal cancer in just about any organ, half will do so by the age of 30. But one in 10 seemingly healthy people with ... more

04 August 2017

E-Cigarettes emit toxic vapours that break safety guidelines when used indoors, research suggests. Non-vaping customers in pubs can be exposed to unhealthy levels of formaldehyde, which causes cancer, and acrolein, a toxin that irritates the eyes and... more

03 August 2017

Restaurant traders in Melbourne’s south-east are banning meals from their alfresco menus in favour of allowing punters to smoke. Under new laws enforced by the state government on Monday, smoking is banned from nearly all Victoria’s outdoor dining ar... more

03 August 2017

Young adults battling cancer will undergo exercise as part of an ambitious research project to improve their outcomes and lessen treatment side effects. Patients aged between 15 and 20 undergoing cancer treatment will be able to participate in struct... more

03 August 2017

Melbourne researchers have shown they can “supercharge” treatment for aggressive types of breast cancer in the laboratory. Using a new drug, which blocks a protein that keeps cancer cells alive, in combination with standard treatment, the Walter and ... more

03 August 2017

In a ‘‘quite remarkable’’ new study, researchers from Monash University have found a ‘‘switch’’ that tells the body to either burn or store fat after we have eaten. Researchers have known for some time that there are two types of fat: white fat, whic... more

02 August 2017

Most Queensland schools fail to ensure children are adequately protected from the sun, warns the Cancer Council. Cancer Council Queensland chief executive Chris McMillan said schools needed to do better after a survey found less than half of schools ... more

02 August 2017

With 35 new cases diagnosed every day, more Australians than ever are turning to Dr Google for information on blood cancers. Research has revealed a spike in online searches for leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The data reflects a “troubling” increas... more

02 August 2017

The benefits of the Mediterranean diet may be limited to the well-off, according to a study of 19,000 adults. The southern European tradition of eating plenty of vegetables and fish is supposed to cut the risk of cancer and heart disease. But Italian... more

02 August 2017

A new paleo documentary by celebrity chef Pete Evans – which depicts the diet as a treatment for chronic diseases as severe as diabetes, cancer and autism in kids – has been slammed by the Australian Medical Association. Evans’ The Magic Pill, which ... more

01 August 2017

Smoking will be banned from nearly all outdoor dining areas in Melbourne, and the entire state, from Tuesday. Under sweeping new laws being rolled out by the state government, any individual who ignores the ban can be fined up to $777, with businesse... more

01 August 2017

Obesity experts are now calling for a ban on free toys and movie characters being used to sell unhealthy foods in Australian restaurants and supermarkets. But they do not want to ban toys completely. They say the ‘‘pester power’’ of freebies should b... more

31 July 2017

A director of a tobacco company that is suspected of smuggling cigarettes has donated $400,000 to the Labor Party, possibly breaching NSW law and the ALP’s own ban on taking tobacco industry funds.  Peter Chen, the sole Australian director of Sydney ... more

31 July 2017

Smoking diners will be forced to butt out under strict new laws kicking off in Victoria next week. From Tuesday, Victorian pubs and clubs will have to put up a 4m buffer, or install plastic walls to shield diners from smoking customers. The Herald Su... more

31 July 2017

In a comment piece, Dee Ryall unpacks the concept of euthanasia and provides an argument for why it should be legalised. She shares her experience of her dad’s battle with acute leukemia and, as a result, bone marrow disease. Ryall finishes with “Dyi... more

31 July 2017

The Courier Mail profiles Dr Fiona Simpson, who is applying her lifelong resolve to research work that could revolutionise treatment of aggressive cancers. With $250,000 funding from the PA Hospital Research Foundation, clinical trials are under way ... more

31 July 2017

Thousands of Australian cancer patients will be given a new shot at life under a $1.1 billion package handing them access to a breakthrough drug. Under one of the biggest ever listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Opdivo will be made availa... more

31 July 2017

A doctor has been filmed providing a suicide drug to a terminally ill patient in an explosive new documentary. The film, to premiere in Melbourne on Tuesday, comes as the Andrews Government last week gave the green light to an assisted dying Bill. Fa... more

31 July 2017

The Sunday Territorian profiles Charlene Ericson, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after being misdiagnosed for a year. She beat it, only to discover recently that it had reccured. Ericson shared her story of beating ovarian cancer, at just 31-y... more

31 July 2017

The Sunday Mail Brisbane lists the best screening tests that can be carried out at home. These include: at-home pap smear, a skin cancer detection app, a bluetooth blood pressure monitor, a UV exposure patch and a bowel cancer screening kit. The Sun... more

28 July 2017

The Courier Mail profiles Adam Benjamin, who played a pioneering role in the Australia’s medicinal cannabis industry. Adam Benjamin’s close friends lost their eight-year-old son to a particularly aggressive form of cancer. Desperate to alleviate the ... more

28 July 2017

LONDON: A rise in the use of electronic cigarettes among US adults is linked to an increase in the number of people quitting, researchers say. In a study published in The BMJ, British medical journal, California scientists said their findings were ba... more

28 July 2017

Health experts have slammed a giant advertisement showing a woman lighting another woman’s cigarette on makeup firm Napoleon Perdis’ flagship Double Bay shop as “incredibly irresponsible”. Cancer Institute NSW chief Professor David Currow said promot... more

28 July 2017

A Melbourne research institute has scored a $400 million royalties windfall for its groundbreaking anti-cancer medicine. The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research has partially sold the royalty rights to venetoclax, a treatment that inh... more

28 July 2017

AN estimated 5000 Australians will be diagnosed with head or neck cancer this year, prompting a push to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms. Cancer Council Australia is also encouraging teens to get the human papilloma virus vaccination, as HPV... more

28 July 2017

A combination therapy halting cancer growth for twice as long in women with the most common type of advanced breast cancer, is being tested for early stage cancer in a bid to save more lives. A new class of drug that works to stop cancer, called CDK4... more

28 July 2017

Smoking will be banned from nearly all outdoor dining areas in Melbourne, and the entire state, next week. Any individual who ignores the ban can be fined up to $777, with a business facing a whack of $7773. From August 1, smokers will be banished fr... more

27 July 2017

Parramatta great Brett Kenny is digging in for the fight of his life after being diagnosed with cancer. The 56-year-old learnt last week he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and will undergo chemotherapy in the near future. Kenny said conquering the life-th... more

27 July 2017

The outpouring of support for Jarrod Lyle shows just how much the Victorian means to Australian golf as the 35-year-old returned to hospital to face a recurrence of acute myeloid leukaemia. Lyle’s wife Briony confirmed the diagnosis on Wednesday afte... more

27 July 2017

A conscience vote afforded by the major parties, Labor and Liberal, together with the likelihood of the Nationals and the Greens voting on party lines of support, looks to produce a lineball decision on whether euthanasia legislation is passed in Vic... more

26 July 2017

Half of the cancer survivors in Australia are under financial stress, shows new research. Cancer Council Australia chief executive Sanchia Aranda said financial distress often influenced decisions about treatment. “We also know that around 12 per cen... more

26 July 2017

The first company in Australia licensed to cultivate and manufacture medicinal cannabis is working at a closely guarded, top secret location on the Sunshine Coast. Medifarm founder Adam Benjamin said the company had invested hundreds of thousands of ... more

26 July 2017

Australians rank among the worst in the world for carrying dangerous stomach fat – with a shocking 88 per cent of men and 76 per cent of women now “overfat”. While many of these people can appear healthy, overfat refers to a glut of weight around the... more

26 July 2017

Despite screening being able to detect bowel cancer long before symptoms begin, only two in five Victorians undergo the test available to people over 50. More than 1300 Victorians die each year from a disease that can be easily treated in its early s... more

26 July 2017

The world’s biggest internet celebrity has flaunted a cigarette propped between her fingers in a nude post to social media. Kendall Jenner’s sultry pose flies in the face of national advertising standards that ban smoking images and comes days after ... more

25 July 2017

Health groups are urging food companies to disclose added sugars on product labels, saying this will lead to more accurate health star ratings and win back consumer trust. Researchers at the George Institute for Global Health analysed more than 34,00... more

25 July 2017

The Australian profiles Mike Moore, who is opposing the marketing of opioid painkillers after conducting the landmark tobacco litigation of the 1990’s. Mr Moore is among many tort lawyers flocking to help government bodies seek damages from makers of... more

25 July 2017

The Adelaide Advertiser profiles Steve Pendry, who was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer on Christmas Eve, 2013, and has defied the odds and survived. Pendry is starting SA’s first pancreatic support group at the Tennyson Centre in Kurralta... more

25 July 2017

Leading neurosurgeon Kate Drummond has called on the Turnbull government to break the “bureaucratic mould” and approve reimbursement of a drug that prolongs the life of Australian brain cancer patients. The debate on access to the drug was reignited ... more

24 July 2017

Some WA women are putting themselves at risk of developing cervical cancer because they are ignoring reminders to have a lifesaving test, experts have warned. Several health clinics have reported big decreases in the number of women booking in for Pa... more

24 July 2017

THE Ministry of Health has launched an urgent investigation into “Insta smoke shots”, where models pose with cigarettes in a worrying new trend slammed for glamorising the deadly addiction. The Saturday Telegraph has uncovered multiple photos of glam... more

24 July 2017

Researchers have identified how the deadliest form of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, protects itself from cancer-killing chemotherapy. Glioblastoma multiforme, which Senator John McCain was diagnosed with last week, has a high mortality rate,... more

24 July 2017

The Sunday Age examines the practice of Philip Morris International in India, which include methods that flout the nation’s tobacco-control regulations. These include tobacco shop displays as well as the free distribution of Marlboro – the world’s be... more

21 July 2017

Teens are less likely to drink alcohol if they know it is a major cause of cancer but most are unaware of the link, a South Australian study has found. More than 2800 students aged 12-17 were surveyed about their drinking behaviour by Adelaide Univer... more

21 July 2017

WA women with endometrial cancer are taking part in the Australian trial of a treatment that can delay the need for radical surgery.  Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer and is diagnosed in 2400 Australian women each year. The... more

21 July 2017

The Australian  profiles former solicitor general Justin Gleeson SC, who is back in private practice after quitting as the nation’s second-most-powerful legal officer. Gleeson touched on the biggest international dispute he dealt with as solicitor-ge... more

21 July 2017

Australia’s psychologists are urging the government to lift the ban on nicotine containing e-cigarettes, saying their mentally ill patients, many of whom are heavy smokers, could “significantly benefit” from the devices. In a submission to the federa... more

20 July 2017

It wasn't until Josh was four months old that the Catterick family discovered he was born with a serious brain tumour, leading to multiple surgeries over his short life. The family look with cautious optimism for other families to the promise of a $1... more

20 July 2017

Commercial cannabis crops overseas are being visited by the Victorian Government to investigate the future of the budding new medical treatment in Australia. Minister of Agriculture Jaala Pulford toured an indoor growing facility in Canada last week,... more

20 July 2017

Most adults gain weight as they age, but adding as little as 5kg by middle age may substantially raise the risk of major illnesses, US researchers say. Harvard University scientists found that even modest weight gain in adulthood “was associated with... more

20 July 2017

Liquor brands will think twice about using "glitter", models with "youthful looks" and messages about "the morning after" in their advertising, after a complaint about a Vodka Cruiser advertisement on Instagram was upheld by the Advertising Standards... more

20 July 2017

The Greens have plans to cut off production of cancer treatment and remove questions about “gender” from all official documents. Greens’ party platform from the 2016 election reveals they support closing down the nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights, and... more

20 July 2017

Bosses should consider letting workers use e-cigarettes at their desks to cut smoking rates, according to UK Government plans. The Tobacco Control Plan said: “E-cigarette use is not covered by smoke-free legislation and should not be included in an o... more

20 July 2017

Cancer researchers have found a drug capable of boosting the power of a promising new class of treatment that reprograms the body’s own immune cells to fight cancer. The therapy involves removing a patient’s own immune cells, genetically engineering ... more

18 July 2017

WA men are expected to take part in the trial of a ground breaking treatment for advanced prostate cancer using radioactive atoms. The nuclear medicine treatment delivers radioactive molecules directly to cancer cells and experts believe it will be a... more

18 July 2017

Rates of endometrial cancer have increased over the last two decades in western countries because of the rise in obesity. This same rise in obesity is also driving an increase in the numbers of younger women under 40 affected by the disease according... more

18 July 2017

In a national vote widely viewed as a victory for conservatives, last year’s US elections also yielded a win for liberals in eight states that legalised marijuana for medical or recreational use. But the growing industry is facing a federal crackdown... more

17 July 2017

Territory welders could be at a higher risk of developing cancer than previously thought, according to new research. The International Agency for Research on Cancer report confirms that welding fumes and emissions of UV radiation from the trade are c... more

17 July 2017

A Fairfax Media special investigation has found at least 39 people who have lived on a five-kilometre section of the road – or in one case, spent significant amounts of time there – have battled cancer in the past 15 years. To residents, a disturbing... more

17 July 2017

More than 260 million cigarettes and a whopping 204 tonnes of loose-leaf tobacco have been seized at Australia’s borders in just 10 months. Customs officials snagged the bulk of the illicit tobacco in sea cargo consignments. The Daily Telegraph, 15 ... more

17 July 2017

In an opinion piece Terry Sweetman examines the issue of e-cigarettes – arguing that the new addiction of vaping may prove a safe alternative to smoking but that the tobacco industry must back off. He concludes “here is much to learn about this lates... more

17 July 2017

Queensland scientists have discovered a molecule responsible for controlling a set of genes that, when “switched on”, can improve survival rates from the most common form of breast cancer by up to a decade. Now, they’re hoping to take their research ... more

17 July 2017

In an Editorial, The Age explores the debate on e-cigarettes. The column concludes that in the meantime “it would appear prudent to use one of the certified nicotine-replacement means. One day, people will look back in wonder at tobacco smoking, but ... more

17 July 2017

Breast cancer patients will soon be offered lifesaving radiotherapy while lying on their front for the first time, in an attempt to protect them from damage to the heart and lungs. The technique, known as prone radiation, is helpful for women with la... more

17 July 2017

Cancer sufferers across NSW could miss out on world-class treatments as funding cuts leave hospitals uncertain how they will afford key equipment. The Daily Telegraph reports that advisers to Health Minister Greg Hunt and the Royal Australian and New... more

14 July 2017

In an editorial piece, The Sydney Morning Herald documents the astroturfing activities of the tobacco and now e-cigarette campaign - and urges the government to stand alone in its position against e-cigarettes due to the unknown effects of using them... more

14 July 2017

A new era in medicine opened this week when a US Food and Drug Administration panel recommended the agency approve the first treatment that genetically alters a patient’s own cells to fight leukaemia. The treatment transforms cells into what scientis... more

14 July 2017

A new blood test may accurately detect pancreatic cancer in its early stages, offering hope for people at risk of this often fatal disease, researchers said. Typically, pancreatic cancer is discovered when the tumours are too large to treat. Four in ... more

14 July 2017

Tall men have a heightened risk of dying from aggressive prostate cancer, new research shows. British scientists have found no association between height and overall prostate cancer risk but a strong link with high-grade deadly tumours. The Daily Te... more

13 July 2017

Tobacco giant Philip Morris is running an under-the-radar campaign to convince federal politicians to legalise e-cigarettes containing nicotine, with anti-smoking campaigners accusing the company of using the same ‘‘astroturf ’’ tactics it used in it... more

13 July 2017

Australia must make it as easy as possible for smokers to get their hands on e-cigarettes, doctors and a giant tobacco company have told federal parliamentarians. Doctors who’ve become advocates for drug law reform say authorities must not “sacrifice... more

12 July 2017

Price, not calorie labelling, is what sways Queenslanders’ choice of fast food. Research, which shows a fat tax on junk products is likely to have an effect on the state’s obesity crisis, will be presented to the Australian Society of Behavioural and... more

12 July 2017

A Tasmanian company that has secured one of the first licences in Australia to grow cannabis and produce pain relieving drugs says it is excited to be moving into a new era. Poppy giant Tasmanian Alkaloids, with its business partner AusCann, announce... more

12 July 2017

Coffee drinkers live longer, according to two large-scale studies that add to extensive research indicating that coffee consumption is associated with better health. These studies examined the health histories of hundreds and thousands of people who ... more

11 July 2017

Going “lectin-free” is primed to become the next big thing in dieting, but this diet seems more fad than fact. Lectins are a type of protein found in many foods including grains and beans. As isolated compounds, they have been researched for many yea... more

10 July 2017

The drug industry is spending $72 million a year “educating” doctors, with one company splashing $750,000 on a weekend conference. A new database of pharmaceutical company-funded events creates by Sydney University researchers shows 42 companies shel... more

10 July 2017

We should wear sunglasses to help protect ourselves from skin cancer, experts have said. Between 5 and 10 per cent of all skin cancers appear on the eyelids. Sunglasses not only protect corneas in the eyes but also the “highly cancer-prone eyelid ski... more

10 July 2017

Female cancer survivors are more than a third less likely than other women to fall pregnant, highlighting the need to preserve their fertility. A Scottish study of females under 39 diagnosed with cancer between 1981 and 2012 found they were 38 per ce... more

10 July 2017

In an opinion piece, Angela Mollard denounces stars like Kylie Jenner, Bella Hadid, Dakota Johnson and Sophia Ritchie who have taken up smoking and posted images of cigarettes hanging from their lips and smoke curling around their face. She calls on ... more

10 July 2017

A Wollongong family has gained support from their local MP, Paul Scully, to take their petition for greater access to medicinal cannabis to parliament in its last sitting in June. It has more than 90,000 signatures and asks for supply to be made imme... more

10 July 2017

Eight common cancer myths are debunked, including: microwaves, underwire bras, deodorant, mobile phones, fluoride, sunscreen, diet soft drinks and plastic water bottles. It also goes on to examine wifi as a possible carcinogen. The Sunday Times, 9 J... more

10 July 2017

Tobacco giant Phillip Morris has been ordered to pay the Australian government millions of dollars in legal costs after its failed bid to kill off plain packaging laws. While the exact figure is a closely guarded secret - and is redacted from the Per... more

10 July 2017

The Australian profiles Anthony Warner, who is on a crusade against food faddism, pseudoscience and clinically unproven diets and regime. He has turned his considerable nutritional expertise on everything from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop to the alkaline d... more

07 July 2017

A new simulation lab has been launched by Alive Hospice in Nashville, Tennessee to train doctors and other healthcare providers in how to deliver news about terminal diagnoses. The room is designed to simulate a doctor’s office on one side and a hosp... more

07 July 2017

Two experimental treatments for skin cancer, tailor-made to target a particular patient’s tumours, proved safe in small-scale trials, US developers say. The vaccines triggered an immune response to tumour cells, but this does not necessarily equate t... more

07 July 2017

Big Pharma is investing billions of dollars to tackle deadly diseases prevalent in China, developing new drugs to combat a line-up of top killers that differ from those in the West. Swiss drug maker Novartis is testing a molecule to combat a rare hea... more

07 July 2017

Fewer than 3 per cent of terminally ill patients can access international clinical trials, and drug companies are wary of opening compassionate access schemes because adverse effects outside of trials could affect their drug’s approval. This means dy... more

07 July 2017

The State’s smoking laws have been branded a joke as hospital patients and visitors light up with impunity at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. South Perth resident Gene said he felt disgusted at having to plough through plumes of smoke at the entrance ... more

06 July 2017

The Canberra Times profiles Matthew Owen, who highlights the flaws in the PBS for cancer patients. Specifically, the drugs needed to treat his gall bladder cancer don’t qualify for a subsidy as he has the wrong type of cancer to use them. Additionall... more

06 July 2017

SA’s Chief of Public Health Officer’s Report, July 2014-June 2016, released today, reveals the advances and challenges of the state’s public health, which can sometimes be overshadowed amid daily reports of dramas like ambulance ramping and surgery w... more

06 July 2017

Illnesses such as cancer are going undetected in 300,000 Australians because they can’t afford scans to diagnose their disease. Medicare rebates have been frozen for two decades and the Federal Government now faces a damaging campaign from the radiol... more

06 July 2017

A survey of more than 1000 adults and more than 130 nutrition experts shows there’s a surprisingly big gap between what the public and nutrition experts believe is healthy. “Products like coconut oil, gluten-free cakes, orange juice, muesli bars and ... more

05 July 2017

A new central Australian academic health science centre, led by the Aboriginal community-controlled health service sector and bringing together a consortium of 11 clinical and research groups has been announced. Announcing $222,000 in seed funding, f... more

05 July 2017

Australian health funds paid more than $6.4 billion last year on claims that had a benefit payment of more than $10,000. The latest survey of high claims by Private Healthcare Australia showed the total for 2016 was a 6.7 per cent jump on 2015. Nearl... more

05 July 2017

The environmental group Friends of the Earth claimed independent testing by the Arizona State University showed the presence of tiny particles known as nano-hydroxyapatite in several popular instant formulas. It said the presence of the substance was... more

04 July 2017

The former head of pharmaceutical giant Mayne Pharma Group, Roger Aston, is hoping his latest venture, which started when a doctor with a hobby farm tested his sheep drench to find it had anti-cancer properties, has a “magic bullet” to treat the dead... more

03 July 2017

A nationwide recall of children’s quad bikes containing asbestos-laden parts should extend far beyond the 15,000 announced by manufacturer Polaris Industries, a whistle-blower within the company claims. The Australian recall of certain Polaris youth ... more

03 July 2017

The Herald Sun profiles Leanne French, who became pregnant despite a cervical cancer diagnosis. The day before Leanne was due to deliver her child, she awoke with massive chest pains and undertook a ceasarian, anaesthetic and open heart surgery in th... more

03 July 2017

Taking a dip while wearing sunscreen could expose swimmers to cancer-causing chemicals, research suggests. Avobenzone is the most used sun-blocking compound. But it can break down when it comes into contact with chlorine and ultraviolet rays, forming... more

03 July 2017

Thousands of women are giving up pills that prevent breast cancer in the mistaken belief the medication causes debilitating side effects, researchers have warned. Tamoxifen is offered to women who have either had the disease or are at very high risk ... more

03 July 2017

The health records of every single Australian, including the Prime Minister, will be vulnerable to a hacking attack from next year, an IT expert has warned. The private health information of every Ausralian will be put into a centralised database whe... more

03 July 2017

The Public Health Information Department at Torrens University has developed the first national atlas of cancer incidence by community and locality across the nation. Cancer hotspots across Australia have been reveled for the first time as medics aim... more

30 June 2017

A higher IQ in childhood is linked to a longer life, research suggests. A study found higher intelligence lowered the risk of dying by 79 from heart disease, stroke, cancers linked to smoking and respiratory diseases. The University of Edinburgh stud... more

30 June 2017

Sufferers of a rare blood cell cancer will get cheap access to a new drug after an unprecedented move by the Turnbull Government. For the first time, the government has listed a medicine on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme after an application by p... more

28 June 2017

Treatment for prostate cancer in Australia is heading for a radical revision, according to a leader in the field, Professor Tony Costello of Melbourne University. He says traditions are being overturned in an attempt to transform advanced prostate ca... more

28 June 2017

Researchers at Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research share some of their most significant breakthroughs, including the discovery of the SLIRP gene, mRNA to control cancer cell growth and blood vessel normalisation in cancer. West Australian, 2... more

28 June 2017

More than half of supermarket products marketed at kids are unhealthy, according to a new survey by the Obesity Policy Coalition. The finding has led to calls for cartoon characters to be removed from “junk-food” packaging. The OPC surveyed 186 packa... more

28 June 2017

More than 80,000 liveswould be saved by 2040 if participation in the national bowel cancer screening program increased by 20 per cent, modelling estimates. At the moment only about 40 per cent of those who are eligible for bowel cancer screening part... more

27 June 2017

In an opinion piece, Peter FitzSimons states that the government must insist that the public health infrastructure be freed from the influence of Big Sugar and be devoted to public health. He highlights that the corporate partners of the Dieticians A... more

27 June 2017

More than 1000 firefighters who work for the environment department could be given cancer compensation before those at the CFA and MFB. The Andrews Government is set to introduce a Bill giving presumptive rights to forest firefighters working for the... more

27 June 2017

Seven out of 10 patients battling one of the deadliest forms of cancer are doing so without the specialist co-ordinated care offered to those with higher-profile forms of cancer. In the past decade, the federal government has committed $52 million fo... more

27 June 2017

Canberra smokers will have 3000 fewer places to light up in come October 1. Smoking will be banned from public transport waiting areas, including bus stops, taxi shelters, train stations and (when they’re built) light rail stops. The government is al... more

27 June 2017

Cartoon characters on food packaging such as Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam are fuelling Australia’s childhood obesity crisis and should be restricted, public health experts say. Researchers at the Obesity Policy Coalition surveyed 186 packa... more

26 June 2017

Despite the state government outlawing smoking within 4m of a public hospital entrance since April 2015, no fines have been issued in Melbourne by councils charged with enforcing the bans. Crowds of smokers continue to puff away in front of Melbourne... more

26 June 2017

Brisbane-based cancer clinic operator Icon Group is banking on new artificially intelligent technology to help spearhead its expansion into Asia. Icon, which last month saw a consortium including QIC and Goldman Sachs take a majority stake in the gro... more

26 June 2017

A new test for prostate cancer and technology to create energy from waves are among the projects sharing $28.8 million in new federal government funding, financial support industry leaders say is critical to promote Australian innovation. The Austra... more

26 June 2017

A Queensland based researcher has developed a saliva test to help doctors and dentists detect a debilitating form of cancer earlier. QUT’s commercialisation arm, bluebox, has signed an agreement with global healthcare company MDxHealth to evaluate an... more

26 June 2017

The most advanced machine in Australia for early detection of breast cancer is sitting idle in a Perth hospital because of what a medical duo say is Medicare red tape and ineptitude. The team at Hollywood Private Hospital say the Federal Government’s... more

26 June 2017

The Weekend Australian profiles Justin McLean, a partner at PwC who had the brakes slammed on his energetic life with news he had colorectal cancer. McLean’s experience first as a patient and then as a carer to his mother gave him a front-row seat to... more

26 June 2017

The Daily Telegraph profiles Bec Cooper, a 17-year-old helping other children with their battle against late stage or recurrent cancer. The Newcastle teen is leading the Children’s Cancer Institute’s crowd-funding campaign for a new clinical trial to... more

26 June 2017

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has denied an application by British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and Philip Morris to campaign against retailers and wholesalers who also sell the cheaper untaxed and illegal tobacco. The comp... more

23 June 2017

Regional cancer patients are less likely to survive than those in the city and the disparity is not all about poor access to treatment. Patient preferences, age, gender, indigenous status and health insurance play a part in survival rates, according ... more

22 June 2017

The West Australian Business Insider profiles the construction of a medical cannabis facility near Perth. The facility will produce enough dried cannabis for 1.8 million doses annually. Managing director of Auscann, the company behind the facility, E... more

22 June 2017

An Australian National University health study has found that men who have lived in a house contaminated with Mr Fluffy asbestos are 2 and a half times more likely to get mesothelioma than others. This is the first results that demonstrates a clear l... more

21 June 2017

WA cancer experts have examined trends in the magic 5-year survival rate, which has increased from 52% in 1985 to 70% in 2014. Women still have a slight edge on men, with 71% of females who get cancer likely to live 5 years after diagnosis. West Aus... more

21 June 2017

Doctor Alistair Nuttall has been suspended for one year by the State Administrative Tribunal after abandoning his scientific training and endorsing the continued use of natural therapies to treat a cancer-stricken child. During the appointment, Dr Nu... more

21 June 2017

The Andrew government faces a lengthy delay in its bid to solve a fire services dispute after revealing it was likely to allow a Coalition review of the Fire Services Restructure Bill. The passage of the bill through the legislative council was inter... more

21 June 2017

In an opinion piece, Simon Chapman from the University of Sydney says the Minister for Health Greg Hunt has established a parliamentary committee to report on the regulation of nicotine vapourisers, or e-cigarettes. This follows intense lobbying from... more

21 June 2017

Women who carry the most common genetic mutations for breast and ovarian cancer will now be able to get a more accurate assessment of their risk. A 20-year international study, involving Melbourne researchers and patients, found that family history a... more

20 June 2017

Christine Cronau, who claims a high-fat, low carbohydrate “ketogenic” diet can ‘starve’ cancer has been banned from using Adelaide universities for her lectures. Friends of Science in Medicine, which represents over 1200 scientists and clinicians, wr... more

20 June 2017

Researchers from the George Institute of Global Health and Cancer Council NSW applied the health star rating system to 1530 menu items at 13 fast food chains. They found that Gloria Jean’s had the lowest average health star rating of two stars follow... more

20 June 2017

Results of a Royal Melbourne Hospital-led trial to determine whether routine screening of high-risk people could detect lung cancer before it turns deadly could produce crucial evidence supporting a national screening program. The trial will involve ... more

19 June 2017

Screening newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients for pancreatic cancer could slash the number of deaths from the killer disease. Experts are issuing the advice as they believe that the blood sugar condition may be an early warning sign of the onset... more

19 June 2017

An ambassador for the EJ Whitten Foundation, West Coast Eagles legend Glen Jakovich knows first-hand the importance of regular prostate checks. Jakovich was only 16 when he lost his dad, Darko, to cancer in 1989 at the age of 54. The four-time Eagles... more

19 June 2017

One of Perth’s best-known medical families has opened up about their personal breast cancer journey to warn women with dense-tissue breasts to be extra vigilant about their prevention plan. Alexa Miller, parent of two teenagers with Dr Andrew Miller... more

19 June 2017

The Sunday Age has tracked down Aldi Rizal - known around the world as "Indonesia's smoking baby". The infamous ‘‘Indonesian smoking baby’’ YouTube videos raised international awareness of the alarmingly high child smoking rate in Indonesia: 20 per ... more

19 June 2017

Cancer treatments will ­become more expensive or even be compromised should the federal government proceed with its cuts to radiation oncology equipment, oncologists have warned. Expensive linear accelerators, CT machines and software needed to treat... more

19 June 2017

Andrew Denton writes an opinion piece about voluntary assisted dying. Later this year there will be a conscience vote on legislation to be introduced to the Victorian parliament.  He says that the vote might be three months away, but already hardcore... more

19 June 2017

THE State Government will commit $44 million in next week’s Budget towards construction of the second SAHMRI building. SAHMRI executive director Professor Steve Wesselingh told The Advertiser that Premier Jay Weatherill was expected to make an annou... more

19 June 2017

The Adelaide Advertiser profiles Professor Angel Lopez, who was recently given an Order of Australia Award.  The work he and his 200 colleagues perform at the Centre for Cancer Biology (CCB) is not to try and cure cancer just for South Australia, he ... more

19 June 2017

Asbestos researchers hope to create a world-first repository of the deadly fibre to help establish links to lung cancer. Concord Hospital Asbestos Diseases Research Institute director Ken Takahashi will be in Canberra this week to meet MPs from all s... more

16 June 2017

Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm writes in an opinion piece that banning cigarette branding has done nothing to reduce smoking rates, but as long as tobacco companies get screwed no one seems to mind. The Australian Financial Review, 16 Ju... more

16 June 2017

According to a new analysis of 2011 data by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, cancer accounts for one-fifth of our disease burden. Other conditions such as cardiovascular disease may be more common and cause a greater number of deaths, ... more

16 June 2017

ACT health minister Meegan Fitzharris will lobby federal health minister Greg Hunt to reassess how the Australian government subsidises prescription drugs, as a Senate inquiry into funding for research into cancers with low survival rates continues. ... more

16 June 2017

Scientists have found a way to map how cancer drugs work — by making them glow and tracking their journey through the body. The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre research has shown new tools have the potential to revolutionise the way drugs are investiga... more

16 June 2017

A new test that detects aggressive prostate cancer from a blood sample could save thousands of lives. The test shows when a tumour is a type that may spread quickly, research suggests. It identifies prostate cancer patients with aggressive forms of t... more

14 June 2017

Associate Professor Richard Norman, a health economist from Curtin University’s school of public health, is leading a team trying to determine what is important to cancer patients when it comes to their treatment and what it is that makes it more bea... more

14 June 2017

Exercise is medicine and when it comes to cancer it’s been proved to be one of the best but, until now, there have been few specialised exercise programs to support young people. The Cancer Council WA’s Life Now program is hugely popular, with thousa... more

14 June 2017

A drug developed by Harvard University researchers could offer risk-free tans by stimulating production of natural pigments. Unlike solarium tans, which expose people to carcinogenic ultraviolet radiation, the drug could prevent skin cancer by encour... more

14 June 2017

Terminally ill patients could soon receive medicinal cannabis after an about-face by crossbench senators to overturn rules making the drug harder to get. A Greens push to disallow the rule that makes it harder to access medicinal cannabis was passed ... more

14 June 2017

Melbourne researchers have devised a way to better recruit lung cancer patients most likely to benefit from new drugs — a tool they hope will improve treatment options more broadly for the disease. Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research ... more

13 June 2017

Figures released today by Cancer Council Queensland show an estimated 220 men die from the disease each year, an increase from 125 men in 1995. Death rates continue to rise at 1 per cent a year. More than 2000 males are diagnosed annually. The upward... more

13 June 2017

A senior drugs regulator has warned that a push to weaken medical cannabis regulation could lead to people attempting to bring “a suitcase” full of the illegal and ­potentially deadly substance through customs. Independent senator Jacqui Lambie is at... more

13 June 2017

Last week the Financial Planning Association of Australia was delighted to announce a pilot probono Financial Planning Referral Service with Cancer Council, to provide assistance to families affected by cancer. The FPA believes that financial planner... more

13 June 2017

Sarah McGoram is in an arms race against her own body, requiring a new drug every couple of years to fight the gastrointestinal stromal tumours in her small bowel and liver. Because she has burnt through so many different treatments, she can no longe... more

13 June 2017

New Australian research has found that diet could increase a woman’s chances of surviving ovarian cancer by as much as 25%. A QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute study of 811 women found women who ate the most fibre, green leafy vegetables and ... more

13 June 2017

Medical staff were unknowingly exposed to radiation from a CT scanner at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for four months before being told of a fault in the lead protection barrier. The radiation fail is the latest health scandal exposed by The Advertise... more

13 June 2017

Prof Angel Lopez has been appointed as an Officer to the Order for Australia for his work in scientific research in the areas of immunology, cell biology and innovative developments in cancer treatment, in particular, acute myeloid leukaemia. Since 2... more

13 June 2017

A Queensland professor has been recognised with a top award for his decades of world-leading cancer treatment research. Professor Rajiv Khanna was awarded the Order for Australia for his ground-breaking research using immunotherapy to treat cancers. ... more

13 June 2017

Peter Klinken, Chief Scientist of WA has been awarded Companion of the Order of Australia. He discovered the gene that suppresses tumour growth in 1988, telling AAP he was ‘‘almost shaking with excitement’’ when he grew in a test tube a rare type of ... more

07 June 2017

Patient advocate Beryl Crosby has slammed a decision by Queensland Health to keep patients’ families in the dark over a chemotherapy dosing controversy at the Toowoomba Hospital. Ms Crosby said the families had a “bloody right to know”. “You have to ... more

07 June 2017

Walking for just 30 minutes a day can boost your chances of surviving cancer by almost half, research shows. Separate studies involving breast and bowel cancer patients found that regular exercise had a huge impact on survival. The first was carried ... more

07 June 2017

Thousands of men could benefit from a new way of treating prostate cancer that doubles their average life expectancy, research has found. Giving patients a combination of two drugs makes them nearly 40 per cent more likely to be alive after three yea... more

07 June 2017

Victorian women with the most aggressive form of breast cancer will be among the first to test a shot of radiotherapy to “reawaken” the immune system to fight cancer before further treatment. Two clinical trials combining radiation with immunotherapy... more

06 June 2017

A universal cancer test that can diagnose tumours a decade before symptoms appear is being developed by US scientists. Known as a liquid biopsy, it involves patients providing a blood sample, which is run through a laboratory machine. It scans the bl... more

06 June 2017

Ten cancer patients were given lower than recommended doses of chemotherapy at a Queensland hospital. Although Queensland Health was advised of the underdosing on May 25, no families have been informed. An emergency review, sparked after a chance dis... more

05 June 2017

A world-first online fertility calculator is being developed by Melbourne researchers to help breast cancer patients understand how treatments may affect their chances of conceiving. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data suggests, on averag... more

05 June 2017

Medical oncologist Arlene Chan, the founder of Breast Cancer Research WA has begun a pioneering study of what children go through when mothers are diagnosed with breast cancer.. Breast cancer accounts for about 25 per cent of all cancers diagnosed. A... more

04 June 2017

Illegal tobacco costing the tax system $205 million has been seized in the last financial year alone. The Australian Border Force detected 103 marine shipments and 48,322 postal shipments of undeclared tobacco so far in 2016-17. The sea cargo amounte... more

04 June 2017

Researchers have hailed the biggest breakthrough for a decade in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer, after a new treatment was found to dramatically shrink tumours. Experts said the results of the early-phase study were “exciting” and “promisin... more

04 June 2017

Obese people are being consigned to bad health and an early death because they can’t access lifesaving bariatric surgery, experts have warned. With close to a million adults classified as obese in Australia, the number of people having the weight-red... more

04 June 2017

In Australia, unlike in many other countries, life insurers are allowed to ask applicants for results of genetic tests and allowed to discriminate on the basis of the results. Other countries have introduced laws for their life insurance industries, ... more

04 June 2017

Cannabis is now being touted as a potential treatment for breast cancer, following the success of pre-clinical studies by a Perth-based biopharmaceutical company. The study was conducted on cells in vitro. Triple negative breast cancer is one of the ... more

03 June 2017

A chemical in diesel fumes, cosmetics and cleaning products causes cancer by damaging our ability to repair faults in our genes, scientists have found. Researchers have found formaldehyde can cause cancer by breaking down the mechanisms which fix dam... more

02 June 2017

Smokers who roll their own cigarettes or puff on cigars will have to pay more from September. The Federal Government introduced draft laws to increase the tax on certain tobacco products to bring them in line with manufactured cigarettes. It covers t... more

01 June 2017

Smoking, already off the menu inside restaurants, pubs and clubs, will from August 1 be off the menu outside too. From that day, in outside areas such as on footpaths or in courtyards and beer gardens, any smokers must be separated from dining areas ... more

01 June 2017

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has invoked the “horrible” plight of his late mother in an emotional attack on smoking. Cr Doyle will write to Premier Daniel Andrews calling for legislation to ban political parties accepting donations from the tobacco indust... more

01 June 2017

Australians under 30 are drinking, smoking and using illicit drugs far less than their parents and grandparents, research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows. The latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey, released today, f... more

31 May 2017

The Heart Foundation is urging the Northern Territory Government to stop investing public money into trusts linked to the tobacco industry and to strengthen tobacco legislation this World No Tobacco Day. The urgent call for action is in response to t... more

31 May 2017

The Cancer Council has today called for a ban on smoking around children. Hundreds of thousands of Queensland kids live with a smoker and attempts to protect them from toxic drift by puffing in the backyard or in another room are pointless. And light... more

31 May 2017

A simple saliva test could be used to assess a person’s melanoma risk within the next five years, Queensland researchers believe. Researchers from the Princess Alexandra Hospital and University of Queensland are conducting a study of more than 1200 p... more

31 May 2017

Breastfeeding has been linked to a lower risk of developing cancer of the uterus. An international study, led by Australian researchers, found women who breastfed for at least nine months had an 11 per cent lower risk of developing the common cancer ... more

31 May 2017

Perth’s western suburbs are home to the highest above average rates of skin cancer in WA, health statistics reveal. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare also shows Mandurah and Kwinana are cancer hotspots, with higher than the nat... more

30 May 2017

Gangs of criminals are stealing cigarettes in record numbers across Melbourne as the value of tobacco on the black market soars. Thieves broke into Victorian stores and stole tobacco 137 times between January 1, 2016 and March 15, 2017. Tobacco is no... more

30 May 2017

Smokers are butting out in record numbers in South Australia and fewer youngsters are lighting up, new figures show. Health experts are hailing the sharp dip in smoking rates as a potential life-saver from a variety of cigarette related illnesses, mo... more

30 May 2017

Alcohol advertising should be banned within walking distance of schools, according to health advocates who warn exposure to boozy billboards can lead to binge drinking. Backed by its own research linking alcohol advertising to risky drinking among Vi... more

29 May 2017

The Territory has been branded “a serial offender in failing to improve tobacco control” after it was announced as the recipient of the Dirty Ashtray Award for putting in the least effort to reduce smoking over the past 12 months. It is the second ye... more

29 May 2017

National Australia Bank's chief customer officer, Andrew Haggar, has admitted that the life insurance industry has not kept pace with advancements in genetic testing, despite research showing that even a small increase in the level of testing could c... more

29 May 2017

The resilience and resolve of Victoria’s Country Fire Authority volunteers is being pushed to its limit as the Andrews government continues its bid to split the organisation. But as if the unscrupulous union driven campaign wasn’t already a slap in t... more

28 May 2017

Breast cancer on Sydney’s north shore, melanoma on the state’s north coast and lung cancer in the city’s southwestern suburbs. The state’s cancer hot spots have been highlighted by new data that shows how where you live influences what type of cancer... more

28 May 2017

Removing asbestos is expensive. For cost reasons, as well as to protect the environment, governments are increasingly reluctant to dispose of all kinds of waste by dumping it in landfill. With asbestos, which can only be disposed of by safe, controll... more

28 May 2017

Through advances in robotic technology, surgical treatment – the mainstay with chemotherapy and radiation therapy – can be less invasive. “The use of the ‘da Vinci’ robot in colorectal surgery started in Victoria and it can offer superior outcomes to... more

27 May 2017

Three senior haematologists at two hospitals failed to raise the alarm after learning seriously ill leukaemia patients were only getting half the recommended chemotherapy dose. Two Royal Adelaide Hospital haematologists, Associate Professor Ian Lewis... more

27 May 2017

Perth researchers are warning electronic cigarettes are not a harmless alternative to regular cigarettes after a study found they could cause lung damage. A study led by Telethon Kids Institute researchers compared the lung health of mice exposed to ... more

27 May 2017

Drinking more coffee may help stave off liver cancer, a new study suggests. Researchers have found people who drink just one cup of coffee a day are 20 per cent less likely to develop the most common form of the disease. Drinking two cups of coffee a... more

27 May 2017

Health advocates and the State Government are at odds over a push to cut childhood obesity by forcing students to stand while in school. Olympian Jane Flemming sparked national debate yesterday when she revealed her push for a classroom stand. Prime ... more

26 May 2017

A South Australian e-cigarette vendor says he will be forced to spend $150,000 relocating interstate if the State Government imposes new restrictions on vaporisers. Introduced to Parliament last week by Substance Abuse Minister Leesa Vlahos, the legi... more

26 May 2017

One in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 85, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. It is expected to become the most commonly diagnosed cancer in 2017, with the number of new cases estimated to hit 17,73... more

26 May 2017

The Gold Coast is set to become an international hub for a promising new frontier in cancer research offering hope for earlier diagnosis and better treatments. Griffith University has spent $7 million to create the Australian Centre for Cancer Glycom... more

26 May 2017

Australian cervical cancer rates and deaths are at a historical low and more people are taking up bowel cancer screening, new reports reveal. Two new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports show positive steps forward in the fight against ... more

26 May 2017

Sugar is our enemy in the war on obesity but it’s our new friend in the war on cancer. A revolutionary wave of new cancer tests and treatments will hinge on targeting the sugar molecules on the outside of cancer cells. And Australian scientists are a... more

26 May 2017

Cigarette filters introduced in the 1960s to reduce the health risks associated with smoking have actually increased the likelihood of lung cancer, researchers say. The study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute upends the percep... more

24 May 2017

Drinking just one small glass of wine a day raises a woman’s risk of breast cancer, a major report concludes. It means even following safe drinking guidelines of 14 units a week could be enough to endanger health. A review of 119 studies, involving 1... more

24 May 2017

The impact exercise has on surviving many common cancers cannot be ignored, with Australian research showing the risk of dying may be reduced by nearly a half by regularly walking and lifting moderate weights. A review of more than 100 studies involv... more

23 May 2017

Pet owners have been urged to take extra care when cleaning litter trays after scientific claims that a common parasite spread by cats could cause prostate cancer. A microscopic bug, Toxoplasma gondii, has been found to trigger inflammation and the f... more

23 May 2017

Overweight boys may be at greater risk of bowel cancer when they grow up but, if they shed the kilos and achieve a healthy weight by young adulthood, the risk is nullified, a Danish study has found. With bowel cancer the second most common cancer in ... more

22 May 2017

Australian Medical Association WA president Andrew Miller says it appears the new State Government is being lobbied by medicinal cannabis producers to spruik what he describes as an unproved treatment in WA. “I suspect there’s a bit of pressure being... more

22 May 2017

Students of Australia’s first medicinal cannabis course will learn everything there is to know about the plant, short of ingesting it. There won’t be any visits to secret cultivation facilities, but architects of the new eight-week course at Deakin U... more

22 May 2017

Social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook are fueling an epidemic of skin cancer, an expert says. Dermatologist Christopher Rowland Payne said selfie obsessed youngsters ignored warnings about long-term damage, in return for a “like’’. Dr Pay... more

22 May 2017

Under the changes, which will take up to two years to introduce, the government will tip $100 million into the CFA, which will become a volunteer-only service. The state government yesterday announced plans for two separate services. It hopes this wi... more

22 May 2017

Doctors in WA will be summoned to an urgent roundtable discussion next month to explain why they are not prescribing medicinal cannabis. Premier Mark McGowan and Health Minister Roger Cook announced the meeting after it emerged no applications had be... more

19 May 2017

St Vincent’s Hospital yesterday rejected claims it tried to cover up the chemotherapy underdosing of more than 100 patients. A NSW parliamentary committee investigating the scandal yesterday delivered a damning report saying it could not discount the... more

19 May 2017

Medicare is being privatised by stealth as state governments end free public hospital care and the federal government squeezes patient rebates. Revealed this week, privately insured patients were getting priority treatment in public hospitals, waitin... more

19 May 2017

E-cigarettes would be banned in current non-smoking areas and sellers would face a fine of up to $5000 if caught offering vaporisers in vending machines, under proposed new laws. Substance Abuse Minister Leesa Vlahos has introduced legislation to Sta... more

19 May 2017

Tobacco giant Philip Morris has hit a major legal hurdle in its attempt to introduce a new smoke-free tobacco product to the Australasian market. The New Zealand government has laid charges against the company for allegedly importing and selling toba... more

19 May 2017

A new drug treatment could allow patients with advanced melanoma and brain tumours to live longer, an Australian trial has shown. A three-year Melanoma Institute trial of immunotherapy drugs nivolumab and ipilimumab showed more than three-quarters of... more

18 May 2017

A cancer drug specialist from Sydney may for the first time shed light on how much damage was done to the 10 underdosed chemotherapy victims who were given half the recommended daily dose. In a directions hearing the Deputy State Coroner, Anthony Sch... more

18 May 2017

More than 186 cancer types are defined as rare or less common, affecting fewer than 12 in every 100,000 people. While individually they are rare, collectively they account for almost one-quarter of cancers diagnosed and almost 40 per cent of cancer d... more

18 May 2017

The possibility St Vincent’s Hospital attempted to cover up the NSW chemotherapy dosing scandal cannot be discounted, according to a damning report from a parliamentary inquiry. The probe, which wrapped up in November, investigated the circumstances ... more

18 May 2017

Smokers are significantly more likely to develop skin cancer, a new Australian study has found. Researchers at Queensland’s Berghofer Medical Research Institute spent three years monitoring the development of skin cancers in almost 19,000 people and ... more

18 May 2017

Breakthroughs in stem cell science have paved the way for the generation of universal blood cells in the lab, with unprecedented applications for treatment and research. Two American teams have separately found ways to reprogram adult tissues into fu... more

17 May 2017

The State Government has vowed to snuff out plans for “shisha smoking cafes” in Glenorchy. Shisha cafes, which involve flavoured, low-content tobacco and non-tobacco smoking using water pipes, have been proposed for the Glenorchy region despite confu... more

17 May 2017

A medicinal marijuana hotline will be set up to help doctors who feel pressured to dispense the drug as patients demand easier access. As patient groups mount political campaigns for easier prescriptions, the Therapeutic Goods Administration will hol... more

17 May 2017

While the horror of being diagnosed with testicular cancer is all too common for young men, the outlook is good with early detection. For every 100 Australian men diagnosed with the disease now being faced by Jesse Hogan, 98 will survive. Across the ... more

17 May 2017

The Medicare rebate thaw will not apply to 93 per cent of scans, including the X-rays, MRIs and ultrasounds used to diagnose some of the most common forms of cancer. On budget night, the Turnbull government said the final stage of the thaw, due in Ju... more

17 May 2017

Tasmania’s first major private cancer centre has been proposed for Hobart’s CBD with hopes it can start treating patients before the end of the year. The centre would offer chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments, with radiation oncology servic... more

15 May 2017

Doctors are being warned not to prescribe medical cannabis even if Australian governments have legalised the treatment. A meeting of Australia’s top pain specialists will today be told the federal and Victorian governments have jumped the gun by l... more

15 May 2017

Terminally ill Victorians could have up to two years to seek a physician assisted death, with the Andrews government’s advisers contemplating whether to set a longer than expected time frame in the euthanasia laws to be introduced this year. Patients... more

15 May 2017

Women with some types of breast implant are up to 14 times more likely to develop a rare form of cancer than those with a similar product, Australian researchers have revealed, as two more cases are added to the official tally. The Australian study h... more

15 May 2017

It’s a frightening reality that enough poison is stored in the average Victorian home to kill its inhabitants many times over. In fact, studies show even household products labelled as “green” can contain potentially deadly chemicals. The list of tox... more

15 May 2017

A man who died of cancer was wrongly diagnosed by a doctor as having Lyme disease and treated for 30 weeks with antibiotics. The Health Care Complaints Commission prosecuted Dr Peter Mayne before a Medical Professional Standards Committee and found t... more

12 May 2017

Bill Shorten has backed the Greens in a vote that would have allowed “bags of weed” and hash into Australia. In a dramatic day, the Therapeutic Goods Administration was dispatched to Parliament House to urge the crossbench to stop the move to undo to... more

12 May 2017

A revolutionary new way to diagnose melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, could be available within five years. Prof Mel Ziman, from Edith Cowan University, in WA, presented new world-leading findings on liquid biopsies for early melanoma dete... more

12 May 2017

More than 6000 case of a rare, hard-to-detect type of cervical cancer will be averted by 2040 as a result of vaccination and screening, according to new research. An Australian study by Cancer Council NSW has estimated the combined impact of HPV vacc... more

11 May 2017

Hormone replacement therapy could increase women’s risk of hearing loss by up to a fifth, the first study of its kind suggests. The longer women used HRT the greater the risk of hearing problems, according to a US study which suggests deafness may ne... more

11 May 2017

Scientists have found microbes in the gut cause malformation of blood vessels in the brain, spawning a mostly untreatable condition that can trigger facial paralysis, seizures and strokes. An international research team has uncovered the molecular me... more

11 May 2017

Two senior medical professionals at the Royal Adelaide Hospital were stood down yesterday over their role in the chemotherapy scandal in which 10 seriously ill leukaemia patients were under-dosed at two major hospitals. It is understood SA Health ord... more

10 May 2017

Women with advanced breast cancer have been offered a new lifeline — but it comes at a price. Australian breast cancer support groups have welcomed a decision to approve the drug palbociclib but warn it is only a “half win” because women will still h... more

10 May 2017

The black market tobacco industry that costs Australia billions in lost taxes and is suspected of funding terrorism is thriving in Western Sydney. The Australian Border Force made 67,492 seizures of illegal tobacco in international mail alone between... more

10 May 2017

Smokers using roll-your-own tobacco are to be hit by higher costs. The government is adjusting the tax on RYO tobacco so the cost falls in line with manufactured cigarettes. The changes will affect the per-kilogram excise and excise-equivalent Custom... more

10 May 2017

Researchers battling to win the fight against childhood cancer will be given more than $1 million to fast track their work. The government has given $1.4 million to scientists to boost their international collaboration on paediatric brain cancer clin... more

10 May 2017

A mother’s breast milk contains good bacteria that is planted in the gut of breastfed babies, a study has found. US researchers say the finding highlights the importance of breastfeeding in establishing the lifelong digestive health of infants. The m... more

10 May 2017

Patients are more likely to be bulkbilled after the Turnbull government last night announced the end of the Medicare rebate freeze — at a cost of $1 billion over three years — and scrapped plans to dump incentive payments for pathology and diagnostic... more

09 May 2017

Three online retailers have been fined thousands of dollars in what is believed to be a world-first ruling against false and misleading claims about the presence of carcinogens in electronic cigarettes. The ruling is expected to prompt a flood of act... more

09 May 2017

Air pollution contributes to a 10 per cent rise in people being diagnosed with cancer, a study has found. US researchers believe it causes an extra 44 cases per 100,000 people. The study, published in the journal, Cancer, is the first to examine the ... more

08 May 2017

Australia's first proton beam therapy centre will be built in Adelaide after the federal government committed $68 million to its establishment. The radiation therapy uses heavier particles (protons) instead of X-rays and more accurately targets tumou... more

08 May 2017

A Tasmanian company says it expects to be making medicinal cannabis products by as early as next year after being granted the country’s first cannabis related licences. Tasmanian Botanics, which says regulations preclude disclosure of its location, h... more

08 May 2017

A single nine-minute dose of radiation therapy delivered during breast cancer surgery is replacing three to five weeks of daily treatment, as part of an international trial. Australian women with early, low-risk breast cancer are among the first in t... more

08 May 2017

A World Trade Organisation decision to uphold Australia’s restrictive plain tobacco packaging laws has been hailed a victory for public health policy. “I’m absolutely thrilled,” said former federal health minister and attorney general Nicola Roxon, w... more

08 May 2017

A lightweight sleeve made from “smart” materials that mimics the experience of self-massage is being developed to reduce one of the most debilitating side effects of breast cancer surgery. About a third of women with breast cancer develop lymphedema,... more

08 May 2017

Women with a history of ovarian cancer will be tracked down and advised to undergo genetic testing to safeguard their children against the disease under an ambitious national program. The research project expects to prevent about 800 ovarian cancers ... more

08 May 2017

WorkSafe Tasmania has launched an asbestos awareness and education campaign focused on under-30-year-olds who have little or no knowledge of the diseases associated with asbestos. Cases of asbestos-related mesothelioma and lung cancer are on the rise... more

08 May 2017

Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $US110 million ($149 million) to a US woman who says she developed ovarian cancer after 40 years of using its talc-based products for feminine hygiene. Virgina’s Lois Slemp is undergoing chemotherapy afte... more

05 May 2017

Australian drug regulators have granted what is believed to be the first licence to grow medical cannabis in WA. The licence was granted by the Office of Drug Control and makes AusCann one of only a few companies to be given approval in Australia. Au... more

05 May 2017

A simple algorithm that can predict the likelihood of lung cancer in smokers and ex-smokers could revolutionise screening and help save lives, Australian researchers say. A study by Cancer Council NSW evaluated the performance of the US-developed pre... more

04 May 2017

The boss of an online e-cigarette company has been fined $55,000 after being pursued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for falsely claiming the products did not contain cancer-causing chemicals. In what is believed to be a world-f... more

04 May 2017

It has been called the ashtray of the city’s heart and Cancer Council Queensland says the Brisbane City Council must urgently stub out smoking in King George Square. Many surrounding streets and the Queen Street Mall have a smoking ban, but people ar... more

04 May 2017

Drinking even moderate amounts of alcohol – the equivalent of half a bottle of wine a week – may increase the risk of breast cancer returning in female survivors. Studies have already shown consuming alcohol is a risk factor for developing the diseas... more

04 May 2017

The four-year freeze on Medicare rebates will finally lift this July for some GP visits, and extend to specialists and medical procedures over the next three years as part of a multibillion-dollar long-term health budget package to help restore the C... more

04 May 2017

Melanomas occurring in places where the sun doesn’t shine have confused doctors for decades. But a new study has uncovered unique genetic drivers in types of the deadly cancer that occur on the soles of the feet palms of the hands and in the respirat... more

04 May 2017

Top End doctors are expected to increasingly prescribe cannabis oil following the legalisation of hemp, according to a leading pharmacist speaking in Darwin tonight. Medical Cannabis Research Australia pharmacist Paul Mavor is addressing health profe... more

03 May 2017

Hospital upgrades and slashing elective surgery waiting lists are the focus of a $2.9 billion healthcare spend in the Andrews government’s third budget, paving the way for an election platform built on the traditional Labor stronghold of health. Work... more

03 May 2017

Illegal tobacco is now costing the Australian government $1.61 billion in lost taxes, a report to be published today will reveal. The Illicit Tobacco in Australia 2016 report calls for a national strategy – similar to one in place in the UK – to tack... more

03 May 2017

Professor Ian Frazer AC, in Perth as a keynote speaker for the Science on the Swan conference, is leading a team investigating the link between bacteria on the skin and its role in the development of Australia’s most prolific cancer. “Obviously, your... more

03 May 2017

Australians in pain and suffering from chronic ailments may have access to medicinal cannabis from today as the first major commercial shipments of the drug have been cleared by customs. Around 2000 units of cannabis oil are now being stored in secur... more

02 May 2017

A country dentist has been caught administering an experimental and potentially dangerous cancer drug to up to a dozen people, which left some with chemical burns. Despite having no formal qualifications to diagnose or treat patients outside of denti... more

01 May 2017

A cystic fibrosis ‘‘miracle’’ drug that would normally cost patients $300,000 a year and a breakthrough rare cancer treatment will become affordable under new Turnbull government subsidies. Health Minister Greg Hunt says the medicines – among $310 mi... more

01 May 2017

Dodgy backyard solariums are flourishing in Victoria as users turn to covert social media groups and classifieds websites in the hunt for a deadly tan. Commercial tanning beds were outlawed in Victoria from January 1 2015, as part of the fight agains... more

01 May 2017

A smart pill that could replace the colonoscopy and revolutionise the diagnosis of gut disorders has been developed by Australian researchers and succeeded in human trials. The pill, which is the size of a vitamin capsule, is swallowed by the patient... more

01 May 2017

Researchers have found the best way to diagnose head injuries in children with head trauma, reducing unnecessary radiation exposure from brain scans. Children who have CT scans have a slightly higher risk of developing cancer later in life. While the... more

01 May 2017

  Radiotherapy has been linked to an increase in non-breast cancer deaths of up to 1 per cent, most commonly cardiovascular-related. Cancer centres internationally have grappled with the infrequent but serious side-effect, often spending upwards of ... more

28 April 2017

A new asbestos agency must be urgently set up to combat an ever-growing “third wave” of asbestos victims, mostly from DIY renovations, a damning Ombudsman report says. Despite earlier reports blasting government inaction over the problem, a further 3... more

28 April 2017

Drinking three cups of strong coffee a day slashes the risk of developing prostate cancer by more than 50 per cent, a study has found. Research on 7000 men shed further light on the role of caffeine in fighting prostate cancer. Researchers followed t... more

28 April 2017

Scientists in the UK have developed a blood test that detects the recurrence of lung cancer in patients up to a year before the disease can be detected by CT scans and X-rays. The groundbreaking TRACERx study, funded by Cancer Research UK, identified... more

27 April 2017

A program providing specialist nurses to help men deal with prostate cancer will be continued with a $6 million funding package from the federal government. Health Minister Greg Hunt will today announce support for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of A... more

27 April 2017

A major proposal is afoot to build an international radiation, oncology and chemotherapy treatment centre, complete with 72-bed luxury accommodation and possible golf course. More than a million visitors flock to Phillip Island each year, with the pe... more

27 April 2017

Perth-based scientists are preparing to launch ground breaking research to develop an easy way to scan people for dangerous plaque in their arteries. The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research in Nedlands said that despite decades of public heal... more

27 April 2017

Babies born through IVF are almost three times as likely to develop cancer in childhood, a study has found. Experts say this might be due to eggs being fertilised by potentially defective sperm grown in a lab — rather than the strongest reaching them... more

27 April 2017

Yoghurt is becoming so packed with sugar most brands should be considered a dessert, rather than a healthy snack, obesity experts warn. Some small tubs of flavoured yoghurt now contain up to 7.5 teaspoons of sugar, so the Cancer Council and Heart Fou... more

26 April 2017

Sperm that’s loaded with chemotherapy drugs could be used to fight cancer in women. The guided missile technique uses drug-treated sperm to deliver the medicines to tumours deep inside the body. For years, scientists have been exploring ways to deliv... more

26 April 2017

Children who reach puberty earlier are at greater risk of developing cancer later in their life, a new study has found. Girls typically reach puberty at 12 or 13 while boys tend to start later at 13 or 14. But for every year a child starts puberty be... more

26 April 2017

An international arrangement allowing brain tumour samples from Australian patients to be tested in German labs will end in December next year, forcing doctors and cancer charities to call for increased investment to ensure local access. Brain cancer... more

26 April 2017

Carbs are good and so is starvation if you want to live longer. And to add some extra years, avoid red meat, sweets, and big nights out. Today, the Australian Biology of Ageing Conference in Sydney will be told that in order for Australians to live l... more

24 April 2017

A Queensland company has been awarded the state’s first licence to legally cultivate and produce medicinal cannabis. Medifarm director Adam Benjamin said the business planned to start rolling out local products by early 2018. “We do appreciate that t... more

24 April 2017

Patients will have easier access to medicinal cannabis under new rules to take effect from tomorrow. Under the regulations, South Australian medical specialists will be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis to patients for short terms without State Go... more

24 April 2017

Patients and taxpayers will pay less for hundreds of medicines as a result of the May budget as the Federal Government wrings $1.8 billion in savings from big drug companies. However, many people will be pushed to switch to cheaper generic versions o... more

24 April 2017

Queenslanders are snubbing sun cancer warnings as the latest data from Queensland Health shows more than half admit to being recently sunburnt. In 2016, 56 per cent of adults had suffered at least one case of sunburn in the past year, sparking an urg... more

24 April 2017

The Federal Government will spend $5.5 million over three years on a national immunisation awareness campaign to convince hesitant parents to vaccinate their kids. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the campaign would “specifically target areas of low va... more

24 April 2017

Australians could save up to 38.3kg of “unnecessary” added sugar from their everyday diets each year by making simple food swaps, a report says. Better labelling would help shoppers identify surprising added sugar levels in some packaged meals, cerea... more

21 April 2017

The Heart Foundation wants the State Government to fast-track its promised $27 million expenditure on cycle paths, after research found cycling to work could almost halve the risk of heart disease and cancer. A study of 250,000 commuters in Britain l... more

21 April 2017

Five more cases of a rare blood cancer linked to breast implants have been confirmed in Australia, bringing the total to 51 women, including three who have died. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has been monitoring the link between breast implant... more

20 April 2017

Escalating out-of-pocket costs for cancer treatment will be assessed in a state-first survey by the Cancer Council Queensland. The CCQ says the findings will be key to highlighting areas that need greater co-operation between government and leading c... more

20 April 2017

Alcohol packaging could go the way of cigarettes, as new research reveals the power of graphic advertising on reducing drinkers’ booze intake. Graphic ads showing the long-term effects of alcohol on the body and how it can increase the risk of cancer... more

19 April 2017

Chemotherapy underdose victim Andrew Knox will travel to Melbourne next week to begin life or death treatment to beat the same strain of acute myeloid leukaemia he had two years ago. Mr Knox, who is one of seven of the 10 wrongly-treated cancer patie... more

18 April 2017

Simple infections could turn deadly while chemotherapy and organ transplants may be deemed too risky in future unless authorities act quickly to cut the use of antibiotics in Australia, infectious disease experts warn. Their warning was sparked by a ... more

18 April 2017

No fines have been handed out for smoking near playgrounds in Canberra, despite a proposal to extend the ban to bus stops. While lighting up within 10 metres of a playground could cost you up to $750, ACT Policing, Access Canberra inspectors and city... more

18 April 2017

A black market of illegal sunbeds has sprung up as tan hungry Queenslanders skirt a statewide ban on the cancer causing machines. An investigation has uncovered several operators using the Gumtree website to promote illegal solariums housed in garage... more

18 April 2017

Easter Tuesday is becoming the new January 1 as people turn to exercise and healthy foods after gorging on sweet treats over the weekend. After days packed with hot cross buns and countless chocolates, remorseful Aussies are expected to stick it to t... more

13 April 2017

More children than ever are surviving leukaemia in Australia, according to a new report. A study of 90,000 children diagnosed during 2005-2009 in 53 countries published in The Lancet Haematology has found the five-year survival in some countries is n... more

12 April 2017

Australian biotech OncoSil yesterday warned that because of domestic regulations local patients would have to wait a year longer than Europeans for access to its new pancreatic cancer treatment. The Australian-listed company is pushing ahead with Eur... more

12 April 2017

You will soon pay more for X-rays and scans. Out-of-pocket costs will rise to more than $200 per screening, as the Federal Government prepares to ditch its election promise to raise Medicare rebates for the tests. The broken promise will be a particu... more

12 April 2017

If a tiny imaging probe can be fitted into the tip of a surgeon’s glove, it may reduce the heartbreak for breast cancer patients such as Karen Taylor, who was recently told she must undergo a second operation to remove leftover cancer cells. Biomedic... more

12 April 2017

In a world first Australian researchers have mapped the entire genome of a prostate tumour, providing a new lens through which to view this disease. They mapped the most commonly diagnosed grade of prostate cancer. It was a tumour that scored 7 on th... more

12 April 2017

A new cancer drug licensed by Eli Lilly was discovered by a six-year old start-up on the outskirts of Shanghai, and derived from the ovary cells of Chinese hamsters. Lilly now is planning to test it on Americans. Rival Merck aims to test a separate c... more

12 April 2017

A Melbourne medical breakthrough could stop cancer in its tracks by locking cells into a harmless state before they mutate and spread. Scientists at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre are on the verge of a new way to suspend... more

11 April 2017

Australian biotech Novogen has confirmed plans to start a phase two clinical trial to test what it says is one of the most keenly watched drugs globally for brain cancer. Novogen has been progressing development plans for a new drug to treat glioblas... more

11 April 2017

Postcodes can be a matter of life or death so Australian researchers are mapping the way to a cancer-free future. Health experts will today launch an Australian-first research study to understand national patterns in cancer incidence, survival and sc... more

07 April 2017

A new online platform connecting Australian teens who have been diagnosed with or are suffering from cancer will be launched this year by the Sony Foundation, aimed at developing a digital form of care for young adult patients. The You Can Network, a... more

07 April 2017

Canberra’s cancer patients now have access to one of the globe’s most advanced medical imaging devices after a new $3 million cancer scanner was installed in a suite in the ACT’s main health precinct in Garran. The large positron emission tomography–... more

07 April 2017

Living in an area of high pollution may increase a women’s chance of a risk factor for breast cancer, a study suggests. Women who live in areas with a high level of fine particles from air pollution may have an increased chance of having dense breast... more

06 April 2017

Australian scientists say a “one-two punch” approach could boost survival chances of people with the deadliest form of cancer. The technique involves “priming” pancreatic tumours by targeting surrounding tissues with a drug that opens blood vessels, ... more

06 April 2017

The long-term use of antibiotics increases the risk later in life of developing colon polyps, often a precursor of bowel cancer, US researchers said. The findings boost evidence that the digestive tract’s complex network of bacteria may play a key ro... more

05 April 2017

A Perth women’s cancer expert believes rates of cervical cancer will drop 15 per cent once a new screening test is introduced this year. Gynaecologic oncologist Jason Tan, a lead clinician with WA’s Cancer and Palliative Care Network, said the new te... more

05 April 2017

The Turnbull government is giving Melbourne researchers $466,000 in a bid to fast-track local production of medicinal cannabis plants. It is hoped the pilot program, run by the University of Melbourne, will improve how scientists extract the parts of... more

05 April 2017

Doctors may one day be able to give prostate cancer the smell test instead of performing biopsies, after scientists devised a way to copy the super-sensitive noses of dogs. Studies have shown that dogs can be trained to spot telltale signs of cancer ... more

03 April 2017

Outdoor smoking areas will be scrapped at cafes and restaurants across Melbourne because owners don’t have the room to implement new buffer zones. From August 1, eateries will be required to adopt a 4m buffer or install plastic walls to shield diners... more

03 April 2017

An aspirin a day helps keep bowel cancer away, says a leading specialist, who recommends people over 50 discuss the idea with their GP. “The observational epidemiology is very convincing that aspirin protects you from getting bowel cancer,” Professor... more

31 March 2017

Perth researchers are investigating venom from an exotic spider as a possible anti-cancer drug. A Curtin University computational chemist has been awarded a $32,000 early career grant to study whether peptides from a Brazilian spider can kill cancer ... more

31 March 2017

Sugar is becoming a significant risk factor for investors, one of Australia’s biggest wealth management groups says. Amid rising obesity levels and growing healthcare costs, a report from AMP Capital says concerns about the sweet stuff have begun lim... more

31 March 2017

Doctors say obtaining permission to prescribe medicinal cannabis is a “pain in the backside” – intensifying pressure on the State Government to make it easier for patients to access the drug. Adelaide Cancer Centre oncologist Brian Stein said he had ... more

30 March 2017

New Zealand has given the green light to nicotine e cigarettes, days after Australian authorities rejected an application to have them legalised here. Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner said sales would be legal with “appropriate controls”. “This... more

30 March 2017

One of the country’s leading commercial cancer and vaccine research centres is being forced to close after Monash University refused to renew a lease in a bid to take possession of the company’s $10 million purpose-built facility. In what has been de... more

30 March 2017

Patients would be told they have cancer or given the all clear four weeks after seeing their GP under new plans being rolled out across the UK. The 28-day target next year has been created to speed up diagnosis times. Many patients currently wait sev... more

30 March 2017

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report for 2014-15, released today, reveals significant variations in immunisation rates across the country. In Adelaide, 75.8 per cent of girls were fully immunised. Across South Australia, the rate was... more

29 March 2017

A new treatment regimen for prostate cancer halves treatment times and can reduce devastating side effects including impotence and incontinence associated with surgery. An international study including Australians has shown a four-week, high-dose, ta... more

29 March 2017

Australia’s decision to ban the use of nicotine in electronic cigarettes has been condemned as ‘‘flawed and unethical’’ by a group of doctors and health experts. Last Friday the Therapeutic Goods Administration made its final decision to uphold the b... more

29 March 2017

A Melbourne pancreatic health cancer patient will be the first to trial an Australian-developed tumour implant as part of a global clinical study. Public health group Monash Health yesterday confirmed it had recruited the first patient for the 20-per... more

29 March 2017

Thousands of cancer cases are linked to the workplace each year and the Cancer Council says it is time for stronger health and safety practices. An estimated 3.6 million Australians are exposed to cancer-causing agents every day at work. Ultraviolet ... more

29 March 2017

Nobody knows if the residue of metal left in the brain by some MRI contrast agents is harmful, but concern is certainly rising. In a significant move, the risk committee of European Medicines Agency has recommended four contrast agents that leave thi... more

28 March 2017

Drugs that target the body’s nerves could become a new way to treat cancer, an Australian biochemist says. Researchers at the University of Newcastle have found evidence of a physical link between the nervous system and cancer tumours. “We and other ... more

28 March 2017

Scientists have discovered the key to better treatment and earlier diagnosis of ovarian cancer, identifying 12 new genes that increase the risk of developing the killer disease. In the biggest study of ovarian cancer genetics ever conducted, it’s hop... more

27 March 2017

More than four million Australians are missing out on vital life-saving vaccines every year, with coverage dangerously low among older adults, teenagers and the chronically ill. Experts say society has rightfully focused on boosting immunisation amon... more

27 March 2017

It has long been considered a “no-brainer” for improving health, but quitting smoking can also nurse a bank balance back to tip top condition. The average cost of a packet of cigarettes has now risen to $21, according to the Cancer Institute NSW. Thi... more

26 March 2017

Dogs can sniff out cancer from a piece of cloth that had touched the breast of a woman with a tumour, researchers say, announcing the results of an unusual — but promising — diagnostic trial. With just six months of training, a pair of German shepher... more

25 March 2017

Most cancers are caused by “bad luck” – random mistakes that occur when cells divide, according to controversial research. The findings challenge the widespread view that cancer mutations are generally inherited or triggered by environmental factors.... more

25 March 2017

Sick Australians will save $500 million over four years and up to $200 a year each on the cost of medicines after an announcement yesterday by Health Minister Greg Hunt. Drugs to treat diseases and illnesses such as breast cancer, mental health, ecze... more

24 March 2017

The doctor at the centre of the St Vincent’s chemotherapy scandal acted in good faith and with the interests of his patients at heart — according to the settlement of his claim for unfair dismissal. The agreement is a significant step for Dr John Gry... more

24 March 2017

More than $17 million worth of illegally farmed tobacco was seized by the Australian Taxation Office and the NSW Police Force this week on properties in NSW and Victoria. Police raided a property in southern NSW on Tuesday where they found 92,000 tob... more

24 March 2017

  Hot on the heels of AMP’s decision to butt out of tobacco related investments, National Australia Bank’s Kiwi subsidiary has announced it too will be going cold turkey. The Bank of New Zealand yesterday said it would exclude tobacco products, clus... more

24 March 2017

A landmark study published on Friday shows that about two-thirds of all cancers are caused by random errors made during normal cell division. The study reviewed 32 types of cancer and found about 66 per cent of cancer mutations result from random DNA... more

23 March 2017

Organised crime syndicates trafficking drugs such as ice and cocaine are now smuggling tobacco leaf and cigarettes and funnelling the cash to terrorist groups. With taxes on tobacco set to rise again in this year’s federal Budget, black market tobacc... more

23 March 2017

Patients wanting legal access to medicinal cannabis have been told they will need to pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for the drug, as the state and federal governments continue to fight over who should subsidise it. Patients have been quoted ... more

23 March 2017

Women who take the Pill while young are at lower risk of ovarian, womb and bowel cancer three decades later, landmark research has found. The study of 46,000 women — the longest ever conducted — concluded the protective benefits lasted for 35 years a... more

23 March 2017

Queenslanders will know exactly how many kilojoules they are consuming when they munch on their favourite fast foods as mandatory nutritional menu labelling starts in the state tomorrow. The new law makes it compulsory for the energy content of food ... more

22 March 2017

Fresh thinking in the treatment of prostate cancer may give new hope to men with advanced disease. The standard practice is for men newly diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer to be put directly onto hormone therapy. However, since the '90s, a gr... more

22 March 2017

Men who are overweight in their late teens have a higher risk of developing liver cancer in later life, a study suggests. They are also more likely to develop other severe liver disease, according to the research published in the journal, Gut. Adela... more

20 March 2017

A new blood test that can detect if a cancer drug has stopped working months earlier than standard invasive biopsies will be offered to patients. The Melbourne breakthrough development of the “liquid biopsy” will give them regular reassurances about ... more

20 March 2017

Researchers from Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Manchester and Surrey universities have found people are sleeping almost two hours a night less than they did in the 1960s — and our health is deteriorating as a result. “What we do as a species, perhaps u... more

20 March 2017

Women residing in leafier areas appear to live longer than those with less vegetation around, and it has been suggested that improved mental health and more opportunities for social and physical activity were crucial factors. Data from more than 108,... more

20 March 2017

Food companies are being accused of confusing customers by using the ratings only on their healthiest products, creating a halo effect on the rest of the range. Jane Martin, executive manager of Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC), says companies are usin... more

20 March 2017

Alarming evidence suggests fans of gluten-free diets are risking cancer and other chronic illnesses due to the high levels of toxic metals found in gluten-free foods. Two major studies from the US reveal that those choosing gluten-free foods have twi... more

20 March 2017

Eating too much cheese may increase breast cancer risk by more than 50 per cent. Cheddar and cream cheese, in particular, could increase the danger, a New York study of 3000 women’s diets found. Dairy, with the exception of yoghurt, has been linked t... more

17 March 2017

The European Chemicals Agency yesterday said glyphosate, did not cause cancer, but the agricultural giant was facing new questions in the US over the safety of the weedkiller. Scrutiny of glyphosate has grown since 2015, when the International Agency... more

16 March 2017

A study, published in the journal Toxins, has found that toxins in a cobra’s venom could have implications for human health. The chemicals found in the venom a potential source of toxins for drug treatments targeting cancerous cells. ‘‘Anything that ... more

15 March 2017

However Dr Loi, an oncologist with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, is leading research to test the combination of Keytruda the immunotherapy drug with trastuzumab a gene therapy that has proven effective against the aggressive HER2 po... more

13 March 2017

A new drug developed in Melbourne can shrink tumours in the laboratory. Olivia Newton John Cancer Research Institute senior clinical research fellow Associate Prof Tom John said the drug was an antibody drug conjugate which binds to a target on the s... more

13 March 2017

Being obese or overweight is becoming the new normal, with a new American study finding fewer people are trying to lose weight. Nearly 66 per cent of Americans are now overweight or obese, compared with 62 per cent in 2004 and 53 per cent in 1994. Au... more

12 March 2017

Scientists have discovered a potential cure for the deadly cancer that has decimated the Tasmanian devil population in the past two decades. The breakthrough has seen tumours the size of golf balls disappear over three months after a trial of immunot... more

11 March 2017

You can now add enhanced risk of premature balding to the list of illnesses and indignities faced by small men of European descent, a new study says. “Our data indicates that some of the genes involved in baldness are associated, on average, with sho... more

10 March 2017

Perth man Bob Elliott has been accepted as the final patient who will take part in a global immunotherapy drug trial. The new treatment uses two immune activator drugs - nivolumab, known as a check-point inhibitor, and a second drug ipilimumab. Since... more

10 March 2017

Kelly Cartwright, a Paralympian and ambassador for Rare Cancers Australia is raising awareness of the particular challenges faced by patients battling rare diseases. Making up 30 per cent of all cancer diagnoses and almost half of cancer deaths, thes... more

10 March 2017

In 2012, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre launched an ambitious project with IBM’s Watson program that promised to transform cancer care with the help of artificial intelligence. Almost five years and more than $US62 million ($82m) l... more

09 March 2017

State governments are being blamed for holding up access to medicinal cannabis, as the Federal Government announces the first licence has been granted for an Australian company to grow and harvest the drug. Only one person in SA has permission to use... more

08 March 2017

A wonder drug that’s been successfully used to treat deadly melanoma can now be accessed by lung cancer patients in a major change providing fresh hope for those suffering from the deadliest cancer. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has given doct... more

08 March 2017

For the first time since state records began, the fight against the deadly disease appears to be failing. Incidence rates have consistently decreased since 1982 but have now flat lined as only half of eligible women get regular Pap smears – the secon... more

08 March 2017

A simple blood test for cancer could find tumours in the body without the need for a painful biopsy. Scientists behind a new study hope so-called “liquid biopsies” will revolutionise cancer treatment by distinguishing between people with slow growing... more

08 March 2017

Junk food should be sold in plain packaging to help people stop overeating, argues one of Britain’s foremost brain researchers. British ministers are under pressure to test the idea after Wolfram Schultz, a Cambridge University neuroscientist, said t... more

08 March 2017

A new blood test enables doctors to more accurately and rapidly assess the success of a bone marrow transplant, has been hailed a lifesaver because of its ability to give doctors more time to respond to changes in a patient’s condition. Developed ove... more

07 March 2017

Cancer cells can now be killed by starving them of the fuel to which they’re “addicted” after a breakthrough by Australian scientists. Centenary Institute Associate Professor Jeff Holst led the study, which found that unlike normal cells, these cance... more

07 March 2017

Soy is not only good for breast cancer survivors but may have a protective effect, a study has found — contradicting some fears over its oestrogen-like properties. The study, published in the journal Cancer, said isoflavones found in soy foods slowed... more

07 March 2017

A Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of a deadly form of breast cancer by 40 per cent, a large study has found. Scientists monitored more than 62,000 women over 20 years. The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, found those pe... more

06 March 2017

Australian researchers have received a funding boost to develop a world-first radiotherapy system that will ensure a “safer” delivery of the lifesaving treatment to hard-to-treat cancers. One of the difficulties with current treatment techniques, whi... more

06 March 2017

Australians are paying almost four times more than the best international prices for a range of prescription drugs, as 6 per cent of patients delay or forgo necessary medication due to cost. The Grattan Institute report calls on the Turnbull governme... more

06 March 2017

Big tobacco has exploited a loophole in Australia’s world-first plain packaging laws, which allowed smokers to discard the now-famous drab packaging and use the plain silver soft pack enclosed inside. The Department of Health has received 1054 indivi... more

06 March 2017

A survey by financial products ratings group Canstar has found that women are slugged an average 32 per cent more for income protection insurance than men seeking the same cover. The Canstar study of 15 income protection policies offered directly to ... more

06 March 2017

You’ve been slip, slop, slapping all wrong. The Cancer Council has redesigned its sunscreen packaging to clarify application instructions after a record number of complaints during summer about products not working properly. CEO Professor Sanchia Ara... more

06 March 2017

A St Louis, jury yesterday rejected a Tennessee woman’s lawsuit that Johnson & Johnson baby powder contributed to her ovarian cancer, a victory for the company after it lost three previous, similar lawsuits in the city. The verdict came after thr... more

06 March 2017

British adults consume about a whopping 100 million fast food and takeaway meals every week, resulting in an “increased cancer risk”, a report reveals. Each week, UK adults eat in excess of 79 million ready meals and 22 million takeaways. Despite bei... more

06 March 2017

Radical changes to the juggernaut CSIRO diet plan is putting more than double the amount of “good” fat back on the menu, but only about a quarter of the carbs a day. A new book, based on top tier scientific trials, replaces the ahead-of-its-time best... more

03 March 2017

Exercising in middle age can offset the harms of being obese, a major study suggests. The research – which implies it is possible to be fat and fit – undermines the theory that obesity automatically leads to ill-health. Dutch scientists concluded tha... more

02 March 2017

Critically ill children with epilepsy have become the first in Victoria to legally access medicinal cannabis through a compassionate access scheme. Minister for Health Jill Hennessy said these children were nominated by their neurologists as being mo... more

02 March 2017

A local research team will investigate the importance of a chromosome in Tasmanian families with hereditary prostate cancer thanks to a new funding grant. The Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation has announced details of its grant funding for 20... more

02 March 2017

Obesity strongly increases the risk of developing 11 types of cancer, a major study has revealed. Being overweight is probably linked to many other forms of the illness but so far there is not enough evidence, researchers say. Types linked to obesity... more

02 March 2017

Queenslanders are becoming increasingly baffled as to what makes a healthy diet and soaring numbers are turning to the reverse food pyramid. Nutrition Australia Queensland experts warn against the trend of flipping the dietary recommendations in the ... more

01 March 2017

A new drug to stop breast cancer spreading to the bones has been developed by US scientists at Utah University. The cancer can cause bones to become brittle and break, in a similar way to osteoporosis, causing pain and fractures. The new drug works b... more

01 March 2017

Wealthy high school girls are placing themselves in danger of skin cancer despite being aware of the risks of tanning. New figures showing seven out of 10 secondary students are aware of the dangers of tanning, however almost two thirds still take th... more

01 March 2017

Australian women will have to wait another seven months for a new test for cervical cancer, and taxpayers will have to foot the bill, after the federal government bungled the rollout. From May 1, the two-yearly pap test was supposed to be replaced by... more

28 February 2017

There are fears many more Australians will die from bowel cancer because of a “blow-out” in colonoscopy waiting times. Bowel Cancer Australia is calling on governments to address the “looming” crisis, after independent research showed more than half ... more

28 February 2017

Cancer experts have renewed calls for a sugar tax after research showing large numbers of adolescents, particularly teenage boys, are drinking a litre of soft drink or more a week. Research from the National Secondary Students’ Diet and Activity Stud... more

27 February 2017

Australian researchers are developing medications to be taken alongside chemotherapy to protect the heart from the toxic but lifesaving cancer treatment. The team at Melbourne’s Murdoch Childrens Research Institute is also working on uncovering the “... more

27 February 2017

Latest results from a Queensland Health survey reveal nearly 70 per cent of Isaac residents were sunburnt at least once in 2015-16. Noosa shire was Queensland’s most sun savvy region. Melanoma Institute Australia chief executive Carole Renouf said “i... more

27 February 2017

Food manufacturers are gaming the Health Star Rating system to effectively hide huge amounts of sugar and fat in processed food, according to nutrition experts. The system allows food manufacturers to receive “modifying points” by adding protein or f... more

27 February 2017

Chile has become the most aggressive nation in the pursuit of slimming down it citizens. Australia’s Obesity Policy Coalition executive manager Jane Martin says no country has a completely comprehensive plan in place for beating obesity. The Obesity ... more

27 February 2017

Australians at risk of bowel cancer are being exposed to greater danger by critical delays in testing. National research shows fewer than half of those showing symptoms had a colonoscopy within the recommended 30 days, and one in four waited more tha... more

27 February 2017

A leading cannabinoid researcher has cautioned Tasmanians that Federal Government action to liberalise legal restrictions on medical cannabis use is not a panacea. University of Tasmania scientist Dominic Geraghty said the medical value of chemicals ... more

27 February 2017

Pap smear tests will soon be a thing of the past with the introduction of a new test which is done less frequently and promises to be more effective. Cancer Council spokeswoman Katie Clift said the new cervical screening test would be introduced in Q... more

27 February 2017

Women are being reassured that no lives are at risk despite the federal government bungling the rollout of a new cervical cancer screening test. From May 1, the two yearly Pap test was supposed to be replaced by an improved five yearly cervical scree... more

24 February 2017

Thousands of lives could be put at risk because the federal government has bungled the rollout of two national cancer screening programs. The new cervical screening program and an expansion of the bowel cancer screening program have been delayed by a... more

24 February 2017

Laziness really is killing us — and not just if you’re fat. Australian scientists have discovered physical activity is just as effective as reducing the risk of cancer in obese people as people of a healthy weight, confirming weight and physical acti... more

24 February 2017

The five-a-day mantra to get us all to eat more healthily has been the official advice for decades — but now experts are recommending 10 portions of fruit and vegetables to ward off disease. Researchers from Imperial College London found 10 80g porti... more

23 February 2017

The group of cancer patients at the centre of the chemotherapy dosing blunder were at risk of “compromised” treatment although their deaths could not be absolutely linked, an inquest has heard. At least 10 acute myeloid leukaemia patients were given ... more

22 February 2017

The government has green-lighted the legal sale of marijuana products for medical use in Australia. Health Minister Greg Hunt will today announce companies will be permitted to apply to distribute cannabis oils and medications locally, establishing a... more

22 February 2017

Doctors, medical researchers and health groups have welcomed a plan by WA Labor to bankroll research with money from a sovereign wealth fund set up by the Barnett Government. Opposition Leader Mark McGowan yesterday revealed a Labor government would ... more

22 February 2017

Melbourne doctors have joined one of the world’s largest- ever cancer research projects, using a supercomputer to trawl through the DNA of 2000 patients. The consortium of Melbourne researchers will also follow hundreds of high-risk prostate cancer p... more

22 February 2017

If you feel as though you’re always dieting but the weight never stays off, you’re not alone. Just one in 10 dieters manages to lose a meaningful amount and stick to their new weight, according to a leading obesity expert. Dr David Allison, a biostat... more

21 February 2017

Doctors could cure cancer by placing people in a form of hibernation, according to a leading scientist. By dropping body temperature from the normal 37C to about 10-15C, it is hoped the body’s functions would slow to a virtual standstill. This would ... more

21 February 2017

Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are receiving fast-tracked genetic testing as part of a new model of care that’s empowering patients and their families. Believed to be an Australian-first, the Royal Women’s Hospital Gynaecology Oncology unit and ... more

21 February 2017

Patients with advanced melanoma are being targeted in a collaboration between Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre. The trial of Adelaide company Bionomics’ cancer drug BNC105 with a combination... more

21 February 2017

NSW health inspectors have seized more than $50,000 worth of illegal tobacco during raids in Sydney malls. More than 3000 cigarettes were taken at the first business and 58,000 cigarettes as well as 3kg of loose leaf tobacco was seized from the secon... more

20 February 2017

Government bureaucrats have rejected a Medicare subsidy for a $60 test that determines the 30 per cent of lung cancer patients that will benefit from high-cost immunotherapy drug Keytruda.  Without approval for the test the government can’t approve a... more

20 February 2017

Some Australian women will be able to perform their own screening in the privacy of their own homes, with take-home tests soon to be available from doctors. The take-home test will only be available to women who have never been screened, or who are o... more

20 February 2017

The incidence of cancer in Queenslanders has tripled in the past three decades and research shows thousands of cases could be prevented. The most recent statistics released today from the Cancer Council’s Cancer Research Centre paints a grim picture ... more

20 February 2017

Bacteria that cause food poisoning could be used to kill cancer, medical experts said yesterday. Genetically altered salmonella has been developed to attack tumours but leave healthy cells alone. Tests using modified salmonella on mice with colon can... more

20 February 2017

An extra 40-minute stroll every day can mean fewer days in hospital for older Australians, new research shows. The extra 4300 steps – about three kilometres – is linked to a statistically significant drop in hospital-bed days, suggests the study publ... more

20 February 2017

One hundred nutrition experts from 53 organisations working with state and federal bureaucrats have drawn up the obesity action plan to control the nation’s weight problem that is costing the nation $56 billion a year. Junk food would be banned from ... more

17 February 2017

Cigarette giant Philip Morris, which professes it wants a smoke free future, is facing major regulatory obstacles to its plan to introduce to Australia a new cigarette that eliminates smoke by heating tobacco rather than burning it. The product, whic... more

16 February 2017

The NSW government has announced $11.6 million in funding for cancer research through the Cancer Institute NSW, including $1.3 million in grants to investigate new treatments for neuroblastoma, which accounts for one in six of all childhood cancer de... more

16 February 2017

People who pile on the kilos over the course of their lives are three times more likely to succumb to tumours in the oesophagus and stomach, research shows. Researchers from the US National Cancer Institute, Maryland, looked at data of 409,800 adults... more

16 February 2017

Two studies of scalp cooling treatment, published on Wednesday reported success rates of 51 to 66 per cent among breast cancer patients in the US. While side effects included headaches, dizziness, nausea and skin ulceration, a study found those who u... more

15 February 2017

The percentage of Australians with private hospital cover has fallen to just 46.6 per cent — prompting warnings the country is reaching a “critical tipping point”. New federal Health Minister Greg Hunt last week revealed another rise of almost 5 per ... more

15 February 2017

Australian medical schools are failing to adequately teach trainee doctors about physical activity despite the health benefits of exercise. A damning report by the University of Sydney found medical schools were failing to prioritise physical activit... more

15 February 2017

Children are exposed to three junk food TV ads an hour — a rate that has not fallen since 2011 despite one in five kids now being overweight or obese. Cancer Council NSW said its research showed that a voluntary advertising code run by the Australian... more

15 February 2017

A survey of residents of Fluffy contaminated houses showed more than 80 per cent had renovated their homes, exposing not only themselves but buildings and other tradespeople to the dangerous loose asbestos fibres. Well under half of the residents wor... more

14 February 2017

Unit owners and tenants could be banned from smoking and owning pets and potentially fined for breaching body corporate laws under changes being considered by the State Government. An enforceable by-law banning smoking in an outdoor area has been rec... more

14 February 2017

Melbourne researchers have taken another step forward in uncovering the science of what makes a breast, a finding they hope can offer new ways to detect and treat an aggressive form of breast cancer.  Using 3D imaging techniques and mathematical comp... more

13 February 2017

Women are almost doubling their risk of dying in middle age by opting to have both ovaries removed during a hysterectomy, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal. About 3600 women have both healthy ovaries taken out each yea... more

13 February 2017

Biologists from the Children’s Cancer Institute have honed a technique for tracking down leukemia cells by inserting genes from fireflies to make them luminous. The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, used bioluminescence to track down muta... more

13 February 2017

Up to one in five Australian teens are missing out on lifesaving vaccines, putting them at risk of cancer and serious diseases as experts push for technology to be used to boost coverage rates. The Immunisation Coalition says the issue is fuelled by ... more

13 February 2017

Students at Sydney high schools should be made to wear hats as part of their uniform, parents, principals and health experts say, warning the current regulations, which only ‘‘encourage’’ sun protection, do not go far enough. The NSW Department of Ed... more

10 February 2017

Teachers need more support to be able to help the growing number of children returning to school after surviving cancer, research has found. University of WA education researcher Anne Gaunt said where cancer had once been a death sentence, now eight ... more

09 February 2017

Electronic cigarettes are a “one-way bridge” to smoking tobacco among teenagers, experts have claimed. Adding to a growing row over e-cigarettes, scientists at the University of Michigan in the US said using the gadgets “desensitised” teens to the ha... more

09 February 2017

A compound found in green tea could have lifesaving potential for patients with a form of blood cancer. Scientists at Washington University found epigallo-catechine-3-gallate (ECGG) may help patients with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis, a disease o... more

08 February 2017

Consuming e-cigarettes is far safer than smoking tobacco cigarettes, according to the findings of a UK based study. The research published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that people who switched from smoking regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes o... more

07 February 2017

Thousands of women with breast cancer could be spared the gruelling ordeal of chemotherapy, a trial suggests. A genetic test could tell doctors which women need the powerful treatment, and which women could be safely spared its harsh side effects. Bu... more

06 February 2017

Melbourne scientists are developing a world-first drug that can control the human immune system and potentially pave the way for thousands of cancer patients to have lifesaving immunotherapy. The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre team is fine-tuning the ... more

06 February 2017

Queenslanders are calling for a total ban on smoking – once and for all. Polling shows most people support generational phasing out of the killer scourge, with a lifelong ban on cigarette smoking for those born after 2001. Findings from the Cancer Co... more

06 February 2017

The first solid evidence that smoking causes cancer came in the 1950s, followed decades later by revelations that “second- hand” smoke also harms health. Now, scientists have issued a warning about what they call “third-hand” smoke — the sticky resid... more

06 February 2017

Nurses will be trained to give colonoscopies under a $1.7 million State Government plan to fight bowel cancer. The new program will see trained nurses provide low risk colonoscopies under the supervision of a specialist doctor. The move comes amid pr... more

06 February 2017

Perth doctors are warning that liver cancer is rising at a faster rate than any other types of the disease. Scientists at WA’s biggest research centre for adult diseases, the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, argue that it is not just alco... more

06 February 2017

A team of researchers from Australia and France have uncovered new insights into how to prolong the lifespan of Natural Killer (NK) cells. The finding offers fresh clues about how best to harness NK cells to improve their disease-fighting function. T... more

06 February 2017

Research into cancer, dementia and even sports concussions will be the winners in a $125 million cash splash announced over the weekend. Health Minister Greg Hunt awarded federal funding to 110 medical research projects as his first act in the portfo... more

03 February 2017

Doctors warn more smokers will die and suffer preventable diseases after the medicines regulator decided to maintain a ban on nicotine e-cigarettes. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has rejected an application to exempt nicotine from the Schedule... more

03 February 2017

Cancer experts want the next State Government to spend $3 million to install ultraviolet meters in all WA high schools and provide more recreational shade. The Cancer Council WA believes meters that show real-time UV levels can help staff and student... more

03 February 2017

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s annual cancer report shows the Sunshine State has the nation’s highest age standardised rate of all cancers, 531.9 per capita, followed by Tasmania (517.3), NSW (499.5) and WA (492.7). The report predi... more

03 February 2017

A liquid biopsy that accurately predicts the chance of a cancer patient relapsing is being recognised as one of the world’s most significant recent medical research advances. The research of oncologist and researcher Dr Jeanne Tie and her collaborato... more

01 February 2017

Two new medicines, which can cost more than $100,000 per patient for the treatment of serious ovarian and lung cancers have been listed on the PBS. The listing will help almost 240 women each year fighting high-grade ovarian cancer and give them acce... more

01 February 2017

Smoking cost the world economy more than $1.8 trillion in 2012 and sucked up a twentieth of health care spending. The killer habit consumed the equivalent of nearly 2 per cent of global economic output or GDP, according to experts from the World Heal... more

01 February 2017

National parks have been added to a list of places where Queenslanders will no longer be allowed to smoke at will. From today smokers must move 10m from visitor facilities if they want to light up a cigarette. National Parks Minister Steven Miles sai... more

01 February 2017

The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services 2017 showed that in Tasmania, 31.5 per cent of adults were obese, the highest proportion in the country, while 32.2 per cent were in the healthy weight range, the lowest proportion in the co... more

31 January 2017

Surgery that targets lumps in breasts rather than mastectomies could be more effective at warding off cancer, an international study has found. Women with early stage breast cancer were more likely to survive if they had “breast conserving” surgery a... more

31 January 2017

Deaths from melanoma have peaked in Australia with research clearly showing the UV-protection of children is paying off. Researchers, based in France, predict by 2050 the melanoma death rate in Australia will be half of peak years, falling back to ra... more

30 January 2017

Australia has one of the lowest rates in the Western world of women having breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, a statistic support groups blame on cost barriers, public wait times and access to services. The reported rate of breast reconstructi... more

30 January 2017

The discovery of a computer algorithm which can detect skin cancer with the same accuracy as a doctor has researchers weighing up the potential of smartphones being used as cancer scanners. Scientists at Stanford University in the US trained the deep... more

30 January 2017

An additive commonly used in lollies, biscuits, chewing gum and sauces has been found to initiate the early stages of cancers in animals, according to a recent study. Titanium dioxide or E171 is used by the food industry to whiten and brighten food ... more

30 January 2017

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research team has uncovered some of the first evidence that the rapid repair process lung cells undergo as a result of being exposed to chemical-laden cigarette smoke is faulty. This leads to genetic err... more

30 January 2017

The Movember Foundation and National Breast Cancer Foundation are joining forces for the first time to offer a research grant to bring the researchers of both cancers together to further explore the commonalities between the diseases, with the hope o... more

27 January 2017

People who are frequently depressed or anxious may run a higher risk of dying from certain types of cancer. Medical records of more than 160,000 adults in England and Wales showed that those describing themselves as psychologically distressed were m... more

26 January 2017

Queensland doctors will be warned not to prescribe the strongest forms of medicinal cannabis to anyone under 25 years of age, in new guidelines to be sent out across the state. The Queensland Health guidelines recommend doctors do not prescribe any ... more

26 January 2017

A breakthrough by Adelaide University researchers is set to lead to a blood test predicting whether prostate cancer will spread to other parts of the body. The discovery of how cancer spreads from prostate tumours also reveals potential new “targets... more

25 January 2017

Adelaide researchers have found a new cause for breast density, a known risk factor for breast cancer. The University of Adelaide team showed chronic low-level inflammation drives increased breast density and is linked to a woman’s risk of developing... more

25 January 2017

You might be surprised to know that dairy products have benefits beyond good bone and dental health. Research now points to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease including stroke and its risk factors, such as high blood pressure. The Cancer Counci... more

24 January 2017

Roasting and frying starchy foods could increase the risk of cancer, a UK government body says. The Food Standards Agency has issued a public warning over the risks of acrylamide, which is a chemical compound that forms in some foods when they are co... more

24 January 2017

Scientists have analysed strains of cervical cancer that are not caused by the human papillomavirus, throwing new light on why an essentially preventable type of tumour kills more than 250,000 people annually. Researchers have also found the breast c... more

23 January 2017

A British study of nearly 600 men, published in The Lancet medical journal, found using an MRI scan for men with symptoms of prostate cancer or a high PSA test could prevent one in four men from having an unnecessary biopsy – a test which can cause s... more

23 January 2017

All public schools must have sun protection policies for the first time under new Education Department rules. But the SA Primary Principals Association says they are not tough enough and should have made the wearing of hats mandatory all the way to Y... more

23 January 2017

An Australian researcher is investigating the relationship between fructose, a common sweetener in diet soft drinks, and liver cancer. James Cook University’s Dr Lionel Hebbard, who has been awarded a $200,000 Cancer Council Queensland research grant... more

23 January 2017

Dietitian Caitlin Rabel says parents shouldn’t feel bad about sticking to the basics when packing their children’s lunchbox. “It doesn’t have to be complicated,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with a sandwich.” Ms Rabel said “treat foods” should be... more

20 January 2017

Women who spend too much time sitting down speed up the ageing process, scientists say. Sitting for more than 10 hours a day gives women a ‘biological age’ that is up to eight years older than their actual age, a University of California study found.... more

20 January 2017

Public health officials are investigating a possible brain cancer cluster after three people died in Cairns. They thought the coincidence was “pure bad luck” but yesterday Tropical Public Health Services (Cairns) director Dr Richard Gair said an inqu... more

19 January 2017

Queenslanders have been warned they face UV exposure up to five times the safe limit as temperatures soar across the state. Predictions of the level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation this week are as high as 17, which is described as “extreme”. People ar... more

19 January 2017

Cutting your daily calories by a fifth could ward off cancer and diabetes, and even delay the ageing process, according to a study. Researchers found that monkeys who had their calorie intake cut by around 20 per cent extended their lives by nine yea... more

18 January 2017

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged doctors to apply for access to imported medicinal cannabis for seriously ill patients until Australian- grown versions of the drug become available. Mr Turnbull yesterday warned patients against buying cannab... more

17 January 2017

A shift from mass to personalised medicine promises new hope for cancer sufferers and health authorities, improving patients’ quality of life and saving health budgets billions of dollars by averting perilous and ultimately pointless operations. Scie... more

17 January 2017

Medicinal cannabis effectively treats chronic pain and significantly helps those with multiple sclerosis — but it is also likely to increase the risk of schizophrenia and may even trigger a heart attack. A new report from the US National Academies of... more

17 January 2017

Blood cancer death rates among Queenslanders have surged by a third in 10 years. Australians are now dying from the disease at double the rate to those who lose their lives to skin cancer. Leukaemia Foundation figures show 829 Queenslanders died from... more

15 January 2017

Moves to legalise the use of nicotine in electronic-cigarettes have prompted renewed calls for the State Government to ensure the vaporisers cannot be sold to children in South Australia. The Government has committed to banning the sale of the devic... more

15 January 2017

Sporting grounds in South Australia are giving cigarettes the flick as an increasing number of venues are going smoke-free. The Southern Football League, which includes more than 10 clubs in Adelaide’s south, is among the organisations which have ad... more

15 January 2017

A string of serious sunburn incidents has triggered experts to question the suitability and effectiveness of aerosol spray sunscreens, which have become popular recently. And tests have shown that consumers may be getting ripped off, with sunscreen ... more

14 January 2017

Australia’s growing obsession with utes and SUVs could leave a deadly legacy. About nine out of 10 utes and more than half the new SUVs sold last year were powered by diesel, a fuel most health authorities agree causes cancer and other respiratory d... more

13 January 2017

Roughly nine out of 10 utes and more than half the new SUVs sold last year were powered by diesel, a fuel most health authorities agree causes cancer and other respiratory diseases. Diesel vehicles now make up a third of the new cars sold each year a... more

12 January 2017

Mona Lisa has arrived in Adelaide. The Mona Lisa robot takes prostate biopsies through two needle punctures in the delicate perineal area between the scrotum and the anus. Numerous samples can be extracted from the same two puncture holes, whereas pr... more

12 January 2017

Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to ban any Russians born after 2015 from buying cigarettes. His initiative is part of a long-term plan to get Russians to butt out for good. More than 50 per cent of Russian males and about 17 per cent of wome... more

11 January 2017

Chilli could help to treat the most aggressive form of breast cancer, known as triple negative, according to scientists at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. In a lab study, they mixed capsaicin – the compound that gives chillis their heat – with br... more

11 January 2017

A simple breathalyser test has been developed to diagnose 17 diseases including Parkinson’s, Crohn’s and kidney cancer. The test involves patients breathing into a tube in a sensory chamber, which analyses the molecules in the breath. Diseases releas... more

10 January 2017

An international group of leading doctors say up to one third of many medical procedures are now being done unnecessarily, causing physical, psychological and financial harm that could threaten the viability of healthcare systems. The researchers hig... more

10 January 2017

A landmark Melbourne-led study reveals why men with prostate cancer who carry a cancer-predisposing gene have more aggressive tumours. The study, led by the Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute, shows the tumours of men with the cancer... more

10 January 2017

A new tablet that effectively melts leukaemia cells has been approved for use in Australia. Remarkably, clinical trials of the Melbourne-developed drug venetoclax resulted in one in five of the end-stage patients being free of cancer following their ... more

10 January 2017

A study has found people who exercise extensively on the weekend significantly cut their risk of death from cancer and heart disease. The University of Sydney study shows that people who are active in one or two big sessions a week — so-called weeken... more

09 January 2017

The Tasmanian State Government is inviting stakeholders to comment on proposed changes to the Public Health Act 1997 to regulate the marketing of e-cigarettes. The Government has released a regulatory impact statement regarding proposed changes which... more

09 January 2017

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to provide an amnesty to suppliers and users of medicinal cannabis. Senator Hanson said yesterday she had personally lobbied Mr Turnbull via a text message to plead for th... more

08 January 2017

Cancer Council Tasmania is set to launch a sunsafe policy especially aimed at high schools, to address the low uptake of sun-safe practices when students leave primary school. The organisation is working with the Department of Education to encourage ... more

08 January 2017

Perth researchers are to test whether medical cannabis can pave a breakthrough in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal diseases on the planet. Curtin University’s School of Biomedical Sciences is poised to start testing cannabis... more

08 January 2017

South Australian shoppers have voted country-of-origin branding ahead of nutrition details as the most important information on food labels. CSIRO health and biosecurity researcher Malcolm Riley conducted a study to ensure there was a record of how c... more

05 January 2017

A Queensland Health report has found that obese adults need to lose an average of 19kg each to attain a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) and overweight adults an average of 8kg. This means for everyone in the state to have a BMI within the ideal range o... more

03 January 2017

Doctors and health experts have criticised a government review of vehicle emissions and air pollution for under-reporting the health risks, sidelining the Minister for Health, and potentially putting thousands of Australians’ lives at risk. Respirato... more

02 January 2017

Quitting smoking is a standard New Year resolution but the Turnbull government wants almost one million Aussies to make a commitment to give up now and stick to it by the end of 2018. Australia’s already low smoking rate is being further targeted by ... more

29 December 2016

In a sign the Cancer Council’s Sun Smart message is working, melanoma rates among 15 to 39-year-olds have more than halved in the past 30 years. Among women aged under 40, skin cancer rates have fallen in 15 years from 31 cases per 100,000 per people... more

28 December 2016

New figures showing South Australians are shunning tobacco are welcome news for the State Government’s antismoking strategy, Substance Abuse Minister Leesa Vlahos says. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows South Australia ha... more

28 December 2016

Children should wear sunglasses no matter the weather to protect their eyes from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Australian Medical Association vice-president, Dr Tony Bartone, said gone were the days when sunglasses were just a fashion statement and ... more

27 December 2016

While most Australians accept they should not bake in the sun uncovered any more, 65 per cent have still been sunburnt in the past two years, according to the 2016 Skin Health Australia Report Card. And often it’s while doing simple things such as go... more

27 December 2016

WA researchers are launching a clinical trial of a groundbreaking “drug combo” that holds fresh hope for people with the deadly asbestos cancer mesothelioma. For the first time in the treatment of the incurable disease, doctors will combine the effec... more

26 December 2016

For the first time more Australians support decriminalising the use of marijuana than those who back retaining its classification as an illicit drug, a survey conducted over three decades has found. There has been a significant shift in sentiment aro... more

26 December 2016

Human trials of a revolutionary device called a Nanopatch that has eliminated the need for a needle in immunisation are underway and expected to report in 2017. University of Queensland professor Mark Kendall’s needle-free vaccine delivery invention ... more

23 December 2016

Scientists have developed a “breathalyser” that can sniff out a range of diseases. The breath test, which costs as little as $40, was found to detect conditions such as Parkinson’s and ovarian cancer with 86 per cent accuracy. It also correctly diagn... more

23 December 2016

This year alone, the regulator has received 25,069 reports of licensed asbestos and demolition work, up from 12,942 in 2012. SafeWork’s figures come as an Australian online marketplace for tradespeople, Hipages, reports a 32 per cent increase in the ... more

22 December 2016

Risk: Women alerted to cancer risk from implants Women with breast implants have more risk of developing a rare cancer than previously thought, Australian health authorities warn. As many as 1000 Australian women who received breast implants will be... more

22 December 2016

West Australian researchers have found a way to protect a proportion of men from a recurrence of cancer following removal of their prostate gland. After surgery, some men show a "positive margin" - cancer cells inadvertently left behind. The Perth re... more

21 December 2016

A blood test twice as effective than existing methods at detecting one of the most deadly forms of cancer will soon be available for Australians. The Colvera test, developed by the CSIRO in partnership with Flinders University and US biotech company ... more

21 December 2016

Health experts are urging consumers to think twice about sugarfree claims made by beer giant Lion in its advertising campaign ‘‘Beer: The Beautiful Truth’’, seen on television and bus shelters. The LiveLighter campaign, run by the Cancer Council Vict... more

20 December 2016

Cancer patients will undergo an “antibiotic challenge test”, similar to what’s used to confirm food allergies, to boost chances of beating infection. Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre will lead a new Centre for Research Excellence for Infection — headed ... more

20 December 2016

Tumour DNA in the bloodstream can be used to predict the survival chances of patients with pancreatic cancer, research suggests. The “liquid biopsy” could help doctors work out the best treatment strategies for patients with advanced forms of the dis... more

19 December 2016

Tobacco: E-cigs mouth cancer concern Exposure to chemicals in e-cigarettes could trigger severe gum disease – and even increase the risk of mouth cancer, scientists have warned. New studies have highlighted concerns over potential damage to cells in... more

19 December 2016

Support: Dope hope grows Victoria’s 1500 medicinal cannabis plants are set to be harvested from a top-secret location to treat children suffering severe epilepsy from mid-2017. The progress of the state’s maiden crop was revealed by Agricultural Mi... more

19 December 2016

Skin: Skin cancer alarm for state’s kids Nearly 10 Queensland children under the age of 15 are diagnosed with melanoma every year, more than double the national average, new data shows. And 491 teenagers aged 15 to 19 years were also identified with... more

19 December 2016

Research: Stopping a monster Scientists can stop the spread of aggressive breast cancer, potentially saving thousands of lives every year. Garvan Institute of Medical Research experts have identified the protein MCL-1 as being responsible for spread... more

19 December 2016

Research: New hope for blood disease In a world-first, Melbourne scientists have reconstructed the defect that causes a blood disorder in a test tube, allowing them to screen for drugs that could repair it. The breakthrough will not only help fast-t... more

19 December 2016

Public health: Cancer treatments delayed amid staff shortages at centre Staff shortages and rising numbers of increasingly complex cases has led to a 12 per cent fall in the number of cancer patients being treated within clinically recommended time ... more

19 December 2016

Public health: Medical dope survey The SA Health Department is asking the public to tell them their views on the topic of patient access to medicinal cannabis in South Australia. In a memo sent to staff yesterday, SA Health’s acting chief executive ... more

16 December 2016

An estimated 1.8 per cent of Australians, about 328,000 people, smoke less often than daily, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2011-12 national health survey. That is about 10 per cent of smokers. Quit Victoria director Sarah White sa... more

16 December 2016

The genes of elderly Australians who have defied the odds and never been struck down by diseases like dementia or cancer will be shared with experts around the world to crack why some people age well and others do not. The Medical Genome Reference Ba... more

16 December 2016

Some viruses do make men sicker than women, according to a new UK study. Fatality rates of infectious diseases are often higher in men than women, in fact previous research has found men infected with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) are five times mo... more

16 December 2016

Breast cancer cells start spreading to other parts of the body long before a tumour is even detected, ground breaking new research suggests. The finding radically alters the view that cancer cells spread only at late stages of cancer. Researchers fou... more

15 December 2016

One in three smokers refuses to believe cigarettes are as dangerous as doctors and anti-tobacco lobbyists claim. An increasing number of people believing tobacco harms have been exaggerated is sparking calls for a renewed anti-smoking campaign by Qui... more

15 December 2016

The Mexican Senate has overwhelmingly passed a Bill approving the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The Bill authorises the cultivation of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes, ruling that industrial products with concentrations of 1 pe... more

15 December 2016

Queensland is the most deadly state in Australia for cancer, new statistics show. The Cancer Incidence and Mortality Across Regions report, released yesterday, found Queensland had the highest incidence rate for all cancers combined for all people. Q... more

15 December 2016

In Australia, almost two out of three people (63 per cent) are overweight or obese. That’s according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) which says Australia’s obesity rate will keep rising, putting even greater strain on the hea... more

14 December 2016

Most lung cancer patients survived four months longer on an immunotherapy drug than those treated with chemotherapy, according to trial results. Importantly, they also experienced fewer side-effects, researchers reported in The Lancet medical journal... more

13 December 2016

A new cutting-edge radiation machine available only in Queensland will allow skin-cancer sufferers to avoid surgery and scarring during treatment. The brachytherapy machine, which emits low energy X-rays to target a small cancer site on the skin’s su... more

12 December 2016

Illicit tobacco traffickers have turned to a dating app to push their cut-price products on Victorians. Organised crime syndicates are urging prospective clients to “swipe right” for cheap  cigarettes on Tinder, and are selling packets for as little ... more

12 December 2016

Patients may be facing huge bills to have a skin cancer removed under changes to Medicare that experts fear could encourage people to wait longer for treatment. And, disturbingly, health funds, not doctors will get to decide whether they provide a re... more

12 December 2016

Women could soon be routinely tested to find out their risk of breast and ovarian cancer, to detect the disease earlier and increase life expectancy. A world-first trial by Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre will screen 10,000 healthy Australian women to ... more

12 December 2016

It’s the second-most common cancer among women, but too many people wrongly believe bowel cancer is just a man’s disease, a NSW survey suggests. Only 37 per cent of people surveyed by the Cancer Institute NSW knew that bowel cancer was one of the mos... more

12 December 2016

Fast-food giants are increasingly joining online delivery networks, making it easier for people to get their hands on fattening burgers and pizzas amid a worsening obesity epidemic. Australia’s largest online food ordering platform, Menulog, has adde... more

09 December 2016

Experts have found those with an optimistic outlook had a significantly reduced risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and infection. Researchers at Harvard University studied the health records of 70,000 women tracked ... more

09 December 2016

Australia needs to treat junk food in the same way it did tobacco to overcome “a tsunami of obesity”, health lobbyists say. Renewed calls for a tax on sugary drinks and bans of junk food marketing to children have emerged following the latest figures... more

08 December 2016

Scientists say they have worked out how cancers launch killer secondary tumours, opening the way to drugs specifically designed to stop the disease spreading. A Barcelona team has identified the cells that allow mouth cancers to “metastasise” and spr... more

08 December 2016

Australia’s bulging waistline is continuing to expand, fuelling a dangerous divide between obesity rates in the country and city. 11.2 million Australians are now overweight or obese, according to the latest snapshot of the nation’s health. Excess w... more

08 December 2016

Food manufacturers are declaring vastly different ‘‘serving sizes’’ for the same product and confusing consumers, with Cadbury’s Cherry Ripe and Coca-Cola among the worst offenders, a study shows. Researchers at the George Institute for Global Health... more

07 December 2016

A cancer treatment appears to have rejuvenated the ovaries of patients and increased their stock of immature eggs. The result overturns the widely held view that women are born with a finite supply of eggs to last their lifetime. It could have major ... more

06 December 2016

In Sydney yesterday, NSW health launched a world-first cannabis trial which may change her life, and those of cancer sufferers around the world. Over the next 12 months researchers will assess the use of medicinal cannabis tablets as a method to trea... more

06 December 2016

The illicit tobacco trade in Australia has traditionally generated far less attention from police and security agencies than terrorism, drug and weapons trafficking and people smuggling, despite the potential for overlap. Successive federal governmen... more

06 December 2016

Queensland researchers have found giving immunotherapy drugs before surgery may dramatically improve cancer survival. Studies in mice with triple negative breast cancer showed about half were cured when they received immunotherapy before surgery. How... more

06 December 2016

An inquiry into the impact of health research funding models on research into cancers with low survival rates will be chaired by Tasmanian Labor Senator Catryna Bilyk. A Senate Select Committee was set up after concerns that despite a significant imp... more

06 December 2016

A study published last month in the Medical Journal of Australia reviewed the care of pancreatic cancer patients in Queensland and NSW. It revealed that quality of care and survival rates are poorer in rural and socio-economically disadvantaged areas... more

05 December 2016

A man with advanced prostate cancer is believed to have been cured after doctors ‘‘shocked’’ his tumour to death with huge amounts of testosterone. The result has been described as ‘‘unexpected’’ and ‘‘exciting’’, as most prostate cancer therapies wo... more

05 December 2016

A senior doctor has lashed out at the Federal Government for “exposing patients to risk” over delays in signing off on a plan that would free up vital public hospital beds. Redcliffe Hospital clinical council chair Hamish Pollock made the rare move o... more

05 December 2016

The biggest clinical trial conducted in Australia and a novel approach to combating deadly superbugs are among the hundreds of projects to be given a $483 million boost today. Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley will announce funding for 601 projects,... more

05 December 2016

Taxpayers spent $1 billion in just four months on two new hepatitis C cures, mainly for the treatment of recovering drug addicts and prisoners. The expensive new drugs Harvoni and Sovaldi were listed on the PBS for the first time in March. And in jus... more

05 December 2016

Cancer claimed the lives of 30 Victorians a day last year, with obesity emerging as a major risk factor, but in a positive sign, overall survival rates inched upwards. In the Cancer Council’s snapshot of Victoria, to be released today, it found for t... more

05 December 2016

A Dallas Buyers Club online start-up is offering Australian breast cancer, leukaemia and Parkinson’s patients access to US and European-approved drugs not available in Australia. If a patient has a doctor’s prescription and the medicine is for person... more

02 December 2016

The psychedelic drug in “magic mushrooms” can quickly help treat anxiety and depression in cancer patients, two small studies show. The effects of the substance, called psilocybin, were “very impressive”, said Dr Craig Blinderman, of Columbia Univers... more

02 December 2016

Drinking just one glass of white wine a day could increase your risk of skin cancer by 13 per cent, scientists claim. They linked it to higher rates of “invasive” melanoma, in which the cancer penetrates the skin to the tissue below. Those who drank ... more

30 November 2016

A hospital at the centre of the chemotherapy underdosing controversy put a trainee in charge of its investigation into the scandal. The inquiry yesterday heard revelations that medical governance trainee Dr Paul Savage conducted the internal review o... more

30 November 2016

A key whistleblower who alerted management at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital about irregular chemotherapy dosing by oncologist John Gyrgiel was not interviewed by authorities investigating the statewide scandal. The failure to question the whistleblo... more

30 November 2016

The head of a Sydney hospital involved in the chemotherapy underdosing of more than 100 cancer patients has accepted blame over the scandal. St Vincent’s Hospital group chief executive Toby Hall yesterday apologised to a NSW parliamentary inquiry loo... more

30 November 2016

Darwin City Council voted to make the temporary six month smoke free trial in the CBD’s Smith Street Mall and Raintree Park permanent. At last night’s Council meeting, The Mall and Raintree Park were officially declared smoke free under the NT Tobacc... more

30 November 2016

A Grandmother whose daughter died of cancer is suing the Ballarat Base Hospital on behalf of her granddaughter and herself, claiming it failed to perform vital scans. The family, which the Herald Sun has chosen not to identify, were devastated when t... more

29 November 2016

Children as young as three should be sporting shades this summer to protect their eyes from harmful rays. Optometry Australia’s senior resident optometrist Luke Arundel said our eyes were 10 times more sensitive to UV than our skin. “Too much exposur... more

29 November 2016

Salt in processed food sold in Australia would be stripped back under a prescription for a healthier nation drafted by leading chronic disease doctors, scientists and researchers. Reducing the population’s salt intake by 30 per cent by 2025 could sav... more

28 November 2016

Apartment owners will soon be able to set up smoking zones on common property. The proposed zones are a sop to smokers who might otherwise be banned in a crackdown on smoke drift into neighbours’ apartments. Until now, smoking on common property — an... more

28 November 2016

One in three South Australians were sunburnt last summer and almost three in five do not do regular skin checks for suspicious spots, data shows. The alarming figures, from Cancer Council SA, reveal South Australians are not heeding the sun smart mes... more

28 November 2016

The state’s first medicinal cannabis education trailer has been launched in Hobart, aimed at dispelling myths surrounding the controversial issue. Andrew Irving from Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp Tasmania was the driving force behind the trailer, which... more

28 November 2016

Healthier cereals on the supermarket shelf may soon be fortified with vitamin D after ministers responsible for food regulation agreed to lift a ban to help people with a deficiency. David Gillespie, the federal Assistant Minister for Rural Health, s... more

28 November 2016

A new tool to help home buyers and renovators avoid deadly exposure to asbestos has been launched in Australia. The checklist provides people with a step-by-step guide to pinpoint areas in their home where they could be at risk of being exposed to th... more

25 November 2016

Shift workers and frequent fliers have the same risk of liver cancer as the obese, research suggests. US scientists found that a disrupted body clock from night work or jet lag leads to fat deposits on the liver – which can develop into cancer. Their... more

25 November 2016

Plastic surgeons are furious that Federal Government changes to legislation mean private health funds no longer have to cover operations for certain forms of skin cancers. Doctors say the changes, introduced with no consultation on November 1, will r... more

24 November 2016

Health regulators have approved the first drug for advanced kidney cancer that rallies the immune system to attack cancer cells. Opdivo, an immuno-oncology treatment, is already approved to treat lung cancer and melanoma. West Australian, 24/11/2016... more

24 November 2016

Waistlines balloon the further west you go, but Sydney's more affluent postcodes harbour their own health vices, the latest national health report card reveals. The city that sprawls over 12,000 square kilometres is a patchwork of risk profiles and c... more

24 November 2016

Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has rubbished a Grattan Institute proposal to introduce a soft drink tax in Australia, saying it is a "bonkers mad" idea that would restrict individual freedom and harm the local sugar industry. In a report released on ... more

24 November 2016

ACT Brumbies doctor Stephen Freeman thought it was strange seeing Christian Lealiifano dropping behind hooker Robbie Abel in fitness drills at the Super Rugby club. But even Freeman had no inkling that blood tests to determine why Lealiifano was feel... more

24 November 2016

Scientists have found evidence that maximum chemotherapy doses can trigger aggressive secondary cancers by fostering ­mutations in the tissues surrounding tumours. A study by Taiwanese and American researchers suggests that frequent, low-dose chemoth... more

23 November 2016

As the Federal Government taxes smoking out of existence, a drug company is paying to test whether a medicine can reduce lung disease caused by the killer habit. The controversial trial will be run by the George Institute for Global Health, which den... more

23 November 2016

A tobacco treatment specialist has slammed the federal government for failing to properly fund programs to help smokers quit. Colin Mendelsohn testified at a coronial inquest in Brisbane yesterday, which is looking into the possible link between Pfiz... more

23 November 2016

More Victorian women are smoking during the second half of their pregnancy than five years ago, raising the risk of miscarriage and dangerous complications. The latest report into Victorian public hospital births shows 7.8 per cent of women smoked af... more

23 November 2016

Vitamin D cream for psoriasis can improve the treatment of pre-cancerous skin patches on the face by more than 60 per cent, research has shown. Combining calcipotriol with a widely used chemotherapy ointment triggered a strong immune response against... more

23 November 2016

The federal government’s $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund could help resolve the sector’s two overriding issues: subterranean grant success rates and inadequate funding of indirect research costs. But, to do so, it will have to overcome clunk... more

23 November 2016

It’s rare a pathologist would mistake a benign tumour for a malignant tumour and “very, very rare” it would happen to the same doctor twice, according to a breast cancer expert. Dr Laura Garcia Carrascosa of the University of Queensland told the NT N... more

23 November 2016

A tax on sugary drinks would add 15c to the price of a 375ml can and 80c to a 2-litre bottle, slugging the $4.4 billion industry $520 million a year, a new report says. Sugary drinks should be hit with the special tax to reduce their role in soaring ... more

22 November 2016

An SA Health senior staff member has acknowledged fault on behalf of the department in the handling of last year’s chemotherapy bungle, saying the issue was “incredibly poorly” dealt with. In August 2015, it was revealed 10 acute myeloid leukaemia pa... more

22 November 2016

A euthanasia advocate who promised to provide a lethal drug to a terminally ill man has told a tribunal he only did it to ease the man’s psychological pain. Urologist Dr Rodney Syme promised to provide Brighton man Bernard Erica with a lethal drug, w... more

22 November 2016

The more sexual partners a man has, the greater his risk of developing prostate cancer. A study by Cancer Council NSW published in the International Journal of Cancer has found sexual activity is among the factors that at least doubles the risk of th... more

22 November 2016

Two women had their breasts removed unnecessarily after being misdiagnosed with cancer at the Royal Darwin Hospital, the ABC has revealed. The startling revelations prompted Health Minister Natasha Fyles to issue a statement last night, saying: “The ... more

22 November 2016

Christmas party overindulgence will hurt your waistline just as much as your head, with new analysis showing that downing a few boozy drinks is the equivalent of going on a junk food binge. A Cancer Council investigation into the hidden kilojoules in... more

22 November 2016

A coroner says it’s “alarming” that warnings of the possible side-effects of the anti-smoking drug Champix are not included on the box, with patients left to seek out the information themselves. On the first day of an inquest into the death of a 22- ... more

21 November 2016

One in three cancer patients is missing out on crucial radiotherapy and many of those who receive it have to wait more than a month to begin treatment. Senior radiologist and researcher Professor Michael Barton said patients were missing out because ... more

21 November 2016

E-Cigarettes would be banned in non-smoking areas such as outdoor dining venues, just like tobacco cigarettes, under proposed rules. Retailers would not be allowed to sell the vaporisers to children, nor advertise or promote e-cigarette products. Sub... more

21 November 2016

Cancer Council national sun protection survey research released today shows that just 44 per cent of Australian adults wore a hat when exposed to UV at summer weekends in 2013-14, compared to 48 per cent in 2003 – a reduction of 8.3 per cent. Officia... more

21 November 2016

A revolutionary new blood test capable of diagnosing melanoma within hours and boosting patients’ chances of overcoming the disease is being rolled out in Victoria. The Australian-first “liquid biopsy” can cut several weeks off the time taken to dete... more

21 November 2016

The Federal Government must tackle the obesity health crisis in the same aggressive way it stubbed out smoking rates with a world-class campaign, a Queensland medical chief says. The 2016 Queensland Chief Health Officer’s Report shows an estimated 1.... more

21 November 2016

Eating plenty of fibre is not only good for your heart – it also protects against infection, scientists have found. A bit of roughage, whether broccoli, bowl of bran flakes or a slice of wholemeal bread, maintains the layer of mucus which is the gut’... more

18 November 2016

CSIRO’s research accelerator program (ON Prime) has had its first run through in five innovation labs across the country. Thirty-nine inventions have been tested during an eight-week intensive program that aims to prepare the research for commercial ... more

18 November 2016

Philip Morris International says it sees a future without cigarettes as it pushes to overcome legislative hurdles to launch a smokeless cigarette in Australia. The move by Philip Morris International to introduce e-cigarettes has so far been thwarted... more

18 November 2016

Building on technology developed by the CSIRO, a Melbourne company (Starpharma) is working to change the molecular composition of some generic drugs to make them more powerful combatants against certain diseases. Starpharma is using its technology on... more

17 November 2016

The Barnett Government has flagged new controls on tobacco. A draft Bill to amend WA’s tobacco laws will ban retail workers under the age of 18 from handling tobacco and prevent the granting of tobacco retail licences at events such as music festival... more

16 November 2016

Selecting specific drugs for individual breast cancer patients and trusting the immune system are two of the biggest challenges facing researchers tackling the killer disease. Dr Shom Goel, a researcher at the famed Harvard University Medical School,... more

16 November 2016

A team of Queensland researchers may have found the key to treating fatigue in recovering cancer patients. University of Queensland PhD candidate Kirsten Adlard is behind the ongoing research that suggests high-intensity interval training might be th... more

16 November 2016

Drinking just one beer can dramatically increase a man’s chance of developing prostate cancer, new research shows. Researchers say there is a “clear link” between the cancer, which kills more than 3000 Aussie men every year, and even modest amounts o... more

15 November 2016

Melbourne researchers have found a promising drug combination for incurable end-stage prostate cancer, which claims the lives of about 4000 Australian men a year. After successfully controlling the disease in tumours taken from human patients and reg... more

14 November 2016

A nuclear reactor in Canada has stopped production of radioactive isotopes essential in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers, triggering fears of a worldwide shortage in the nuclear medicine. Enter the reactor at Lucas Heights in south-west Sydney,... more

14 November 2016

Tobacco use remains the most preventable cause of cancer, and 40 per cent of diagnosed US cancer cases may have a link to it, health authorities reported. The CDC Vital Signs report found that every year from 2009 to 2013, about 660,000 people in the... more

14 November 2016

Australians with a family history of melanoma are more likely to develop the potentially deadly cancer on their limbs and at a younger age. People with many moles, however, are likely to detect a melanoma on their torso. Sydney University researchers... more

14 November 2016

A new biobank of “miniguts” will help doctors determine the best way to destroy tumours and which cancer patients can be spared invasive surgery within the next year. The tiny organs just  2mm big are grown from tumours removed from Victorian patient... more

14 November 2016

Asbestos was found on Sydney Harbour Bridge 10 months ago but the public has only just been told about it. Roads Minister Duncan Gay Revealed the hazardous material was discovered near the northern toll plaza during construction work in February. “Wh... more

14 November 2016

Victoria’s war on cancer will be stepped up with $10 million being splashed on bringing together the best researchers and discoveries from Melbourne and overseas. The effort could dramatically cut the time taken for new medical treatments to become a... more

10 November 2016

Australia’s leading neurosurgeons are calling for federal government funding to nationally roll out a drug that has the potential to prolong the life of brain cancer patients and which is used in surgeries across Europe as standard care. This year on... more

10 November 2016

A jab for the deadliest types of prostate cancer is being developed by British scientists. Men are currently treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, which causes debilitating side effects. But researchers from University College London say they ar... more

09 November 2016

Cancer patients and those with other chronic illnesses will no longer have a cap placed on the number of times they can visit a doctor each year after a U-turn. The Federal Government has backed down on the controversial element of its Health Care Ho... more

09 November 2016

A statewide review of all public cancer patients treated in the past five years, called for by NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner in August following a widespread chemotherapy dosing scandal, will instead test only a random sample of 1800 patients. ... more

09 November 2016

A common food additive used to extend shelf life promotes colon cancer in mice, according to a new study. Emulsifiers are added to most processed foods to aid texture and keep them fresh but the findings of the US study, published in journal Cancer R... more

09 November 2016

Under-age boozing by high school students is at its lowest level in three decades. Cancer Council Victoria research to be released today shows the proportion of 12-15-year-olds who had drunk alcohol in the past week slipped from 30 per cent in 1984 t... more

08 November 2016

Australian women are still dying from cervical cancer because they’re failing to have regular pap tests. The Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation said nearly half — 43 per cent — of Australian women don’t get screened every two years, as recommended... more

08 November 2016

Men need to gain only 15.9kg from their teenage years to retirement to be in significantly greater danger. For women, the risk of cancer rises by almost 20 per cent over a lifetime if they put on 22.2kg. The findings by Manchester University shed new... more

08 November 2016

Another 100 Australians who may have been exposed to Mr Fluffy loose-fill asbestos while living in Canberra and have since been diagnosed interstate with mesothelioma, cancer or other asbestos-related illnesses are expected to be discovered as part o... more

07 November 2016

The nation’s sickest cancer patients and people with diabetes and other chronic illnesses will get a maximum of $1795 worth of GP care a year funded by Medicare under a revamp in the way doctors are paid. And Medicare will fund just five extra visits... more

04 November 2016

The Turnbull Government will announce continued funding for three Tasmanian breast care nurses as part of a $20.5 million national commitment to the McGrath Foundation’s breast care program. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is set to commit the fundi... more

04 November 2016

The nation’s first euthanasia law at a state level is a step closer after a debate in the South Australian parliament yesterday saw a Labor MP plead for other parliamentarians’ support for an expected vote this month. The controversial legislation h... more

03 November 2016

Two reports have warned of an explosion in cancer deaths among women, with a toll, mainly from breast cancer, of some 5.5 million per year by 2030. This represented a near 60 per cent increase in less than two decades, according to an analysis conduc... more

01 November 2016

Palliative cancer patients were underdosed and their cases ignored by a top doctor charged by NSW Health with getting to the bottom of the chemotherapy scandal. A parliamentary inquiry also heard yesterday that St Vincent’s Hospital told NSW Health i... more

01 November 2016

Rio Tinto has been dismissed from court cases in the US where it has been named in a legal battle relating to claims Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder caused ovarian cancer. The company’s name has been removed from five separate lawsuits launched... more

31 October 2016

A member of Barnaby Joyce’s frontbench team has publicly voiced concerns about the Nationals’ continued acceptance of tobacco company donations as senior party figures also agitate for a ban. The Nationals are the last major party to accept tobacco c... more

31 October 2016

Medicinal cannabis as a treatment option has taken a major leap forward with two major changes to the Narcotic Drugs Act. From today, cannabis products for therapeutic use will be moved into the same category as other drugs, such as morphine, that ar... more

31 October 2016

Medicinal cannabis can have negative side effects and there is little evidence of its medical benefits, WA’s top public health official said yesterday. But executive director of Public Health Tarun Weeramanthri said WA’s decision to allow cannabis de... more

31 October 2016

Alexandra Jones from Sydney University said her analysis of 18 front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems used in 50 countries found the health star rating system was the most effective and Australia was on the right path towards improving diets.  Ms ... more

28 October 2016

A blood test has been developed by Australian researchers who say it detects relapses in skin cancer earlier than before. The test, created by Edith Cowan University’s melanoma research group in WA, should reduce the need for invasive skin biopsies a... more

28 October 2016

A ban on private beds at the new Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has cost $40 million in donations, the head of the hospital’s foundation claims. An explosive submission to a state parliamentary committee asserts that Premier Daniel Andrews’s tearing u... more

28 October 2016

Cancer specialists believe rising numbers of sufferers are shunning medical treatment in favour of alternative therapy. Of the 130,466 new cancer diagnoses in Australia this year, RiAus director Dr Paul Willis estimates about 4 per cent or 5200 peopl... more

27 October 2016

The State Government has sounded the alarm at thousands of WA teenagers missing out on cancer protection because they are not completing their full course of the human papilloma virus vaccine. It is provided free to year 8 boys and girls in WA but re... more

27 October 2016

Electronic cigarettes could be used to help the obese lose weight, health experts have revealed. Like real cigarettes, the electronic versions contain nicotine, which curbs the appetite and speeds up metabolism. Researchers believe e-cigarettes with ... more

26 October 2016

SA Pathology has a new director after losing its leader in the prostate test bungle. Central Adelaide Local Health Network chief executive Julia Squire announced Dr Glenn Edwards would take the role from November 14. “Dr Edwards is an internationally... more

26 October 2016

Cancer sufferers living in rural regions distant from capital cities are much more likely to die within five years of diagnosis than their urban counterparts. A major report to be published today by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research also finds... more

25 October 2016

Private health insurer Medibank Private no longer has any investments In tobacco companies. Medibank’s policy of excluding investments in tobacco companies has now been implemented across its entire $2.4 billion investment portfolio. The tobacco-free... more

24 October 2016

Forty-one Australian Public Service agencies, which hire tens of thousands of staff, have “healthy lifestyle payments’’ in their contracts, which include gym memberships and quitting smoking. No-nonsense Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm implied it w... more

24 October 2016

Research has shown that eating brains and some innards can cause cancer. Offal has alarmingly high levels of a chemical that causes tumours, and concentrations of the substance – a sialic acid called Neu5Gc – increase during cooking. The researchers ... more

24 October 2016

Monitoring prostate cancer that has not spread gives as good results for survival as surgery or radiotherapy without the side effects, a major study indicates. The check of 1643 men with the cancer in Britain over a decade found the 10-year survival ... more

24 October 2016

Students are being warned not to binge on energy drinks laden with sugar and caffeine this exam period, with health experts warning it could backfire. “If consumed regularly, the high sugar content in energy drinks can lead to weight gain and obesity... more

24 October 2016

Designer rice identified by a Tasmanian researcher could help to protect people from diabetes, cancer and obesity. University of Tasmania School of Biological Sciences Professor Steven Smith, an expert on starch production in plants, is working on im... more

21 October 2016

Perth scientists plan to use a computer-designed synthetic gene to genetically modify the cancer-fighting white blood cells of leukaemia patients. Scientists at Royal Perth Hospital’s Cell and Tissue Therapies WA are working on a therapy that would g... more

21 October 2016

Young women who drink alcohol before their first pregnancy face a 35 per cent higher risk of breast cancer, new research suggests. Findings of the Cancer Council Victoria study have led to calls for women to reduce their alcohol consumption before ha... more

20 October 2016

The federal health department says the “jury is still out” on the potential benefits and dangers of e-cigarettes. While the devices are legal, sale and possession of the nicotine used in them is illegal.  The regulator has been asked to exempt small ... more

19 October 2016

Cancer patients will live longer and better lives thanks to the most exciting new treatment to make its way into clinical practice in the past 25 years. Speaking at a Cancer Council WA Cancer Update lecture earlier this month Michael Millward, head o... more

19 October 2016

A recent US study has found annual lung screening with low dosage computed tomography (low-dose CT) has contributed to a 20 per cent reduction in the death rate from cancer compared with traditional chest x-rays. According to the study, low-dose CT s... more

19 October 2016

Melbourne researchers have successfully grown human blood cells from stem cells, overcoming a major hurdle on the way to creating ready-to-order stem cells as an alternative to bone marrow transplants for critically ill cancer patients. This breakthr... more

19 October 2016

Scientists have discovered red wine could help overcome infertility. A study by American and Polish researchers suggests resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, grapes, nuts and chocolate, can help rectify an imbalance of “androgen” hormones t... more

18 October 2016

Melbourne researchers have used technology inspired by Google Earth to film leukaemia cells outsmarting chemotherapy, potentially paving the way for new treatments. A type of microscopic CCTV effectively allows scientists to spy on cancer cells as th... more

18 October 2016

Air force maintenance workers exposed to toxic chemicals while working on the F-111 fleet are 39 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the average Australian man, new research shows. The latest report into the deseal/reseal program at... more

17 October 2016

Women under the age of 25 gain little benefit from Pap smears according to a study that supports the federal government’s decision to scrap cervical screening in younger women. Cancer Council NSW researchers investigated the incidence of cervical can... more

17 October 2016

Hormone treatments given to thousands of men with prostate cancer may double their risk of developing dementia, research suggests. The drugs work by lowering levels of testosterone, which in prostate cancer patients can drive the growth of tumours. s... more

17 October 2016

An Australian breast cancer researcher is calling for more ethnic based studies into the disease to aid screening and treatment. Dr Eunji Hwang’s study, which analysed the diagnosis of more than 1200 breast cancer patients from southwest Sydney over ... more

17 October 2016

Crippling hospital parking fees could finally be addressed, with urgent meetings convened in every state to thrash out a solution. Parking Australia will hold meetings with the Cancer Council, the Chronic Illness Alliance, hospitals, parking operator... more

13 October 2016

More women will have access to genetic testing for breast cancer and other diseases under a new scheme that slashes the cost by up to 90 per cent. The tests, which identify cancer-causing mutations in genes, cost up to $2000 in the private system but... more

13 October 2016

More than one in six men with prostate cancer who have surgery regret choosing that treatment, research shows. An Australian study shows prostate cancer patients are four times more likely to regret having surgery than they are radiation treatment, d... more

13 October 2016

Organ transplant patients are developing non-melanoma skin cancers at 30 times the rate of the Queensland population, prompting scientists to launch research into ways to reduce their risk. Researchers from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute a... more

13 October 2016

Doctors should avoid giving patients excess colonoscopies, genetic tests for coeliac disease and specific tests for sexual infections, such as herpes, because it puts people at risk and wastes taxpayer dollars, health experts say. The recommendations... more

12 October 2016

More than half of Tasmania’s smokers would cut down or quit smoking tobacco if nicotine based e-cigarettes were made legal, research shows. An Australasian Association of Convenience Stores study looking at 400 Tasmanian smokers showed a third had tr... more

12 October 2016

Patients with common cancers will be forced to use a replacement medication that requires longer treatment and greater risk because of a global shortage of a chemotherapy drug. And a special alert is being sent to healthcare professionals to ensure t... more

11 October 2016

Researcher Allison Cowin’s antibody-based therapy for skin cancer treatment has seen her named as a finalist in this year’s Winnovation Awards. The groundbreaking patented therapy follows more than 20 years of research, with clinical translation and ... more

11 October 2016

Removing chocolates from check-outs and making health foods cheaper are among five strategies that have been put forward to reduce Queensland’s alarming rate of childhood obesity. Cancer Council Queensland spokeswoman Katie Clift said 28 per cent of ... more

11 October 2016

A new South Australian company plans to become the first in the state to grow medicinal marijuana, after receiving support from the State Government. Patient access to medicinal cannabis in SA will be by prescription from a specialist doctor, for pat... more

10 October 2016

Researchers are trialling a hi-tech UV-sensitive patch that changes colour when it comes time to reapply sunscreen. The innovation could be a lifesaver. Researchers found many people apply less than half the needed amount of sunscreen. Dr Elke Hacker... more

10 October 2016

A miracle drug that saves lives by “dissolving” cancer, without any chemotherapy, has been successfully trialled by Australian doctors. Patients are not only living longer but also are living better, free of chemotherapy’s extreme side effects. Westm... more

10 October 2016

Burns surgeons in the UK are warning of the dangers of electronic cigarettes after treating a string of smokers injured by exploding devices. The call was being echoed by fire chiefs and standards experts who joined forces to highlight the dangers to... more

09 October 2016

More than 300 former staff and students from a school where 30 have already died from cancer and blood disorders have joined a class action against the NSW Department of Education. Camden High School was built in 1956 beside a former gas works and la... more

07 October 2016

A Chinese herbal medicine has blasted leukaemia into submission, a new study shows. Seriously ill patients given homoharringtonine, a drug made from the leaves of the plum yew tree, showed remarkable improvements. All were suffering from a hard to tr... more

07 October 2016

A massive global health check has placed Australia in the top 10 countries for longevity but heart disease and cancer remain some of our biggest enemies. The Global Burden of Disease study, the biggest research project into the causes of death and di... more

06 October 2016

Victorians will be the first in the world treated with promising new drugs that could also give the state’s biotechnology industry a shot in the arm. World-first trials for drugs to tackle arthritis, asthma, neurodegenerative disorders, heart conditi... more

06 October 2016

Anti-tobacco groups have filed a lawsuit against the US Food and Drug Administration to push the agency to try again to require graphic warning labels on cigarettes. The lawsuit, filed in US District Court of Massachusetts, urges the court to force t... more

05 October 2016

A dire warning has been issued to women not to be conned by dodgy breast cancer screening services operating across Australia. Experts have identified multiple sites where bogus thermography procedures are offered despite a crackdown on the services ... more

05 October 2016

Japanese biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi has won the Nobel prize in medicine for discoveries on how cells break down and recycle content, a garbage disposal system that scientists hope to harness in the fight against cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases... more

04 October 2016

A new app ‘CancerAid’, founded by Dr Nikhil Pooviah and Dr Raghav Murali-Ganesh from the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse cancer hospital, provides cancer patients and their caregivers with accurate information specific to their illness and treatment plan, a ... more

04 October 2016

More than 100 Australians are diagnosed with lung cancer each year blamed on work based exposure to diesel fumes, according to figures released by Cancer Council Australia. The council also is releasing fact sheets on how to reduce carcinogen exposur... more

04 October 2016

Research suggests acupuncture halves the number of hot flushes endured by women. While many hot flushes last for just five minutes, some women can experience up to 20 a day during the menopause, which typically lasts for about four years. Hormone rep... more

04 October 2016

Women may be wrongly complacent about their risk of breast cancer as mammograms aren’t good at detecting bad signs in dense breasts. Experts from five universities and cancer clinics — including the University of Melbourne and the Peter MacCallum Can... more

03 October 2016

An inquest will probe if a link exists between an antismoking drug and a young man who took his own life hours after complaining the medication had made him feel “strange”. Counsel assisting the Coroner Peter De Waard said clinical studies suggested ... more

03 October 2016

Hundreds of thousands of Australian women at risk of breast cancer will today get access to a subsidy for a preventive medicine that will reduce their risk of contracting the disease by 40 per cent. Previously only used for treating diagnosed breast ... more

03 October 2016

Doctors will be paid just $8.90 extra per patient per month to deliver a revolutionary new system of care that will see patients enrolled with a single medical practice. The healthcare home model, being touted as the solution to Medicare’s woes, is s... more

02 October 2016

A group of seven people have been taking a trial vaccine using cancer to fight cancer. The experimental vaccine — made from other people’s melanoma — “turbocharges” the patients’ own struggling immune systems to give it a so called macho muscle to fi... more

30 September 2016

Drug giant Pfizer has been slammed as stingy for failing to adequately warn Australians of the risks of its anti-smoking pill Champix, after at least 58 Australians took their lives in just six years while on the medication. Brisbane coroner John Hut... more

30 September 2016

Eating apples every day could slash the risk of up to five different types of cancer, according to new research. Scientists found those eating at least one a day were much less likely to get lung, bowel, mouth, digestive tract or breast tumours than ... more

29 September 2016

Indigenous people have been slow to heed the “quit smoking” message, with lifestyle factors still contributing to an Aboriginal and islander death rate almost double that of other Australians. The death rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ... more

29 September 2016

A new international research project is trying to identify cancerous isotopic biomarkers in blood in a bid to create a new blood test that could help doctors identify breast cancer in patients. Although the actual test could still be up to a decade a... more

29 September 2016

Nanotechnology “vehicles” in the form of rods are the best shapes to deliver drugs directly into a cancer cell’s nucleus, offering more targeted treatment. A paper published in Nature Nanotechnology by Australian scientists showed rod-shaped nanopart... more

29 September 2016

Inpatient oncology is the first ward at the Royal Hobart Hospital on the move today to make way for the next phase of the $689 million redevelopment. The cancer ward will be relocating from level two in B Block to the ninth level on A Block as part o... more

29 September 2016

Medical experts have launched a grill-killing attack on the Australian way of life with new preventive health guidelines that take aim at the traditional barbie. Red meat and grog are under fire from our trusted GPs, who are being urged to tell their... more

29 September 2016

Patients have won a temporary reprieve from a new $30 charge for a blood test only until January, as the Federal Government reels from Labor’s powerful Mediscare election campaign. Days before the axe was due to fall on Medicare bulk-billing incentiv... more

28 September 2016

Children with the most common type of brain cancer will be spared unnecessary radiation and chemotherapy thanks to a breakthrough program in Melbourne. The Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Monash Health are establishing Australia’s first mole... more

28 September 2016

Cigarette giant British American Tobacco has lost its quest to access long-running tobacco studies of school children by the Cancer Council of Victoria. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found the release of all but one of six document... more

26 September 2016

Health PBS price reductions a bonanza for patients Australians will save hundreds of dollars a year from October 1 as prices are cut for more than 2000 medicines covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Health Minister Sussan Ley said the reduc... more

26 September 2016

The nation's largest ever Diet survey reveals that 99 per cent of Australians indulge in junk food. The 2016 CSIRO Healthy Diet Score report highlights that Australians' eating habits are worse than first feared. "We have an image of being fit and he... more

26 September 2016

Drug companies have splashed more than $650,000 sending nurses to conferences in six months and are targeting highly respected specialists, spending as much as $10,000 to send one nurse to a five-day event. Nurses and their employers have defended th... more

23 September 2016

  More than 20 years after he enacted the nation’s first assisted suicide laws — later axed by the federal government — Marshall Perron says the battle to bring back the right to die has been revived. Victoria and South Australia, Mr Perron says, no... more

23 September 2016

A husband and wife who illegally operated solariums from their beauty salon and the garage of their home are the first to be prosecuted by the State Government since commercial sunbeds were banned last year. During multiple searches of their Heidelbe... more

23 September 2016

Parents are taking their children out of a Sydney school amid fears that work on a former industrial site could spread asbestos and chlorinated hydrocarbons that have been linked to cancer, Parkinson’s disease and water contamination. A VIG spokeswom... more

21 September 2016

Men who suffer from severe anxiety are twice as likely to die from cancer than men who do not, a UK study has found. But women with the mental health condition were at no greater risk, researchers said. They suggest anxious men may be more likely to ... more

21 September 2016

A six-month investigation completed by David Currow into the off-protocol prescription of chemo drugs in NSW’s central west revealed 28 cancer patients were given reduced doses of carboplatin and capecitabine between 2006 and 2012. The number of affe... more

20 September 2016

Queensland: A third of people living in the skin cancer capital of the world misunderstand how it is caused, the Cancer Council says. Reporting that 18 per cent attributed the disease to heat or sunlight rather than UV rays specifically. The Austral... more

20 September 2016

All Australian children with high-risk cancers would be turned into long-term survivors under an ambitious national program to analyse their unique cancer cells and offer personalised treatment. The $40 million Zero Childhood Cancer initiative aims t... more

19 September 2016

Around 250 Territory patients travel interstate to access a PET scanner which enables a full body scan using radioactive dyes to quickly diagnose and track the spread of cancers. The Territory is the only jurisdiction in the country without one. Leuk... more

19 September 2016

Childhood obesity is so entrenched that the perception of a healthy weight is shifting, as one in five NSW children qualify as overweight or obese, a state government report says. The NSW government’s first annual report into overweight children will... more

16 September 2016

Life-saving cancer treatments could be fast-tracked under Federal Government reforms to bring breakthrough drugs to patients sooner. The Government yesterday announced it had accepted expert panel recommendations that advised using assessments by ove... more

16 September 2016

Men with early prostate cancer who choose to closely monitor their disease are just as likely to survive at least 10 years as those who have surgery or radiation, a major British study has found. Survival from prostate cancer is so high – 99 per cent... more

16 September 2016

Survival rates of prostate cancer have increased, new data showing 96 per cent of South Australian men now survive the disease for at least five years. Research presented at the SA Prostate Cancer Symposium in Adelaide highlighted the importance of d... more

16 September 2016

The chemotherapy bungle that led to 10 patients being underdosed was a “disturbing and indefensible failure in clinical governance”, a damning report into the scandal has found. An “inadequate and ineffectual” email from a senior doctor alerting clin... more

15 September 2016

E-cigarettes may have helped about 18,000 smokers in England kick the tobacco habit last year, according to research released yesterday. The survey-based study was not a clinical trial, so the link between using nicotine delivery devices and the numb... more

15 September 2016

A Liberal backbencher has called for a rethink of Australia’s ban on nicotine e-cigarettes, arguing the devices could spell the end of harmful cigarette smoking. Senator James Paterson said some of the reasons cited by health groups for maintaining t... more

15 September 2016

Australians afflicted with lymphoma — the most common form of blood cancer — suffer the highest level of financial stress in the world, a survey of more than 4000 patients reveals. Being forced to raise thousands of dollars to access new breakthrough... more

15 September 2016

Red food colours are good for you – but only if it’s in your fruit bowl or wine glass. The colours found naturally in berries, grapes and red wine have been hailed as dietary heroes in an internationally lauded study co-authored in Adelaide. It revie... more

14 September 2016

A report this week from the Australian Government’s National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) found 471 different tattoo inks likely to be used in Australia made up of 89 unique chemicals. They interviewed 22 professio... more

14 September 2016

Melbourne researchers are testing whether exercise during chemotherapy can both help detect early damage to heart muscle caused by anthracycline- based chemotherapy drugs, but also prevent damage decades after treatment has finished. Associate Profes... more

14 September 2016

New data shows while coronary heart disease continues to be the nation’s single leading cause of death, cancer, as a group of diseases, were responsible for more deaths in 2013 than any other disease type. The report found cancer caused 44,100 deaths... more

14 September 2016

Deputy State Coroner Anthony Schapel held a hearing yesterday to discuss a timetable for the inquest into the deaths of Christopher McRae, 67, Johanna Pinxteren, 76, and Bronte Higham, 67. The inquest will examine whether the dosage mishap contribute... more

14 September 2016

According to the latest snapshot of the nation’s health, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare yesterday, none of us consume the recommended daily intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. Alarmingly, the two-yearly report card, titl... more

14 September 2016

The newest superfood is a Queensland icon, with fresh research suggesting mangoes may help combat type 2 diabetes. The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, backed previous research which highlighted the tropical fruit’s cancer-fighting capab... more

13 September 2016

Victorian ethnic leaders and peak health bodies are pushing for a ban on the indoor smoking of waterpipes, warning a single session can boast the equivalent tar of 25 cigarettes. The Greens and the Coalition support the proposed amendment to the Toba... more

13 September 2016

Burger fans could be more at risk of cancer than vegetarians because junk food damages blood cells. People who do not eat enough antioxidants, which are found in fresh foods, produce red bloods cells that are damaged, scientists at Swansea University... more

12 September 2016

A naturopath counselling cancer-prone patients against mastectomies and a farmer claiming his apricot seeds cured his cancer are among businesses that are currently being investigated by the Health Care Complaints Commission. Cancer Council Australia... more

12 September 2016

The competition watchdog has launched Federal Court action against an online e-cigarette retailer for allegedly making false or misleading claims that its products are free from toxic chemicals found in regular cigarettes. Independent testing of The ... more

12 September 2016

Endometrial cancer, which affects the lining of the womb, is the most common gynaecological cancer in women, with the incidence up 22 per cent in the past two decades. Oncologist Diana Adams said endometrial cancer was closely linked to obesity. “The... more

09 September 2016

A black market in illegal sunbed use has sprung up across Sydney backyards after authorities failed to crack down on the banned cancer causing machines. The traders have been allowed to cash in off hundreds of tan addicts who are prepared to pay “any... more

09 September 2016

Regular exercise offsets the harm caused by alcohol, including cancer and heart disease, research shows. A study has found that adults who drink regularly but do five hours physical activity a week are no more likely to die than teetotallers. Adelai... more

09 September 2016

An experimental cancer drug found to be targeting cells in an unexpected way could provide a new way of combating other cancers, UK research has found. Scientists found the drug, pevonedistat, does not kill cancer cells directly, as intended, but tar... more

09 September 2016

Melbourne researchers have discovered a way to reactivate a missing cancer-fighting gene, raising hope of the first new treatment for one of the most common forms of the disease in 30 years. By using an experimental drug called pracinostat, Hudson In... more

08 September 2016

A blood test that detects cancer before any symptoms are noticeable is being hailed a breakthrough that could save thousands of lives. The test, made public at the British Science Festival, has been compared with a smoke detector. “The test can be li... more

07 September 2016

Deaths from ovarian cancer in the UK dipped by 22 per cent over a decade thanks to widespread use of the contraceptive Pill and possibly owing to a decline in the use of hormone replacement therapy for menopause, scientists have said. The downward tr... more

07 September 2016

Australian women are being advised to reconsider using talcum powder on their genitalia amid a new legal battle in the US over whether it causes ovarian cancer. Ovarian Cancer Australia recommends women stop using talcum powder on their genital area.... more

07 September 2016

Death rates for some of South Australia’s most common cancers are falling but more people are dying from the disease, a new report reveals. SA Health has released its latest Cancer in South Australia report. The 2013 report shows the death rate for c... more

07 September 2016

An Australian study has found the prevalence of “differentiated” thyroid cancers, which account for about 90 per cent of thyroid tumours, has not changed over the past 45 years although diagnoses have tripled. The findings, published in the Journal o... more

06 September 2016

Rio Tinto is being sued in the US by ovarian cancer sufferers who allege their use of talcum powder sourced from the resource giant’s mines led to their medical condition. All five women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2011 and 2015 and al... more

05 September 2016

Plans for a $280 million medical research hub, which was to be home to an Australian-first therapy unit offering hope to inoperable cancer patients, are all but doomed after Flinders University withdrew its $60 million share. It was planned to house ... more

05 September 2016

The Turnbull government has decided to give Australians with rare cancers and other fatal diseases early access to experimental drugs as part of major changes to the medical approvals system. Under the government’s changes, drug companies will be abl... more

05 September 2016

The cost of common PBS medicines will be slashed by up to 50 per cent from next month, saving some chronically ill patients up to $400 a year. The Turnbull Government has predicted one in three medicines will drop in price as a result of better barga... more

05 September 2016

The number of cancer cases in children has leapt by 40 per cent in less than two decades because of pollution, pesticides and gadgets, new British analysis has shown. There are 1300 more diagnoses of the disease a year in the UK in people under the a... more

02 September 2016

Queensland says it now has the strictest anti-smoking laws in Australia, and the state government hasn’t ruled out making them tougher. Bus stops, taxi ranks, outdoor malls, aged care centres, pools and skate parks are in a long list of places that a... more

02 September 2016

Medicinal cannabis will become legal, but strictly controlled from November this year, under a formal decision reached by the Therapeutic Goods Administration this week. The final decision was published on Wednesday, paving the way for the drug to be... more

02 September 2016

WA researchers have found that a test normally used to screen for Down syndrome is able to detect early signs of ovarian cancer. Doctors from St John of God Hospital in Subiaco have shown for the first time that genetic material from ovarian cancer c... more

01 September 2016

The Asia-Pacific Prostate Cancer Conference was told the more men ejaculate, the lower their risk of prostate cancer. Assistant professor of urology at NYU, Stacy Loeb quoted a study published in European Urology which showed men who ejaculated at le... more

01 September 2016

A husband-and-wife medical scientist team at Deakin University has made a breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment that could reduce side-effects for patients. In a study published in the prestigious international journal Scientific Reports, Dr Rupi... more

31 August 2016

The architect of the inquiry into the chemotherapy scandal warns another major mistake is possible because staff have failed to follow safety procedures. Professor Villis Marshall has told a parliamentary inquiry that non-compliance with hospital pro... more

31 August 2016

A national register of asbestos related disease — meant to guide government policy — is under a cloud after a damning review ordered by health and safety authorities. Safe Work Australia commissioned consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers to review the A... more

31 August 2016

Using electronic cigarettes could be as bad for the heart as smoking tobacco, research suggests. Scientists found inhaling nicotine vapour damaged key blood vessels, raising the risk of heart disease. The team monitored participants’ hearts while smo... more

29 August 2016

Australian women worry more about getting fat than getting cancer or depression. But doctors say many women lack the time and motivation to look after their health properly. A national survey of 3236 women by Jean Hailes for Women’s Health shows more... more

29 August 2016

A genetic test may allow thousands of Australian women with early-stage breast cancer safely avoid chemotherapy, a landmark trial shows. Based on the genetic profile of their tumours, nearly half of women (46 per cent) with early-stage breast cancer ... more

29 August 2016

Scientists in Montreal are on the verge of starting a fantastic voyage into the human body to treat cancer. Half a century after the release of the sci-fi film Fantastic Voyage, the Polytechnique Montreal Nanorobotics Laboratory has created the first... more

26 August 2016

In April, a landmark study published in the medical journal The Lancet found the world’s fat now outnumber the skinny. The analysis, synthesised from almost 1700 population-based studies involving more than 19 million people, found the average global... more

26 August 2016

A $60 million cancer treatment and accommodation centre planned for Bowden by the Cancer Council SA has been put on hold. The council had sought $20 million in funding from the Federal Government for the 180-room facility but officials yesterday conf... more

25 August 2016

Women are being warned against taking iron supplements without medical advice after a WA study found high iron levels doubled the risk of breast cancer. Researchers from Fiona Stanley Hospital and the University of WA found that women on high-iron di... more

25 August 2016

Asbestos fibres have been found in equipment imported to Port Pirie’s Nyrstar lead smelter, prompting calls for the Federal Government to tighten screening of imported products. The exposed friable asbestos fibres were found in a plaster coating on e... more

24 August 2016

The pioneer of a new CAR Tcell therapy, which makes the cancer cells visible to the patient’s immune system for the first time has  told an International Congress of Immunology in Melbourne this week that with the technique working in 93 per cent of ... more

24 August 2016

Sydney scientists have pioneered a breakthrough fertility treatment that is cheaper, uses fewer drugs and is less painful than IVF. The innovation has enhanced the results of invitro maturation (IVM), an existing but underused fertility treatment, an... more

24 August 2016

For decades, beer, wine and liquor producers have been helped by a notion, enshrined in a number of governments’ advice, that a little alcohol can provide modest coronary and other health benefits. Rapidly, that advice is shifting as health policy of... more

23 August 2016

A new tablet that “melts away” certain blood cancer cells, and has seen one in five end-stage patients cancer-free, has been approved for use in the US, offering hope it will soon be available in Australia. The US Food and Drug Administration has ann... more

23 August 2016

Having blue, green or grey eyes and fair skin puts you at a greater risk of eye cancer, researchers have confirmed. They found the increased risk is linked to mutations in pigmentation genes that dictate eye and skin colour. US scientists analysed 29... more

22 August 2016

It may be legal to use them in pubs, clubs, shopping centres and restaurants, but the NSW Cancer Council wants e-cigarettes to have the same restrictions placed on them as tobacco. This would bring NSW laws into line with Queensland, the ACT and Vict... more

22 August 2016

A reported epidemic of thyroid cancer in rich countries is mainly due to overdiagnosis driven by technology, the UN’s cancer research agency says. Up to 90 per cent of cases diagnosed in recent decades are tumours “very unlikely” to cause symptoms ..... more

22 August 2016

Laughter may not be the best medicine – it may be music. Researchers have found significant evidence that music interventions help alleviate symptoms of anxiety, pain and fatigue in cancer patients while also boosting quality of life. There was also ... more

19 August 2016

Australian researchers are reaching out to parents who have been willing to break the law for the sake of their very sick children, to investigate the use of medicinal cannabis on epilepsy. These illegal substances are often taken in addition to conv... more

19 August 2016

Testing for the activity of two genes could help doctors identify women at an increased risk of dying from breast cancer, UK research suggests. Women whose tumours displayed a specific activity pattern were three times more likely to die within 10 y... more

19 August 2016

In a submission to the Productivity Commission, Bupa has repeated its previous call for reforms to the prostheses list, expected to be taken up by the Turnbull government. But Bupa has also asked the commission to review commercial arrangements in pr... more

19 August 2016

The British government is challenging the food and beverage industry to reduce overall sugar by one fifth across a range of products as part of a drive to tackle childhood obesity. The childhood obesity plan follows the government’s announcement earl... more

19 August 2016

Swedish researchers have shut down claims that people can be “fit and fat” but still healthy. A study by the Karolinska Institute found that even obese people considered fit or metabolically healthy had abnormal control of their insulin levels. The r... more

17 August 2016

Victoria’s medicinal cannabis is a step closer to being dispensed to children with severe epilepsy, Premier Daniel Andrews has declared after visiting the state’s clandestine marijuana crop. Legalising medicinal cannabis was a key election pledge for... more

17 August 2016

Dozens of fuming vapers gathered on the steps of the Victorian Parliament sending plumes of vapour towards MPs who have introduced new laws regulating e-cigarettes. Supporters of vaping say the devices are a far healthier alternative to smoking tobac... more

16 August 2016

Gaming technology is allowing cancer researchers to imagine – and interact with – cells in a mind blowing new way. In a fantastic voyage to the scale of a single cell, scientists can now observe the virtual interaction of therapeutic drugs as they p... more

15 August 2016

Adelaide scientists are growing 3D versions of patients’ cancers in laboratory dishes so they can test chemotherapy drugs on a mini tumour instead of on the whole patient. The cutting-edge research produces living organoids, which can be frozen and r... more

15 August 2016

Health Minister Sussan Ley announced new medicines on the PBS will include breakthrough treatments for cervical cancer and other illnesses. The Turnbull Government will spend $60 million to list bevacizumab, sold as Avastin, on the PBS for the treatm... more

15 August 2016

Medical marijuana patients in Canada will be allowed to grow a limited amount of cannabis for their own use or designate someone to grow it for them, the Government says. The Government had been given six months to comply with a Federal Court ruling ... more

15 August 2016

A tobacco giant is shrinking the size of some cigarette packs as smokers are set to be hit with another tax rise. Retailers will start phasing in Dunhill brand packs of 23, culled from 25, from next month. The wholesale price of the new packs will be... more

15 August 2016

The Australian Medical Association has backed a call by a Canberra GP to protect neighbours of public housing tenants from second-hand smoke. ‘‘My view is not to be saying we’ve got to be banning smoking in public housing, but there must be some com... more

15 August 2016

Scientists from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute led an international study that has pinpointed nine new genetic variants that increase a person’s risk of developing oesophageal cancer. The study, published in the journal The Lancet Oncology... more

15 August 2016

Tasmanians are being encouraged to turn to private providers for colonoscopies as the public system struggles to deal with the high demand for the service. Last month, THS chief executive officer David Alcorn said $500,000 would be invested this fina... more

15 August 2016

Asbestos debris from shacks that formerly lined the Adelaide coast has been uncovered on metropolitan beaches battered by winter storms. Hundreds of asbestos pieces, previously buried in dunes, were found last week at West Beach, Henley Beach and Gra... more

12 August 2016

The attempted kidnapping, bashing and stabbing of a multinational tobacco company manager outside his home suggests crime syndicates are hitting back at efforts to combat the booming illicit tobacco trade. A criminal syndicate is suspected of orderi... more

12 August 2016

IBM Research is planning research with the Melanoma Institute of Australia to use cognitive technology to support early diagnosis, building on work done with MoleMap that uses visual analytics to interpret more than 40,000 datasets. Formative testing... more

12 August 2016

Lung cancer has been associated with cigarette smoke since the 1940s but medical researchers are only now beginning to understand how the smoke causes cancer. In 2016 Sukhwinder (Romy) Sohal, a researcher with the University of Tasmania’s School of H... more

12 August 2016

Brushing your teeth regularly could help to prevent bowel cancer, a US study suggests. This is because the mouth bacteria that cause bleeding gums can travel via the blood to the bowel where they could trigger cancer or worsen existing tumours. The b... more

11 August 2016

New research shows you should be doing either six hours of vigorous activity or 12 hours of moderate exercise a week. Australian and US researchers investigated the impact exercise had on five conditions — heart disease, strokes, diabetes, breast can... more

10 August 2016

According to a recent comprehensive review by the respected Royal College of Physicians in the UK, “e-cigarettes are being used almost exclusively as safer alternatives to smoked tobacco by confirmed smokers who are trying to reduce harm to themselve... more

10 August 2016

The Tasmanian Premier last week announced the Healthy Tasmania Five Year Strategic Plan, the centrepiece of the Government’s strategy to make Tasmania the nation’s healthiest population by 2025. The announcement includes the investment of $1.8 millio... more

10 August 2016

More than $57,000 worth of fines were issued to South Australian smokers last financial year for lighting up in cars with kids, at playgrounds, in bus shelters, on train platforms and for throwing lit butts out of the car, latest police figures show.... more

10 August 2016

Victorian researchers have shed new light on the forces of evolution, finding humans and animals are more likely to get cancer in their largest organs and those that come in pairs. The Deakin University findings suggest cancer is relatively uncommon ... more

10 August 2016

More than 60 per cent of Australians are more likely to buy food or drinks described as ‘‘natural’’, despite the fact almost half of supermarket snack food products labelled as ‘‘natural’’ are considered to be unhealthy. In an analysis of 331 superma... more

10 August 2016

Buildings constructed in Victoria after 2003 would no longer be forced to undergo mandatory asbestos checks, under controversial changes being proposed by the workplace regulator despite serious safety concerns. WorkSafe’s new proposal means Victoria... more

10 August 2016

Staff at two Adelaide hospitals fear they will be sacked if they criticise the State Government’s health reforms. Leaked correspondence advises doctors and nurses not to make comments in public or online which could be viewed as negative about Trans... more

09 August 2016

Support for a special commission of inquiry into the NSW hospital underdosing scandal is growing within the state government after former MP Andrew Gee publically pushed for one. It is understood Government MPs are concerned about the scale of under-... more

09 August 2016

Stories of a broken health system dominated a public health forum in Hobart last night, including one cancer patient who said she was more scared of the Tasmanian health system than dying from her illness. Health Minister Michael Ferguson and Tasmani... more

08 August 2016

Australia’s health care costs are rising and so are chronic diseases related to unhealthy lifestyles, such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Health policy experts are becoming increasingly concerned about how the fragmentary nature of our ... more

08 August 2016

A third cancer patient who was underdosed in chemotherapy treatment in the state has died. Bronte Higham, 68, died early yesterday in the Daw House Hospice in Adelaide. In May, he became the face of the chemotherapy underdosing scandal, involving 10 ... more

08 August 2016

The trial of a combination therapy for recurrent glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, was deemed a failure because not enough of the 122 patients enrolled responded to the treatment. But about 10 per cent responded exceptionally including two respon... more

08 August 2016

University of Sydney health law and governance Professor Roger Magnusson wants to increase the minimum purchase age of tobacco to 25 and introduce a “smoker’s licence” to fight Australia’s lethal addiction. Prof Magnusson said increasing the age of p... more

08 August 2016

The fear young people could take up smoking if nicotine is allowed to be used in e-cigarettes is “ludicrous” when regular cigarettes are readily available, the New Nicotine Alliance says. Daily Telegraph, 6 August, p 25

08 August 2016

Almost half a million Australians aged 55 to 68 have symptoms of lung disease that would qualify them for lung cancer screening, new research suggests. The findings have been published in a research report in the Medical Journal of Australia. Adela... more

08 August 2016

Sydney scientists have devised drugs that may represent the biggest breakthrough ever in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. NSW University pancreatic cancer translational research group head Dr Phoebe Phillips and her team have come up with a powerf... more

08 August 2016

Mr Lambert, a retired financial services billionaire, made history last year by donating $33.7 million to Sydney University to set up the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics. Now the legacy he hoped to put in place is under threat by law ... more

05 August 2016

Canberrans could soon be able to safely and legally access medical cannabis products under a new ACT government scheme. The government has announced it will establish a medical cannabis scheme as a "priority" and "as soon as practicable". Assistant H... more

04 August 2016

The ACT government has signed a seven-year membership to the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund. The MRCF is an innovative collaboration that invests in early stage development and commercialisation opportunities emanating from Australian medica... more

04 August 2016

The Australian reports that NSW Health failed to inform cancer patients they may have been provided with incorrect treatments for months after the errors were discovered and told at least one not to speak to the media. Concerns about treatments offer... more

03 August 2016

The Daily Telegraph reports today that Health Minister Jillian Skinner has admitted she kept another deadly public health scandal secret for three months. Fronting the media yesterday Ms Skinner revealed a Sutherland cancer doctor had incorrectly tre... more

03 August 2016

South Australia’s health reforms have been blamed for a man losing a testicle because his surgery was transferred from Modbury Hospital. The terrible error has prompted calls for Health Minister Jack Snelling to quit. The delay of about two hours was... more

02 August 2016

e-cigarettes will now be banned in smoke-free areas in Canberra and can no longer be sold to minors under new laws that came into effect on Monday. Advertising, displays and marketing of personal vaporisers, also known as e-cigarettes or vape pens, w... more

02 August 2016

The State Government and Opposition have traded accusations over a plan to ban sugary drinks from Tasmanian public school canteens. Opposition health spokeswoman Rebecca White said the Government and Health Minister Michael Ferguson did not have any ... more

02 August 2016

A flawed, dysfunctional and unusual management structure of a key health service overseen by the South Australian government has been highlighted by an inquiry into a prostate cancer testing bungle. One of 52 men who received false positive tests for... more

02 August 2016

E-cigarette advertising has the power to drive former smokers back to real cigarettes, new research has suggested. While debate rages about whether the battery-powered cigarettes are a safe or effective way to quit smoking, a study of 800 former smok... more

02 August 2016

Cancer patients are now twice as likely to live for at least 10 years after diagnosis than they were in the early 1970s, new research shows. UK charity MacMillan Cancer Support has released a report showing more than 170,000 people in the UK, who wer... more

02 August 2016

A damning six-month investigation into the St Vincent's chemo scandal has found more than 20 new patients were given "off protocol" low drug doses by senior oncologist Dr John Grygiel in addition to the 78 already known about in March. Under-fire Hea... more

01 August 2016

Cancer causing toxins found in two wetlands in Adelaide’s north may still pose a risk to health despite seemingly low levels detected, contamination experts warn. In a new report by the National Toxics Network, chemical experts Dr Mariann Lloyd- Smit... more

01 August 2016

Doctors across the state will be able to legally prescribe medicinal cannabis for their patients as of tomorrow. Cannabis-based medicines have so far been available only to patients enrolled in clinical trials in NSW but Premier Mike Baird said new r... more

01 August 2016

Plans to increase tobacco licence fees in Tasmania will disadvantage small retailers and could lead to a growth in black market sales, a business community advocate has warned. Sunday Tasmanian, 31 July, p 15

01 August 2016

Sunday roasts could help fight the pain of cancer and other diseases thanks to the herbs we put on them, according to researchers. Rosemary and thyme, traditional ingredients to add to joints, stuffing and roast potatoes, act as natural painkillers, ... more

01 August 2016

Tasmania’s Health Minister has weakened to side with those who sell cigarette addiction, sickness and death, says the state’s former Australian Medical Association head. On Thursday, the State Government scrapped its proposal to lift the legal smokin... more

29 July 2016

The State Government has backed away from a proposal to increase the minimum legal smoking age to 21 or 25 in Tasmania. Health Minister Michael Ferguson said the decision not to proceed with any change to the smoking age came “after careful considera... more

29 July 2016

An analysis of 16 studies tracking 1 million people in western countries has found those who exercise for at least an hour a day eliminate the increased risk of death that comes from sitting most of the day. Inactivity has become a major focus of res... more

29 July 2016

A world-first study published in The Lancet has found a lack of physical activity cost the world nearly $90 billion in 2013. Australia’s part of that bill was more than $805 million. Researchers found the cost of physical inactivity by examining the ... more

28 July 2016

Adelaide researchers have made a world-first breakthrough for people living with chronic myeloid leukaemia, offering hope treatment could be better tailored to improve their chances of survival. South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute ... more

27 July 2016

A world-first Brisbane study has found robotic surgery for prostate cancer is no better than the less expensive traditional operation in terms of quality of life outcomes measured three months after the procedures. A study, published today in the pr... more

27 July 2016

Women who have their ovaries removed to reduce the risk of cancer have a greater risk of dementia, new research suggests. The operation, which triggers early menopause, results in a reduction in memory and thinking skills, scientists have found. Ex... more

27 July 2016

The wait time for gastrointestinal investigations at the Royal Hobart Hospital is appalling, say doctors, as the Health Service announces more funding for procedures. Tasmanian Health Service chief executive David Alcorn said $500,000 would be inves... more

27 July 2016

Men who feast on fatty food are raising the odds of future daughters suffering breast cancer, research suggests. To look at the effect of paternal diet on health, Brazilian researchers compared three groups of female rats whose fathers had been fed ... more

26 July 2016

A discovery by Melbourne researchers has opened up the potential for earlier detection and treatment of both lung cancer and emphysema. The Hudson Institute of Medical Science has identified an inflammation-causing molecule responsible for a “trans-... more

25 July 2016

Chinese scientists are embarking on what appear to be the first human trials with the Crispr gene editing tool, the latest effort by the country’s researchers to master a technology that might someday be a potent tool in developing therapies worldwid... more

25 July 2016

People with religious beliefs who are diagnosed with an illness or disease need the health care system to support them in spiritual care if they are not regular churchgoers, a researcher says.  A recent study published in the Palliative Medicine jour... more

25 July 2016

The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has had to hand back at least $20 million in donations after the Andrews Government tore up plans for it to operate a private hospital at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Shock disclosures outlined to hospi... more

25 July 2016

School lunches are a mixed despite the healthy-eating push, with some parents given a fail mark for packaging a nutritionists nightmare. A random analysis of seven lunch boxes are a suburban primary school found fresh fruit was a menu stable, but pre... more

25 July 2016

NSW is the first state to have been given approval to grow cannabis under licence from the federal government as part of research into the best way to cultivate the plant. That step will lay the foundations for private growers to supply medical marij... more

25 July 2016

The Age reports that there are around 10 compensation cases involved with some element of environmental asbestos exposure settled with James Hardie and linked to its Brooklyn plant. The Brooklyn-linked linked matters follow the pattern identified aro... more

25 July 2016

South Australia has some of the best breast cancer and cervical cancer screening rates in the nation but the Cancer Council SA says participation still remains too low. Latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals the parti... more

25 July 2016

There is strong evidence that alcohol causes seven types of cancer and probably others, a review has concluded. A study of existing research found strong evidence of a direct, harmful effect of drinking, even though scientists are unsure of the exact... more

22 July 2016

The Keytruda drug has been found to be more effective than chemotherapy during clinical trials at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. PAH medical oncologist Victoria Atkinson said the trial results for patients with incurable melanoma were impressive. ... more

22 July 2016

A new study shows the number of men presenting with metastatic prostate cancer has increased dramatically in the US following a decline in PSA testing that coincided with the high-profile US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations a... more

22 July 2016

Australians over the age of 50 are failing to participate in potentially lifesaving bowel cancer screening. The participation rate for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is “alarmingly” low, according to latest data from the Australian Inst... more

22 July 2016

Women’s health care is suffering because drugs are tested on, and so designed for, men. Patients in drugs trials are mostly white men, and it had been assumed results would apply equally to all patients. But men and women respond differently to dis... more

21 July 2016

A large American study has raised alarm on prostate cancer suggesting lax testing has led to more men being diagnosed with incurable disease. It shows a rise in the number of American men diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, which means it has ... more

21 July 2016

In-vitro fertilisation does not increase the risk of breast cancer, a Dutch study has found. The new research adds reassuring weight to accumulating evidence showing no increased of breast cancer later in life among women who have had IVF. The resear... more

21 July 2016

Melanoma sufferers will have access to lifesaving medication after astounding results in clinical trials at an Australian hospital. The Keytruda drug has been found to be more effective than chemotherapy during clinical trials at Brisbane’s Princess ... more

21 July 2016

Bowel cancer patients who eat a lot of oily fish may cut their chances of dying from the disease, research suggests. Those with a lot of omega-3 in their diets from oily fish might live longer, the new study published online in the journal Gut found.... more

21 July 2016

Dozens of the promised 202 beds and chemotherapy treatment chairs at the new Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre remain closed after the hospital was opened without the money to use them. Despite the $1 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre being b... more

21 July 2016

Australians over the age of 50 are failing to participate in potentially life-saving bowel cancer screening. The participation rate for the National Bowel Cancer Screening program remains “alarmingly” low, according to data from the Australian Instit... more

18 July 2016

A third of Victorian patients had to visit a doctor at least three times before getting a referral to a hospital specialist. New research by the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, the University of Melbourne and UK collaborators sheds light on th... more

18 July 2016

US Vice-President Joe Biden will honour his son’s memory, who passed away from brain cancer, in a deeply personal visit to Australia. Mr Biden will open the new $1 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, a research and treatment facility that ... more

18 July 2016

A world-leading research program will place Melbourne at the forefront of the latest global battle against cancer. A state-of-the-art immunotherapy lab will be opened in the top floor of the $1.1 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, giving ... more

18 July 2016

Patient data from almost 60,000 people will be shared under a trio of trans-Pacific deals to help unlock the genetic causes of cancer. Details of the agreements between Australia and the US were announced at the official opening of the Victorian Comp... more

18 July 2016

Savvy big-brand snack bars with images of fruit on their packaging contain minimal actual fruit ingredients and often fail to disclose added sugar, a review by consumer group Choice has found. The review of 224 snack bars identified brands like Kello... more

15 July 2016

US researchers have provided hope of finding new treatments to target ovarian cancer after discovering the protein that helps the disease to spread. The US team of researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York reports in the journal Genes... more

15 July 2016

Overweight people lose one year of life expectancy and moderately obese people die up to three years prematurely, a landmark global study has found. Research published in The Lancet has found being overweight or obese was only second to smoking for ... more

15 July 2016

Almost 70 major buildings and construction sites across Australia have been supplied with materials by Chinese company Yuanda and linked to the discovery of deadly asbestos at a Perth children’s hospital and a Brisbane office tower this week. Constr... more

14 July 2016

Blood test that detects tiny hidden tumour fragments has shown it can predict the risk of relapse in cancer patients long before doctors. The test, which detects minuscule fragments of tumour DNA, is designed to avoid needless chemotherapy and bette... more

14 July 2016

According to research, one person in four carries a “secret ginger gene” that raises our odds of developing skin cancer. Those with red hair have two copies of the gene and are therefore four times more likely to get the disease than those without i... more

13 July 2016

Young Australians are heeding the “slip, slop, slap” sunsmart message, pushing skin cancer rates into decline, a report has revealed. The latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, published today, has shown the incidence of me... more

13 July 2016

Australian researchers have put out an international call for men to share their stories about prostate cancer via a confidential online survey. In addition to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland are participating in the survey and other coun... more

13 July 2016

Many men who are told their surgery for prostate cancer has been a success later discover that this is not the case. While the surgery has provided good local control of their disease and they have no symptoms, their blood tests start showing signs ... more

13 July 2016

A Sydney cancer institute’s world-first trial is turning “death sentence” patients into survivors by shrinking melanoma tumours. The trial of 153 advanced melanoma patients combines two drugs to boost the body’s immune system so it can control and k... more

13 July 2016

Parents of kids struggling with their weight are signing up in droves for an intensive program to teach healthy eating and exercise habits, with more than 500 families taking part in two years. The Better Health program has spread across 22 Perth su... more

13 July 2016

Nine of out 10 of the food companies sponsoring children’s sports are promoting unhealthy food. The Cancer Council research said junk food companies were also using kids’ sport as a marketing opportunity for fast food, alcohol and gambling. And swim... more

13 July 2016

The building union has issued a national alert on a Chinese supplier after an asbestos scare at the construction site of the Queensland Government’s so called “tower of power”. The CFMEU is also seeking an urgent meeting with supplier Yuanda, which ... more

12 July 2016

A study has found e-cigarettes are a “gateway” to tobacco for teenagers. US researchers questioned 5490 secondary pupils for the study, published in the journal Pediatrics. One in six — 16 per cent — reported vaping last year. This compares with 1.... more

11 July 2016

Cancer survivors could help reduce symptoms of tiredness and exhaustion with a simple do-it-yourself treatment, scientists have found. But a study has found that acupressure, stimulation of specific points on the body, can alleviate symptoms of chro... more

07 July 2016

Tasmania has been given the green light to push ahead with laws banning the sale of tobacco to a generation. A parliamentary committee investigating the plan to outlaw tobacco sales to people born on or after January 1, 2000, released its final repo... more

06 July 2016

Emu oil could help to ward off bowel cancer, according to results from landmark WA research. University of WA researcher Suzanne Mashtoub said the results suggested taking emu oil capsules could protect people with bowel diseases from developing tum... more

06 July 2016

Exercise is proving a potent medicine in the fight against cancer, delivering results equal to some of the best contemporary therapies. The latest evidence shows that if you get the right exercise prescription you can halve your chances of dying. R... more

05 July 2016

A so-called “chemical nose’’ that can smell changes in cancer cells may be the breakthrough scientists believe could revolutionise treatments for sufferers. The test “sniffs” cancer cells after being treated by different chemotherapy drugs in order ... more

05 July 2016

A new report card on Australia’s health shows we are among the fattest in the world, but it’s not all bad news from the first-of-its-kind report, which pits the most recent health statistics against targets set by a collaboration of 50 peak health bo... more

05 July 2016

Parsley and dill could stave off cancer as they contain chemicals that help to prevent tumours forming, say scientists. When molecules from the garden herbs were combined, they turned into a compound already known for its anti-cancer properties. Ne... more

05 July 2016

At least four in five primary school children don’t do the recommended amount of physical activity and a quarter are overweight or obese. A progress report on the Government’s Healthy Weight Initiative shows the ACT appears to be going backwards whe... more

04 July 2016

Little more than half of all eligible women had a Pap test in the past two years, and only a similar number had a mammogram, according to new figures.  Nationally, participation in the Cervical Screening Program is about 56 per cent, according to th... more

04 July 2016

A significant rise in thyroid cancer among Queenslanders is baffling experts, with new trends not aligning with clinician’s theories on what is driving case numbers. Over-diagnosis – non-lethal tumours detected by sensitive testing – is believed to ... more

01 July 2016

Scientists in Canberra will develop a new treatment for skin cancer using medicinal-grade cannabis, with clinical trials to begin in the ACT next year. The two-year research project, led by molecular and cellular biologist Professor Sudha Rao, will ... more

01 July 2016

Melbourne researchers have cracked the molecular starting point for one of the most common types of leukaemia in children and one of most deadly in adults. In a subtype of acute myeloid leukaemia called MLL, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre researchers... more

30 June 2016

The underdosing of 10 chemotherapy patients may have been avoided if SA Health had not blocked changes to SA Pathology protocols, says sacked boss Ken Barr. He has written to a parliamentary committee examining the bungle in 2014 and 2015, warning t... more

30 June 2016

The Gardasil vaccine has cut the prevalence of cervical cancer- causing infections by almost 90 per cent in young women in the 10 years of the immunisation program. The largest international evaluation of the human papillomavirus vaccine has found e... more

29 June 2016

At present, women are offered an operation if they have a 10 per cent lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer, calculated by testing their genes and examining their family history. Experts now want to lower the threshold to 4 per cent to enable mo... more

29 June 2016

A drink containing liquid aspirin could extend the lives of brain cancer patients, researchers claim. British experts have found a specially formulated version of the simple drug can cross the “blood-brain barrier” – a hurdle that has so far stopped... more

28 June 2016

Everybody is at risk of bowel cancer, not just those with a family history of the disease, according to Cancer Council chief Sanchia Aranda. Scientists from London’s Institute of Cancer Research have examined the genes of more than 1000 bowel cancer... more

27 June 2016

Cancer patients compulsorily transferred to a private hospital have been told they will now be charged a fee for treatment, and will no longer be eligible to bulk-bill for tests and consultations. The Sydney Local Health District buys the treatment ... more

27 June 2016

Researchers are developing a “smart bomb” to defeat a survival protein in a deadly cancer that helps it ward off chemotherapy attacks. Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer and is especially resilient to treatment, often l... more

27 June 2016

Doctors will soon be able to warn people who have a heightened risk of bowel cancer after a landmark study identified the main genetic causes of the disease. Scientists examining the DNA of 1000 bowel cancer patients uncovered five new genes that tri... more

27 June 2016

Researchers have implicated bacteria in breast cancer formation, adding weight to contentious claims that probiotics can protect from deadly tumours. Researchers from Western University in Ontario analysed samples from more than 80 women who had had... more

27 June 2016

World-first research by Perth scientists has found exercise can help cancer patients beat depression in a matter of weeks. Adjunct lecturer Greg Levin said the results showed benefits came from less vigorous exercise such as walking the dog. Doing ... more

27 June 2016

In a huge blow to communities contaminated by toxic perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the Environmental Health Standing Committee (enHealth) this month set interim toxicity reference values at nearly 80 times those r... more

27 June 2016

People are putting themselves and others at risk by dumping deadly asbestos in remote locations around Tasmania to avoid expensive disposal costs, a lobby group says. Asbestos Free Tasmania Foundation is compiling evidence of what it says is a growin... more

27 June 2016

The ACT asbestos health study has been extended until July 8 to give former residents of so-called ‘‘Mr Fluffy’’ houses more time to complete its survey. The ANU researchers aim to increase knowledge of the diseases associated with exposure to asbest... more

27 June 2016

Under legislation to be introduced by the Andrews government, people will be able to set legally binding advance care directives about the treatment they want, or don’t want, in the event of a future illness such as cancer or dementia. Doctors and p... more

27 June 2016

Smoking rates among Tasmanian secondary school students continue to fall, according to a tri-annual survey conducted by the Cancer Council. Quit Tasmania director Abby Smith said the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug Survey, which show... more

24 June 2016

More children are defeating cancer thanks to clinical trials and the use of “old drugs in better ways”, a doctors’ meeting will be told today. The number of children dying from cancer in Australia has fallen by nearly 40 per cent in 15 years. Cance... more

24 June 2016

About half of all men who survive prostate cancer experience feelings of “loss of masculinity” for a decade after beating the disease, new research shows. The study is the first of its kind in Australia and New Zealand to track men and their partner... more

24 June 2016

Patients will pay more for vital tests because of a “hidden gap” in Labor policy, sparking doctors to slam Bill Shorten’s claim that the ALP is the defender of Medicare. Radiologists have accused Mr Shorten of being “tricky” with his language and fe... more

23 June 2016

People who survive cancer may need better support to help cope with the guilt they feel for escaping the disease, new research suggests. Two out of three lung cancer survivors have been found to exhibit significant signs of “survivor’s guilt”, which... more

22 June 2016

A bold and ambitious system, designed to ensure men receive optimum treatment for prostate cancer, has just been launched in Australia and New Zealand. It involves creating an all encompassing database that combines the objective metrics of men's ca... more

22 June 2016

The founder of a popular school program for “gifted children” has been slammed by Education Minister James Merlino after she urged parents to keep their children away from vaccinations and wi-fi. In another public post on the website Ms Slattery cla... more

22 June 2016

New research appears to contradict the long-recognised link between education and health, with degree-educated people found to be particularly susceptible to the most common type of malignant brain tumour. A study of more than 4.3 million Swedes has... more

22 June 2016

Food giant Heinz is being hauled to court over a fruit and vegetable snack that is more than 60 per cent sugar but sold as a ‘‘healthy’’ food for toddlers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says Heinz falsely presents Shredz as a he... more

21 June 2016

Women at the highest risk of breast cancer are closer to having the first non-surgical alternative to radical breast removal, with Melbourne researchers finding an existing medicine can switch off cancer- causing cells in preclinical models. A proof... more

21 June 2016

Cigarette poster boy The Marlboro Man has returned to Aussie billboards as part of a push by libertarian senator David Leyonhjelm to axe taxes on smokes. The senator, who is fighting to hold his Upper House seat, has erected the billboards on a busy... more

21 June 2016

Health advocates have welcomed court action against two e-cigarette manufacturers, arguing it strengthens the case for proposed Victorian laws to regulate electronic cigarettes in the same way as tobacco products. The Australian Competition and Cons... more

21 June 2016

The payment system that underpins Medicare will need a massive injection of funds simply to avoid collapse, as public servants warns it is already “old, overly complicated, and expensive to operate and change”. While Malcolm Turnbull has ruled out o... more

21 June 2016

Two aquifers that supply water to market gardens, businesses and parks in Adelaide’s north have been shut temporarily over concerns about possible groundwater contamination in the area. Salisbury Council has switched off its Edinburgh South and Kaur... more

20 June 2016

Cancer patients are being charged exorbitant out-of-pocket costs for ‘‘flashy’’ surgeries by doctors who are not disclosing the full financial burden or equally effective alternatives in the public system, cancer experts say. The practice extended ac... more

20 June 2016

Labor has pledged not to introduce the Coalition’s planned cuts to bonus-payments for pathologists and radiologists who bulk-bill, in a move expected to cost $884 million. The Turnbull government last year vowed to cut bulk-billing incentives in both... more

20 June 2016

Working women who put in long hours are far more likely to suffer severe illness later in life, experts have warned. Those who have worked for more than 40 hours a week over three decades have a 50 per cent increased chance of developing cancer, diab... more

20 June 2016

The Sydney father who managed to get cancer-causing sunbeds out of the country is locked in another battle with melanoma. Jay Allen, who was a heavy user of sunbeds, successfully campaigned for their commercial ban after he was diagnosed with a stage... more

20 June 2016

The state’s worst public hospital will get a promised $88 million from Labor if they win to relieve the “crisis” in waiting times plaguing one of Sydney’s busiest hospitals. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will today promise the much needed funds to t... more

20 June 2016

Reconstructive surgery for breast-cancer sufferers and the removal of possible malignant moles and skin lesions could no longer be offered to public patients under new guidelines intended to restrict elective surgery in SA’s Public Hospitals. The Adv... more

20 June 2016

Gold Coast cancer specialists have warned the latest trend of “sleeves” of thick, black ink poses a major melanoma risk as they can hide changes in the shape and colour of moles. To make matters worse, some coloured inks can break down under sunlight... more

17 June 2016

A new drug has been able to triple the number of patients being cleared of their blood cancer in Melbourne trials. Used in conjunction with chemotherapy, doctors from The Alfred hospital say experimental drug Venetoclax has been able to “flick the s... more

17 June 2016

The first national report of antimicrobial use and resistance found almost half of all Australians were prescribed antibiotics at least once in 2014, but a huge proportion didn’t need them, running the risk of creating superbugs resistant to antibiot... more

17 June 2016

Prostate cancer sufferers could cut the risk of being killed by the disease by regularly eating nuts, a major study shows. Five 28g servings a week of any type of nut cut mortality rates by 34 per cent, researchers found. But there was no evidence ... more

16 June 2016

Drinking very hot beverages “probably” causes cancer of the oesophagus, the UN’s cancer agency said yesterday, while lifting suspicion from coffee if consumed at “normal serving temperatures”. “These results suggest that drinking very hot beverages ... more

15 June 2016

Cash and assets seized from crooks would be used to pay back Australia’s debt instead of funding police taskforces if Labor wins the election. The Coalition Government has used more than $75 million in confiscated assets during the past three years ... more

14 June 2016

A $4 million project hopes to save far more children by using their individual genomes to deliver the right drug to the right patient at the right time. As a bonus, it should reduce the 60 per cent of childhood cancer survivors who suffer major heal... more

14 June 2016

A Melbourne-designed radioactive drug that seeks out and kills tumour cells by radiation delivered inside the body is a step closer to becoming a standard treatment after a successful first in-human trial. Results from the proof of concept study of ... more

14 June 2016

Pregnant teenagers are smoking in the hope of having smaller newborns, new research has found. A 10-year national anthropological study into smoking has revealed girls as young as 16 are taking up the killer habit in an attempt to reduce the birth w... more

14 June 2016

Four men have been charged with smuggling 2.5 tonnes of cigarettes into the country in boxes labelled as air fresheners. Australian Border Force officers discovered more than 1.5 million sticks of Otto brand cigarettes on June 7 in 100 boxes sent fr... more

14 June 2016

Married people are significantly more likely to survive cancer than those who are single, a study suggests. Research into 60,000 people with a range of blood cancers found, on average, those with a spouse were a fifth more likely to survive than tho... more

14 June 2016

Cancer sufferers struggle to get physically active because of a range of worries, despite evidence indicating fitness can reduce the risk of dying. Findings of a study undertaken by UK institute Macmillan Cancer Support revealed the top concern was ... more

14 June 2016

Private health insurers will be forced to offer patients a single bill listing all out of pocket charges to avoid bill shock under government reforms to rank cover as gold, silver and bronze. Health Minister Sussan Ley will announce the changes toda... more

14 June 2016

Fast food restaurants in Canberra could be flouting the law by not properly showing the energy content of their food, with new research revealing as many as four in five may be breaking the rules. Research from the University of Canberra has exposed... more

14 June 2016

The union chief given unprecedented power over Victoria’s volunteer firefighters has pushed to make it harder for volunteers who get cancer associated with firefighting to access compensation. Volunteers and the United Firefighters Union are at odds... more

14 June 2016

A team led by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has revealed two drugs, which are being tested in patient trials, may be able to overcome acute myeloid leukaemia when combined. Almost half of all infants diagnosed with the AML sub type of the diseas... more

10 June 2016

Scientists unpicking the gene faults behind the aggressive blood cancer acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) have found it is not a single disease, but at least 11 different ones with important differences for patient survival chances. The findings, from t... more

10 June 2016

Victoria could become the first Australian state to legalise doctor assisted suicide after a parliamentary committee recommended reforms to give some terminally ill patients the right to choose death. The committee, chaired by Liberal Edward O’Donoh... more

09 June 2016

Two new tobacco strike team units will be established and $7.7 million spent over the next two years to fight illegal chop chop and cigarettes. Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said the new cash would help “crush” organise... more

09 June 2016

Scientists are trying to develop a drink packed with oxygen microbubbles to make cancer treatment more potent. Some tumours can adapt to low oxygen conditions, making them harder to treat with drugs. As the tumours grow, the blood vessels deliverin... more

09 June 2016

Being married increases your chances of beating cancer, experts have revealed. An analysis of 60,000 patients over ten years found single or unmarried patients with the disease were a fifth more likely to die. Researchers say having a spouse of fam... more

09 June 2016

Thousands of people in 18 communities near military airfields across Australia are discovering that toxic firefighting chemicals have poisoned their land and water – and that these chemicals appear more dangerous than authorities have conceded. Test... more

09 June 2016

Screen time during meals is driving mindless eating that is contributing to Queensland’s obesity epidemic. Health authorities want adults and children to put down the phones and tablets while eating, with new research finding 50 per cent of people e... more

08 June 2016

The new Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon believes he has to be mindful of the budget deficits and not ask for “more, more, more” funding for public hospitals. Dr Gannon said yesterday the freeze on GP rebates, in particular, w... more

08 June 2016

Yoga can improve the sleep of people who have battled cancer, research suggests. Two 75-minute sessions a week for four weeks helps people feel less tired, while they also report better social, physical and emotional wellbeing. American researchers... more

08 June 2016

A US lobby group has released a volley of attack ads targeting Australia’s plain packaging laws complete with a dubious Australian accent and copious use of permanent markers that have left policy advisers and viewers in stitches. Fiona Nash, the f... more

07 June 2016

Newly diagnosed cancer patients should be advised immediately to diet and exercise to improve their chances of survival, world experts have said. Weight loss and physical activity were not just key to cancer prevention, but as important as drugs in ... more

07 June 2016

Cancer researchers see promise in giving patients combinations of multiple drugs that are proving more effective than one or two. But the strategy poses a dilemma for health insurers and patients: even higher prices. Researchers said at a medical m... more

06 June 2016

Scientists are preparing to carry out trials of the “Holy Grail” of drugs which could prevent millions of heart attacks, strokes and cancer deaths. The antibody – which prevents blood clotting and bleeding at the same time – is expected to undergo c... more

06 June 2016

A clinical trial of patients with lung cancer found they were just as likely to live if they had radiotherapy once a day for six and a half weeks, as if they had it twice a day for three weeks. The study, presented at the American Society of Clinica... more

06 June 2016

Adding chemotherapy to radiation treatment can help elderly patients with the most aggressive type of brain tumour live longer, an Australian-led international trial has found. The study provides the first evidence that combining the two treatments ... more

06 June 2016

The Turnbull government has forged a deal promising to delay the cuts for non-concession holders until next January if elected, and to evaluate commercial pressures on the sector, which has had its Medicare rebates frozen for 18 years. Health Minist... more

06 June 2016

Queensland researchers have found a new driver in the spread of aggressive cancers which they hope will translate into new treatments. Studies by scientists at the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute have shown high levels of a protein, kn... more

06 June 2016

A Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fish and olive oil may reduce the risk of breast cancer returning, a study suggests. The research on more than 300 women with early-stage breast cancer reinforces earlier work which suggests diet may play an ... more

06 June 2016

Disturbing new WA research has revealed that women who are pregnant are more likely to binge drink than other women. Health experts say the staggering finding that one-third of pregnant women plan to have five or more drinks in a single session show... more

03 June 2016

A study of Australians diagnosed with bowel cancer has revealed that although three quarters went to their GP with symptoms, one in five said they were not taken seriously and their concerns were initially dismissed. With guidelines recommending a c... more

03 June 2016

Fears that cancer-causing toxins have leached into groundwater and on to properties surrounding the RAAF base at Edinburgh have prompted a Defence department investigation into potential site contamination. The department will take ground samples fr... more

03 June 2016

The risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer can be worsened by being an unhealthy weight and having a large waistline, a study has found. Researchers found that every 10cm increase in waist circumference can increase a man’s chances of develop... more