Cancer in the News

20 March 2019

In an opinion piece for the Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney GP Elizabeth Oliver writes about Labor party’s election promise to make the contraceptive pill available over the counter in pharmacies. She expresses concern that skipping the “I need my scri... more

20 March 2019

A brisk stroll once or twice a week is enough to reduce the risk of dying from heart attack, stroke or cancer, according to a study of almost 90,000 people released yesterday. Reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, people who walked or g... more

20 March 2019

Scientists and clinicians are calling on Melbourne University to cancel a seminar by a controversial nutritionist who has claimed a high-fat diet ‘‘starves’’ cancer. Christine Cronau, a Brisbane based nutritionist and author of Bring Back The Fat, is... more

19 March 2019

A new breast cancer drug ‘Nerlynx’ has been approved for use in Australia from today, which has shown to reduce the five-year risk of death or recurrence in women with early stage HER2+ by 42 percent. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has now appr... more

19 March 2019

The Morrison Government will today add three new treatments to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, likely to save families up to $300,000 a year and prolong the lives of Australians suffering from Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease and some rare canc... more

18 March 2019

Teenage girls using e-cigarettes may be raising their risk of developing breast cancer, Professor Kefah Mokbel — one of the top breast cancer surgeons in Britain — has warned. Toxic substances in the vapours inhaled by users have been linked to breas... more

18 March 2019

Out-of-pocket costs for procedures such as ultrasounds and X-rays are expected to drop after the federal government promised to increase subsidies for medical scans. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt will today announce rebates are set for an annual ... more

18 March 2019

Queensland children can’t run, jump, kick, throw or catch as well as children from previous generations, worried sporting communities warn. Sports authorities from a variety of codes have said the difference in ability is noticeable, with some organi... more

18 March 2019

The diet of many Australians has become so poor that two in three who are overweight are now malnourished. A News Corp investigation has found Australian women are deficient in calcium and iron, and all Australians are eating less fibre than they nee... more

15 March 2019

Scientists have identified 11 different types of cancer and by looking at genes in tumours can now predict how likely breast cancer survivors are to relapse within the next 20 years. A test is expected to be available within five years. University of... more

14 March 2019

Thousands of men could be spared life-changing treatment for prostate cancer, after scientists developed a short computer questionnaire that gives men their odds of dying from prostate cancer and compares it with their risk of dying from other illnes... more

14 March 2019

Trendy earbud headphones could raise the risk of cancer, according to a group of 250 scientists and researchers who have recently submitted a petition to the World Health Organisation and UN. The scientists warn that because the headphones are put de... more

14 March 2019

A News Limited article claims that nearly 60,000 people a year who test positive in the bowel cancer screening program are waiting up to six months for a colonoscopy to determine if they have cancer. The article reports that Australian Institute of H... more

13 March 2019

This week the first Australian digital guide for managing breast cancer is launching, providing information more relevant to individual needs and situations. Breast Cancer Network is today unveiling the new My Journey app that will allow women to tai... more

13 March 2019

A tiny implant developed by scientists at Waseda University in Tokyo could improve the treatment of hard-to-reach tumours by killing cancer cells with light. Around the size of a postage stamp, it uses a “marine glue” – which mussels produce to help ... more

12 March 2019

In an opinion piece, Karen Van Gorp writes about the importance of employers supporting employees diagnosed with cancer, and survivors returning to work. She says that ongoing communication is essential, and that employers often underestimate the hea... more

12 March 2019

SA Health’s latest public consultation report for its five-year health and wellbeing strategy says that encouraging South Australians to maintain a healthy weight is the key to lowering the burden of chronic disease. Disease burden due to obesity cou... more

11 March 2019

Lifting a ban on electronic cigarettes would help thousands of Aussie smokers quit, new research has found. A critical report into the Government’s ban on vaping by the McKell Institute claims Australia is “out of step” with other western nations and... more

11 March 2019

News Corp Australia in partnership with the Heart Foundation and with the support of Quit, and the Australian Medical Association, is calling for an investment of $200 million over four years to reinstate and maintain a national tobacco campaign. Thi... more

11 March 2019

The fertility of young cancer sufferers will be protected with a new scheme to be made widely available in NSW, while women who are struggling to fall pregnant will be granted up to $500 in rebates to cover fertility tests. Unveiled by the Berejiklia... more

11 March 2019

Junk food advertisers are targeting the social media accounts of children as young as eight because there are no laws stopping them. The Obesity Policy Coalition are demanding more regulation, with more than one in four children classified as overwei... more

11 March 2019

Almost half of prostate cancers diagnosed through Australian screening tests are “dormant” and would cause no harm if left undetected and untreated, researchers have found. In an Australian-first study, led by Bond University, researchers estimated t... more

11 March 2019

Using e-cigarettes daily raises the risk of heart attacks by just over a third, researchers have warned. Concerns are growing about the long-term health effects of vaping, despite electronic cigarette devices being increasingly seen as an aid in stop... more

08 March 2019

E-cigarette liquids would be sold in childproof packaging with new warning labels if the Andrews Government in Victoria succeeds in its push for tough new national regulations. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos will call on the Commonwealth to take actio... more

08 March 2019

The development of an under-the-tongue vaccine for oral cancers will get a boost as part of Cancer Council Victoria’s biggest funding allocation for the year. The charity will support 11 promising Victorian cancer research projects with $3 million ov... more

08 March 2019

Regular use of aspirin could reduce the chances of endometrial cancer in women carrying too much weight, Scientists at QIMR Berghofer have found. They say overweight or obese women are up to five times more likely to develop the cancer than those in ... more

07 March 2019

Australian women with advanced breast cancer are to be treated with a world-first combination immunotherapy that aims to make the disease chronic rather than terminal. Two new national clinical trials, led by Melbourne researchers, will double up on ... more

07 March 2019

Nutrition experts have warned that low-carb diets are fueling a rise in stomach problems among younger people. Reducing carbs has the knock on effect of reducing fibre intake, which is vital for stomach health and reducing risk of heart disease, stro... more

05 March 2019

Researchers at the University of Queensland found that people with red hair are two to four times more likely to develop melanoma. People with multiple moles measuring at least 5mm in diameter were found to be five times more susceptible to the disea... more

04 March 2019

Children with cancer will have access to Australia’s first Comprehensive Children’s Cancer Centre and a new emergency department at the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick. The NSW and federal governments have committed $528 million to fund the ce... more

04 March 2019

Doctors who charge patients with huge out-of-pocket bills for specialist treatments will be named and shamed in a new website being launched by the Federal Government. Health Minister Greg Hunt will today announce a new website which will list fees a... more

04 March 2019

March is International Lymphoedema Awareness Month and the Lymphoedema Support Group of SA is appealing for therapy funding and a compression garment subsidy in the next State Budget. Around 2300 South Australians are living with lymphoedema – swelli... more

04 March 2019

Today Cancer Council Australia is launching an urgent call for more people to complete the free life-saving bowel cancer test, after research shows that only four in 10 older Australians are using the free kits. The mass media campaign includes a TV ... more

04 March 2019

Health experts have condemned a dangerous scare campaign aimed at deterring WA parents from consenting to their teens being vaccinated against cancer-causing HPV. Anti-vaxxers have been using social media to spread misinformation that the Gardasil va... more

04 March 2019

In a piece for The Weekend Australian, associate editor Jamie Walker writes about genomic testing and the lag between what scientists know they can do to help ill people and what the health system allows. In the “lottery of cancer”, he says, the odds... more

04 March 2019

Queensland has set a 15-year target to upgrade cancer testing with breakthrough genomic sequencing, creating one of the first government benchmarks for the rollout of the technology. State Health Minister Steven Miles said “nearly all” patients with ... more

04 March 2019

A team of six of South Australian women scientists are doing world-first research to combat prostate cancer, the second biggest male cancer killer in Australia. The team from South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute are leading a group ... more

28 February 2019

45 per cent of children with cancer are left undiagnosed and untreated, according to a new study of the disease’s global footprint among under-15s, published yesterday. Worldwide, there are some 400,000 new cases of childhood cancer each year, but ba... more

28 February 2019

A blood test to detect liver disease years before symptoms occur is being developed after a Melbourne-led discovery. By analysing levels of toxic fats in the blood, researchers from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and the Universities of Sydne... more

27 February 2019

A study recently published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules has found that some cancers could be treated using a compound in crayfish shells. The compound called chitin, a type of sugar that forms on the hard outer shell of c... more

26 February 2019

People living in the Northern Territory with rare cancers will now be able to access potentially lifesaving treatment close to home as part of the National Genomic Cancer Medical Program. The Northern Territory Government has signed up to the initiat... more

25 February 2019

Australians with bladder cancer will be able to access a drug to be subsidised on the national Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to treat the life-threatening illness. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced yesterday the price of immunotherapy, Key... more

25 February 2019

The managing director of Bupa Dwayne Crombie has compared medical specialists charging super-sized fees to bad bankers and says they should be hounded out of the profession. The call comes as frustration builds in the private health insurance industr... more

25 February 2019

A growing number of Australians are using genetic testing to help diagnose hereditary diseases and cancers as the technology goes mainstream. Research by pathologists has found a more than 70 per cent increase in the number of genetic tests being car... more

25 February 2019

Playstation technology as health experts are using PlayStation 4 virtual reality technology to develop a practical application to combat rare youth cancers and help target treatment individually. “(It) is going to allow researchers to identify the un... more

25 February 2019

The Victorian CFA will today announce a clinical pilot today which aims to prove that donating blood and plasma can reduce PFAS levels. Hundreds of firefighters will donate blood in a world first study to see if it reduces the level of toxic chemical... more

25 February 2019

New recommendations from a major independent, five-year review into the Health Star Rating system are to be released today. The recommendations include putting a five-star health rating on fruit and vegetables, and overhauling the Health Star Rating ... more

22 February 2019

One small onion a day could be enough to prevent bowel cancer, which was the third most common diagnosed cancer last year with more than 17,000 new cases. A Chinese study of more than 1600 people found that those with the highest intake of allium veg... more

22 February 2019

Victorians being treated for cancers with low survival rates are the focus of three new research studies aiming to improve survival rates and and quality of life. Researchers will test whether an at-home exercise program can improve the health and we... more

22 February 2019

The Coalition government has unveiled a national blueprint to combat the pervasive and chronically underfunded lung conditions affecting millions of Australians. On Thursday, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the National Strategic Action Plan for ... more

21 February 2019

In an opinion piece, Sukhwinder S. Sohal writes about the increasing popularity of E-cigarettes, which “still deliver nicotine” and represent a new tactic by the tobacco industry to turn over sales as the number of tobacco smokers gradually declines.... more

21 February 2019

The worldwide elimination of cervical cancer is on track for 2100 if vaccination and screening programs against the disease can be scaled up quickly, a new report by Cancer Council NSW and the International Agency for Research on Cancer says. The rep... more

20 February 2019

In an opinion piece Tory Shepard writes about fraudulent claims that cannabis can cure cancer. The piece focuses on evidence-based uses for cannabis such as pain relief or to alleviate nausea for cancer patients, and the myths around alternative canc... more

19 February 2019

A graphic ad campaign showing how alcohol runs through the bloodstream to damage healthy cells has been launched to highlight the links between alcohol consumption and eight types of cancer. Alcohol causes more than 3200 cancer cases annually in Aust... more

15 February 2019

The latest data from the Australian Childhood Cancer Registry shows childhood cancer rates are on the rise in Australia, but mortality rates have decreased by 38 per cent over the last two decades. The figures show 770 children aged 14 and under are ... more

15 February 2019

Australians with brain tumours and other rare diseases now have a bigger chance to receive the latest experimental treatments with the launch of 23 clinical trials announced by Medical Research Future Fund today. Among the trials leading the federal ... more

15 February 2019

In his weekly column, Sean Parnell writes about the importance of fostering good gut health in light of the CSIROs new Total Wellbeing Diet for Gut Health program. He writes “If the current rates of smoking, drinking and overconsumption continue, Aus... more

14 February 2019

The hands of children of smokers are covered in nicotine even when their parents make the effort not to smoke around them, research has found. The study has revealed the only way to prevent toxic cross-contamination is for smokers to shower and chang... more

14 February 2019

Research by the University of Tasmania School of Health Sciences has found IQOS branded heated tobacco products were as detrimental to human lung cells as smoking cigarettes and vaping. Like e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, the data collected... more

14 February 2019

Smokers will be banished 10m from the boundaries of community events and facilities, and minors employed at tobacco retailers will no longer be able to sell cigarettes under legislation passed through Parliament yesterday. It’s the same legislation w... more

14 February 2019

Women are being put off cervical screening over fears the results could suggest they or their partners have been cheating, UK a survey found. The survey of more than 2000 women found nearly 25 per cent said they would be worried about what people tho... more

14 February 2019

A newer, faster, focused and more powerful form of radiotherapy has greatly improved survival rates for lung cancer patients and is set to change treatment around the world. A 10-year study by Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has found very high doses o... more

14 February 2019

Flinders University research asking why middle aged women ignore the breast cancer risk of drinking alcohol suggests health promotion activities should instead focus on the more tangible, short-term risks such as weight gain. The research published t... more

14 February 2019

All breast implants, textured and smooth, put women at an increased risk of a rare form of cancer, the US Food and Goods Administration (FGA) has warned. The FGA has urged plastic surgeons, GPs and other health professionals to be on the lookout for ... more

13 February 2019

New laws that regulate e-cigarettes in the same way as tobacco products will put the lives of Territorians at risk, according to vaping advocates. During sittings this week, the Territory Parliament is expected to debate the new Tobacco Control Amend... more

13 February 2019

Queensland scientists have discovered that women who suffer from endometriosis or uterine fibroids and undergo hysterectomies have an 80 per cent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer. It is estimated that 1.2 million Australian women suffer from e... more

13 February 2019

Recent research suggests eating “ultra-processed” food significantly raises the risk of an early death.  A major study of nearly 45,000 people has found those who eat a lot of industrially produced food such as ready meals, sugary cereals, sweets and... more

13 February 2019

The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) has released a report examining the cost of poor nutrition to Australians’ health, calling on the government to update its National Nutrition Policy. The report, titled Nourish Not Neglect: Putting Health... more

11 February 2019

In a piece for the AFR, Jill Margo writes about the ongoing debate surrounding the safety of vaping, particularly as a method to quit smoking. She interviews celebrity QC Robert Richter, a ‘pack-a-day’ smoker for fifty years who, after recovering fro... more

11 February 2019

A Sydney scientist at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research is attempting to use the strength of immunotherapy to treat triple negative breast cancers. Dr Valdes Mora has secured one of 21 fellowships and a share in $10.4 million from the NSW gove... more

08 February 2019

Men who eat more saturated fats are at greater risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer than those with a healthier diet. The international study led by Australian experts at Monash and Melbourne universities found fatty acids are taken up into ... more

08 February 2019

Researchers from the Baker Institute in Melbourne say they have discovered a new avenue to fight cancer. Published in Theranostics, the early-stage research is led by a team who specialise in blood clots that cause strokes and heart attacks. They had... more

08 February 2019

In his weekly health column, Sean Parnell writes about World Cancer Day, and the importance of early detection, screening and diagnosis. The piece focuses on the current state of play in Australia, where although screening programs are well-regarded,... more

07 February 2019

A baby has died after being exposed to liquid nicotine from an e-cigarette, raising fears about the safety of the increasingly popular vaping devices. The incident comes amid escalating cases of children and adults being poisoned by vaping liquid – i... more

07 February 2019

A Monash University breakthrough may allow doctors to starve prostate cancers of the food they need to grow, effectively halving the rate at which the deadly disease can spread. Having discovered that prostate cancer cells fuel themselves with fatty ... more

07 February 2019

Australia has regained the title of having the highest rates of invasive melanoma in the world, pushing New Zealand off top spot. New research has found that about 50 in every 100,000 Australians were diagnosed with the potentially deadly skin cancer... more

05 February 2019

THE HPV vaccine is safe, effective and critical for eliminating cervical cancer, UN experts have found. The International Agency for Research on Cancer says protection is long-lasting and cost-effective, but it says anti-vaccination myths spread on s... more

05 February 2019

Researchers from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Monash University have discovered and captured more than 100 new species of bacteria, heightening the potential of using bacteria as medicine. The team has set up an international library ... more

04 February 2019

UK researchers have found that thousands of men are being abandoned without support after surviving prostate cancer. After interviewing 20,000 men, the study found 81 per cent of men were left with poor sexual function after their treatment, yet 56 p... more

04 February 2019

In a piece for the AFR Weekend, Jill Margo writes that the social and emotional impact of a “cancer” diagnosis is creating a new movement to drop the word cancer when a person’s disease has an ultra-low risk of progressing. A growing number of doctor... more

04 February 2019

A record number of West Australians were treated at hospital emergency departments for severe sunburn last year — and half of them were children and teenagers. Cancer Council WA figures show 307 people sought medical help for sunburn in emergency dep... more

04 February 2019

Women may be at increased risk of breast cancer for more than two decades after giving birth, research by the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health suggests. An analysis of 15 prospective studies involving 900,000 women... more

04 February 2019

Pressure is mounting on the NSW government to ban junk food advertisements on public transport, with new research showing children who catch the bus or train to school are exposed to 4.5 ads for chips, donuts and ice cream per trip. With 21 per cent,... more

04 February 2019

Up to 200,000 cancer cases could be avoided over 25 years if Australians lost weight and exercised more, according to research funded by Cancer Council Australia. The prediction, on World Cancer Day, highlights the growing urgency for the federal gov... more

04 February 2019

Popular icy poles can contain as many as five teaspoons of sugar in a single serve, a review by Cancer Council Victoria’s LiveLighter program has found. The study assessed the nutritional content panels of 23 cool treats and found just over half exce... more

01 February 2019

E-cigarettes are almost twice as effective at helping smokers quit as nicotine replacement treatments like patches, lozenges and gum, according to the results of a major clinical trial. The study, conducted by the University of Michigan, involved alm... more

01 February 2019

Research from the Royal Women’s Hospital is uncovering how mothers experience a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. PhD student Carissa Kuswanto led a review of the evidence around psychological wellbeing of mothers during cancer treatment, findin... more

01 February 2019

A study of 1000 grandparents by Cancer Council WA, Curtin University and Cancer Council Victoria found that grandparents are sneaking unhealthy snacks into the diets of their grandchildren. While most provided unhealthy food, grandfathers were more l... more

29 January 2019

Older Australians should not become complacent about sun protection, experts warn. About 97 per cent of all skin cancers are non-melanoma varieties, which continue to appear as people age. More than 400,000 are diagnosed each year, compared with abou... more

29 January 2019

In a piece for the Hobart Mercury, Tracy Renkin writes about the fact that sun smart messaging is still not sinking in for teenagers whot are still more worried about the social consequences of wearing a hat, versus the potentially deadly sun damage.... more

29 January 2019

UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that getting a prostate cancer diagnosis early can help men fighting the disease live longer than men who have never had it. Spotting the cancer at stage one meant they were 0.5 per cent more lik... more

29 January 2019

British lung cancer patients previously told there was “no hope” have been the first in the world to benefit from lifesaving surgery that microwaves tumours, burning them away and leaving no scars. Nine cancer sufferers have so far had the revolution... more

29 January 2019

Cancer is not a war, battle or fight, and people diagnosed with it should not be called fighters, warriors or heroes – that’s the message from a survey of people who have or have had the illness. The UK poll by Macmillan Cancer Support of 2000 people... more

29 January 2019

Breast cancer in young women is more likely to be fatal if it occurs after they’ve had a baby, a new study shows. Changes to the breasts triggered by bearing a child make it easier for cancer cells to spread, researchers found. “If a woman gets breas... more

29 January 2019

In a piece for the AFR Weekend, Jill Margo writes about rising cases of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer in most First World countries. The piece focuses on whether there is enough evidence to suggest that deep, open-mouth kissing can spread the viru... more

25 January 2019

Queensland experts will today reveal revised sun safe policy which recommends Australians apply sunscreen every morning as a habit. Delegates from the country’s peak health bodies voted in support of the new guidelines at a national Sunscreen Summit ... more

25 January 2019

Researchers from Melbourne’s Monash University have cracked a key process in how cells right across the body stay healthy and youthful. The finding could help design new drugs to protect against brain diseases, infection, and even treat obesity and c... more

24 January 2019

Public hospital sunburn data shows an average of four Victorians a day need hospital treatment for sunburn in the peak of summer, with health experts warning that UV damage adds up quickly across the day. 278 people presented to hospital last financi... more

24 January 2019

Children are being exposed to junk food advertising online and on social media in what has been branded a sneaky attempt by companies to circumvent codes around not marketing to kids. The Obesity Policy Coalition has called out some of the biggest fo... more

24 January 2019

In a piece for the Hobart Mercury, Alex Carlton writes about the hidden harms of soft drink – often promoted as a “nice, happy and joyful drink”, while causing “about as much pain and suffering as tobacco”. The piece focuses on the fact that the gove... more

22 January 2019

University of Edinburgh scientists have identified genetic changes that may predict the likelihood of breast cancer relapse in women who take a common type of hormone therapy. It is believed the findings could help to identify those at risk so they c... more

22 January 2019

The Rethink Sugary Drink initiative are turning soft drink marketers’ tricks back on them in their latest anti-sugar campaign appealing to the vanity of teenagers. Targeting 12-24-year-olds, the ad features a series of Instagram-worthy glamorous youn... more

22 January 2019

In an opinion piece for the Herald Sun, John Alexander writes about the trend of high-profile sporting codes receiving sponsorship from alcohol companies and other “addictive” industries, and the exemption written into Australian advertising codes wh... more

22 January 2019

A Cancer Council NSW led study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention this month has found bowel cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in young Australians - but lowering the national screening age would do more harm than good... more

21 January 2019

Lung cancer patients struggling with the high cost of medicines will be given a helping hand with the price of a key drug to be slashed. Health Minister Greg Hunt will today announce that Tagrisso, also known as Osimertinib, will be listed on the Pha... more

21 January 2019

40 per cent of Australians admit the first question they would ask someone diagnosed with lung cancer is whether they smoked, before even expressing concern. To counter the stigma, the Lung Foundation Australia has launched a campaign which implores ... more

21 January 2019

International trials, led by Australia, have shown that treatments for stage IV melanoma can be used earlier in stage III, when the disease appears to be regionally contained and has not yet spread to other organs. Often, stage III patients are sent ... more

21 January 2019

Nutrition Australia and the Cancer Council are calling on parents to consider giving children healthy leftovers and other creative options in school lunch boxes. As Nutrition Australia launches its Healthy Lunchbox Week, the Cancer Council is expandi... more

18 January 2019

Regional areas have higher rates of contracting bowel cancer than the national average, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures show, but it is more prevalent in those three regions than anywhere else in the state. The figures have prompte... more

18 January 2019

Scientist Geoffrey Hill, a former Queenslander of the year, has made a breakthrough in understanding how a common virus reactivates in transplant patients, causing life-threatening complications. The finding is expected to lead to US trials of a new ... more

16 January 2019

In a piece for the Sydney Morning Herald Rachel Clun reports on the importance of sun safety and skin checks for Australia’s outdoor workers. The piece focuses on Goulburn Council’s work to promote sun safety, after data which shows work-related skin... more

16 January 2019

Poo transplants can successfully treat patients with a painful bowel disease that increases the risk of cancer, new Adelaide research shows. Furthermore, the researchers are developing a pill that can carry the crucial bacteria, avoiding the need for... more

15 January 2019

POO, pesticides and nicotine are being inhaled by smokers of nicotine-free electronic cigarettes, a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia has found. Researchers have analysed the liquid in e-cigarettes sold online and over-the-counter a... more

15 January 2019

A new research centre aimed at hastening the process of developing medicines will receive a $25 million funding injection from the Federal Government. Cutting-edge robotics equipment will be used at the Drug Discovery Centre at Melbourne’s Walter &am... more

14 January 2019

Advanced robots will be enlisted by a new Melbourne research centre to develop live-saving drugs to cure rare conditions. The “drug discovery” centre at Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research will open in June, paving the way... more

14 January 2019

Restricting alcohol ads on TV has been linked to a long-term reduction in underage drinking in an Australian first study. The research, spearheaded by Cancer Council Victoria, also shows the number of bottle shops, pubs and clubs in particular areas ... more

14 January 2019

Baby boomers are drinking at increasingly risky levels and the healthcare system is struggling to meet the needs of older Australians with alcohol related problems, according to research. Flinders University researchers analysed data from the Federal... more

11 January 2019

A free website and mobile phone app will give patients and their doctors up-to-date information on the two most common breast cancer genes, helping guide difficult decisions on issues such as breast and ovary removal. The website and app collate info... more

11 January 2019

The Metropolitan Fire Service is looking at a possible mass compo claim for firefighters diagnosed with “concerning” high levels of dangerous toxins in their bodies. It is investigating the option of a “service-wide” hazardous incident reporting modu... more

11 January 2019

Victoria’s top health official will lead an analysis of data surrounding the high number of cancer deaths among young adults from the Bellarine Peninsula. Late last year The Age revealed some families in the area believed the high incidence of cancer... more

10 January 2019

Australia has provided the British government with its world-leading plain packaging images for cigarettes, to use free-of-charge in the case of a chaotic no-deal Brexit. With MPs poised to vote down Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal in the Commons n... more

10 January 2019

Health experts are calling for elite sport clubs to cut their ties with junk food, as advertisments during the family friendly cricket season continue to plug calorie-heavy meals. A survey of 2000 Australian adults by the Obesity Policy Coalition fou... more

10 January 2019

Death rates from a form of bowel cancer are predicted to increase by almost 60% in Australia by 2035.  The global study, published in the International Journal of Cancer yesterday, also predicts that America will see a 28% jump and Ireland and Canada... more

09 January 2019

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report has shown for the first time that women diagnosed through BreastScreen Australia had a 69 per cent lower risk of dying from breast cancer before the end of December 2015 that those who had never be... more

09 January 2019

A gel rubbed onto the skin every day could slash the risk of breast cancer. The clear and odorless gel contains a form of the anti-cancer drug tamoxifen, which has been used for years to treat women with the disease by reducing levels of the hormone ... more

09 January 2019

Victoria’s chief health officer will analyse Bellarine Peninsula data to identify any abnormalities amid fears of a cancer scare along the coast. The enquiry comes after revelations family members of former Bellarine Secondary College students who di... more

08 January 2019

Territorians in need of cancer treatment will be able to receive better medical support at Royal Darwin Hospital thanks to the development of the Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre. While some Territorians may still need to travel interstate, the $5 mill... more

07 January 2019

Australians are being told to abandon sun safety messages that glorify sun exposure and tout dangerous fads such as ‘‘a gentle pinking’’. Mixed messages are skewing the balance between the serious harms of ultraviolet radiation and the benefits of vi... more

06 January 2019

Advances in immunotherapy mean more patients are living longer, but immunotherapy research, trials and treatment clinics in WA are straining to cope with the “good problem”, as patients numbers blow out. Fast becoming an alternative to chemotherapy a... more

06 January 2019

A new Cancer Council WA LiveLighter study of 77 kombucha products found no definitive scientific proof the drink benefited human gut health. “The recent popularity of kombucha fits into a growing public interest in our digestive system and how to bes... more

06 January 2019

Cancer patients in WA are set to benefit from ground-breaking research that will better predict who will respond to immunotherapy treatment. The research into blood tests will improve identification of the most compatible patients, improve monitoring... more

05 January 2019

In a piece for the Australian Financial Review: Weekend Jill Margo writes about the potential risk of addiction that arises when cancer patients are prescribed opioids for pain relief. While the orthodox view is that cancer patients with real pain wo... more

05 January 2019

Breast cancer treatment will get a major boost with $27 million to pay for 41 more specialist nurses for the McGrath Foundation. On Saturday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the cash injection, which more than doubles the Federal Government’s... more

05 January 2019

Stopping the spread of melanoma could be as simple as cutting off the blood supply to the cancer, Queensland research has revealed. Scientists at the University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute have identified stem cells which form blood vessels ... more

05 January 2019

Almost one in 10 newborn babies may have genes that put them at risk of illness of disease, a study led by Brigham Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital shows. A simple blood test for infants can detect genetic mutations that could lead to ... more

05 January 2019

SA biotech company Bionomics’ cancer drug candidate is part of a new experimental clinical trial with a global pharmaceutical giant. The Thebarton-based company said the trial – using its BNC105 drug candidate in combination with Bristol-Myers Squibb... more

05 January 2019

UK doctors claim that obesity must be treated as a disease rather than a lifestyle choice to deal with the weight crisis. The Royal College of Physicians said classifying obesity as chronic disease would reduce stigma and improve care. But critics sa... more

04 January 2019

In a piece for the The Australian, Sean Parnell writes about the potential dangers involved in a day at the beach, highlighting that Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world and the benefits of being sunsafe. He mentions Can... more

04 January 2019

British scientists are developing a new breathalyser test designed to pick up early signs of cancer, which enter the breath and become airborne. The technique relies on a pioneering device that can detect chemicals given off by cancerous tumours. A m... more

04 January 2019

Australian scientists have found a genetic marker that could identify which men are likely to develop deadly metastatic prostate cancer and may pave the way for effective treatments. The federal government is investing almost $800,000 into the Univer... more

04 January 2019

More than 1000 Victorian women may be unaware they have breast cancer because they have not had regular screenings, according to new data released by BreastScreen Victoria today. As part of a renewed push for breast screening, it has emerged that as ... more

03 January 2019

Tasmanians whose new year’s resolution is to quit smoking are being encouraged to turn the desire into action and to access support to help them do it. Cancer Council Tasmania chief executive Penny Egan said smokers should prepare themselves to quit.... more

03 January 2019

Scientists at America’s Northwestern University’s Centre for BioIntegrated Electronics in Illinois have developed a new technology that allows your phone to tell you exactly how much sunlight your body has absorbed today, based on what you’re wearing... more

03 January 2019

Scientists led by Professor Chris Elliot, a former government scientist, say that processed meat such as bacon and ham is causing 6600 cancer cases a year. They say the meat industry will be dealt a “reputational blow” similar to that of tobacco firm... more

03 January 2019

Australian scientists have discovered that tissue-resident memory T cells have the power to put melanoma tumours ‘‘to sleep’’, potentially paving the way for new treatments. It has previously been known that these immune cells help fight cancer, but ... more

21 December 2018

In an opinion piece for the Sydney Morning Herald, Colin Mendelsohn writes about plateauing smoking rates in Australia and calls upon government to reconsider its restrictive approach to vaping – which is essentially illegal with nicotine without a d... more

21 December 2018

Australian authorities are on alert over e-cigarette use amid revelations it has increased to large proportions among American youth. The US Surgeon-General has taken the rare step of issuing a public advisory, warning that e-cigarettes put young peo... more

21 December 2018

Efforts to adapt groundbreaking treatments to combat incurable brain cancers in children have been given a boost through renewed commitment to Melbourne research. Promising studies led by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research have b... more

21 December 2018

In an opinion piece for the Hobart Mercury, Penny Egan encourages people to make good health choices over the summer holiday and focuses on the fact that one third of cancers can be prevented. She gives a reminder about the importance of participatin... more

20 December 2018

Women who get a “false positive” at a breast screening are twice as likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer later in life, researchers have found. In one in five cases of women aged 50-70 who had mammograms flagged potential problems, but a biopsy ... more

19 December 2018

A revolutionary cancer therapy that supercharges a patient’s immune cells to hunt and destroy cancer cells has been approved for use in Australia, ushering in a new era in medicine. Desperate patients with aggressive blood cancers who have not respon... more

18 December 2018

In a piece for the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, Dana McCauley examines Australia’s snowballing obesity crisis and claims that, despite health experts offering solutions, politicians have failed to act, “leaving us in the grip of a silent epidem... more

17 December 2018

Researchers from the Southern Cross University have for the first time analysed the composition of the tar-like substance black salve, and discovered what it contains is far from ‘‘natural’’ and in many cases dangerous. Spruiked as a natural skin can... more

17 December 2018

A new analysis of 16,800 brain cancer cases in Australia stretching back to the early 1980s definitively shows that mobile phones do not cause cancer. The study, led by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) and publi... more

17 December 2018

Scientists at King’s College in London have come up with a radical new treatment for prostate cancer in which injections into the tumour boost the immune system to kill malignant cells. While so-called immunotherapies have become available over the p... more

17 December 2018

A major breakthrough by researchers at the Children’s Cancer Institute in Sydney has opened up the possibility for new and better treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer. Each year, around 150 Australian c... more

17 December 2018

A global consumer goods firm has been accused of covering up the fact its talc products contained deadly asbestos. Johnson & Johnson knew since at least 1971 that products including its baby powder contained traces of asbestos, which can cause ca... more

14 December 2018

As the Berejiklian government and the Labor opposition enter election campaign mode, Cancer Council NSW has released a list of policy priorities it says must be adopted to accelerate the decline in smoking. Cancer Council NSW want the NSW government ... more

14 December 2018

Australia’s research funding is expected to drop to its lowest levels in 40 years, the university sector is today warning ahead of the Government’s Budget update next week. Universities Australia will today launch a campaign prominently featuring Que... more

14 December 2018

Solutions for chronic pain and bowel cancer, and improved drug delivery and childhood vaccinations, are the goals of newly funded Flinders University research. Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council awarded more than $5.9 million in... more

13 December 2018

Analysis of Medicare data by Queensland researchers shows people with severe mental illness are far less likely to be screened for potentially fatal but treatable cancers, such as cervical and prostate cancer, than the general population. The researc... more

13 December 2018

The Northern Territory’s PET scanner is up and running, allowing cancer patients to access better diagnostic care. Twelve patients are set to receive scans at the Royal Darwin Hospital within the first two weeks. However, the cyclotron, which creates... more

13 December 2018

New data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows WA is the only state to record a drop in smoking rates in the past three years. The data shows the proportion of daily smokers in WA fell from 14.3 per cent in 2014-15 to 11.8 per cent in 2017-18.... more

12 December 2018

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will unveil a $1.25 billion offer to fund cancer treatment, drug and alcohol clinics, chronic disease programs and other services in a dramatic policy move to fend off Labor accusations of cuts to hospitals and healthcar... more

12 December 2018

A Melbourne-led medical trial will examine whether cholesterol busting wonder drugs can also combat conditions such as dementia. The groundbreaking study of statins, backed by federal government funding as part of a $526 million boost for medical res... more

12 December 2018

A new study by the Institute of Cancer Research in London and the University of North Carolina has found that women who delay having children until their 30s have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. If they have a baby for the last time betwee... more

12 December 2018

A firefighter who returned a high blood sample for potentially deadly toxins says he and his colleagues are “confused and in the dark” about what it means for them and their long-term health. The Advertiser on the condition of anonymity, said after n... more

12 December 2018

In an opinion piece for the Canberra Times, Jane Martin writes that Australia needs to redress its approach to dealing with the obesity epidemic, which “for too long” has been pushed aside as an insurmountable issue, or reduced to a problem of indivi... more

11 December 2018

The Third Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation has found wide disparities in the provision of treatments such as antibiotics in children, colonoscopy and gastroscopy across the country and also places the spotlight on caesarean section births. Th... more

11 December 2018

Overall cancer survival in Victoria is at a record high, and health experts are crediting public awareness campaigns and better diagnosis and treatment combinations. The Cancer Council Victoria annual snapshot shows the total five-year survival is up... more

11 December 2018

Australians live a long life and are more likely than most to consider themselves healthy, according to an analysis of 36 countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Yet Australia has the second highest incidence of cancer... more

10 December 2018

One in four breast cancers are potentially preventable, an exhaustive evidence review of 68 breast cancer risk factors shows. Evidence is mounting that smoking may increase the risk of breast cancer, and the case for recommending a diet rich in veget... more

10 December 2018

New data from SA Health shows death rates from cancer in South Australia are falling as cancer screening programs, new therapies and health campaigns such as to stop smoking, to exercise, be SunSmart, eat well and drink alcohol in moderation, have an... more

10 December 2018

Researchers from Monash University have discovered the structure of a new immune breaker, CD96, which is exploited by cancer to spread into healthy tissues. Lead researcher Dr Rich Berry said knowing how it binds to tumours could be crucial in develo... more

10 December 2018

Fears that anaesthetic gases used during cancer surgery may be causing the cancers to return has prompted the Federal Government to back a Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre-led research project into their dangers. With more than 300,000 cancer operations... more

10 December 2018

In an opinion piece for the West Australian, Ashley Reid and Jonathan Carapetis write that individual choice can no longer be blamed for obesity, after the Federal Senate select committee last week presented its Senate Inquiry Report into the Obesity... more

10 December 2018

A study conducted at University Hospital A Coruna in Spain has found that people who can’t climb four flights of stairs quickly are at greater risk of an early death. The research was based on a study of 12,615 people who were tested on their ability... more

07 December 2018

In a piece in the Adelaide Advertiser, Tory Shephard writes that health warnings about sun exposure, including ‘There’s nothing healthy about a tan’ and ‘Slip, slop, slap, seek and slide’, are not sinking in for Australians. The piece focuses on the ... more

07 December 2018

Despite Australians spending about half the warmer months outside being exposed to UV rays, the latest Nivea Sun Survey shows that one in five NSW residents do not bother applying any sunscreen. Australians are putting themselves at risk by spending ... more

07 December 2018

A trial at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has successfully combined a drug that has shown promise in treating chronic leukaemia with standard breast cancer therapy. It is the first time the Melbourne-designed drug vene... more

06 December 2018

The federal government must impose a tax on sugary drinks, mandate Health Star Ratings and ban junk food ads on TV until 9pm if it wants to drive down Australia’s obesity rates, a Senate Committee has concluded. The Select Committee into the Obesity ... more

05 December 2018

Researchers from the University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have developed a test that can detect cancer in any tissue type, including blood. The scientists designed the simple, quick and inexpensive tes... more

05 December 2018

A study by the University of California tracked almost 200 girls from birth to adolescence, and found that chemicals in perfume and body lotion may make girls go through puberty early. Diethyl phthalate, a plastic used in perfumes and cosmetics and b... more

05 December 2018

A survey of 11,300 patients who attended one of NSW’s 50 outpatient cancer clinics has found they were least impressed with Concord, Nepean, Royal North Shore and St George hospitals in relation to care and treatment. One of the key findings was that... more

04 December 2018

Genes of the giant tortoise could unlock secrets to a longer life and beat cancer, new research has revealed. An international team of researchers, including Australians, set out to sequence the genome of Lonesome George, the last member of the Galap... more

04 December 2018

A new tax on soft drinks and a prime-time ban on fast-food TV commercials are set to be rejected by the major parties ahead of the next election. An inquiry into Australia’s obesity epidemic, set to be released today, will recommend a range of measur... more

03 December 2018

Protect yourself from the sun every time you step outside this summer — even if it is only for a few minutes. That’s the message behind a new Cancer Council WA campaign launching today that implores West Australians not to let their skin be damaged b... more

03 December 2018

A decision to make tens of thousands of shaded seats for next week’s historic first Test at Optus Stadium unavailable for sale has been slammed as “inexcusable” by Cancer Council WA. Cricket Australia (CA) said in conjunction with VenuesLive, the com... more

03 December 2018

Three-quarters of Perth playgrounds do not have cancer-preventing shade structures installed, with many councils instead relying on a smattering of trees to provide protection — or nothing at all. Of the 24 metropolitan councils that responded to a s... more

03 December 2018

Reality do-it-yourself renovation TV shows have been urged to issue warnings to home handymen over the dangers of asbestos. Authorities fear the rise in the popularity of home renovation programs could be a factor in driving an increase in renovation... more

30 November 2018

A world-first prostate cancer outcomes registry – funded by Movember – is improving patient outcomes by letting doctors know how their patients’ surgery and treatment compare to their peers. The registry has been so successful that other cancer group... more

30 November 2018

Immunotherapy drugs Opdivo and Yervoy will be subsidized on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Listing Scheme for patients with melanomas that have spread and cannot be removed by surgery. About 800 patients per year already receive Yervoy on its own to com... more

29 November 2018

Queensland will be the centre of the world’s first network of “spectacular” 3D imaging machines that will advance the early detection of melanoma by creating a patient’s full-body avatar. It was announced today that a $10 million grant from the Austr... more

29 November 2018

A Sydney pharmacist has been sentenced to eight months in prison with six months non-parole after she illegally supplied more than 2000 cancer vaccine for overseas export. The magistrate who jailed Katherine Gong didn’t accept her intentions were hon... more

28 November 2018

A world-first immunotherapy trial led by gene therapy expert and clinical haematologist Professor John Rasko at the University of Sydney is reprogramming immune cells to find and destroy deadly tumours in patients with mesothelioma and advanced pancr... more

28 November 2018

The Public Health Association will today release the first tally of the outcomes of the top 10 public health programs, as they warn spending on these successes has dropped from over 2 per cent to just 1.6 per cent of the health budget. More than half... more

26 November 2018

Research compiled by public health scientist Professor Bruce Armstrong and anti-tobacco advocate Stephen Woodward has indicated that relaxing regulations around vaping in Australia could save nearly 20,000 lives nationwide. The pair have published ca... more

26 November 2018

In an opinion piece Peter Goers writes that vaping should be encouraged over smoking, particularly as an successful way to quit smoking. The piece focuses on the taxes on cigarettes and the South Australian vaping industry. Peter Goers is a presenter... more

26 November 2018

In an opinion piece Lainie Anderson writes about tanning as a child and the consequences this could have later in life. The piece focuses on new research from Cancer Council’s National Sun Protection Survey and the need for Australians to be skin awa... more

22 November 2018

Junk time in the AFL has taken on a whole new meaning after an analysis of the AFL Grand Final telecast found unhealthy food and drink advertising was visible for more than a quarter of the match. Health groups are calling on the league to junk the p... more

20 November 2018

A blood test for the early detection of ovarian cancer could be available within two years. Adelaide University and Griffith University researchers have studied the interaction between a toxin produced by a type of E. coli and an abnormal sugar found... more

19 November 2018

Many teenagers are more concerned about the social pressures to get a dangerous tan than they are about the risk of skin cancer, new research suggests. Almost two out of three teenagers believe their friends think a tan is a good thing, driving many ... more

19 November 2018

Sunscreen experts are pleading with Australian consumers to steer clear of so-called ‘‘sunscreen pills’’ and buy Australian-made products over American ones. In a crackdown on the burgeoning sun protection industry, the US Food and Drug Administratio... more

19 November 2018

A compound found in green tea may hold the secret to fighting neuroblastoma, a cancer that kills more children under five than any other. Researchers at the Children’s Cancer Institute have found an antioxidant called catechin has the ability to kill... more

19 November 2018

The number of new mesothelioma cases in the ACT dropped during 2017, but the rate of the disease in Canberra is still at one of the highest levels since national reporting began seven years ago. Nine new cases of mesothelioma were diagnosed in the AC... more

19 November 2018

Health experts have identified sugary drinks as the key item Victorians need to cut from their diet to boost their health. Soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks — and even tipples carrying the “health halo” such as store-bought smoothies, vitamin ... more

16 November 2018

Hollywood Private Hospital will spend $50 million on what it claims will be the State’s first private one-stop cancer centre. In recognition of the growing number of cancer cases in WA, the Ramsay Health Care-operated hospital will build a comprehens... more

16 November 2018

ACT cancer patients are still required to fund a co-payment for some chemotherapy treatments despite the government earlier this year vowing to fund all drug payments. The government announced it was removing chemotherapy co-payment – which saw some ... more

16 November 2018

Next year, researchers from the Royal Women’s Hospital hope to use the light from The Australian Sychrotron in Melbourne to treat a tumour in someone’s pet dog, as part of a test for “microbeam radiation therapy”. The Australian Sychrotron is a footb... more

16 November 2018

People suffering from life-threatening asbestos diseases in Western Australia are unable to claim a form of compensation offered in all other states as their disease progresses, despite the state having the highest rates of the asbestos-caused cancer... more

15 November 2018

Australia’s leading cancer groups want doctors and health care providers to be more upfront with patients about likely costs that can routinely exceed $5000. Announced today at the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia’s annual scientific meeting, C... more

15 November 2018

A breakthrough new trial is heightening the chances of survival and effective treatment for people with the rarest cancer types by matching patients with effective treatments already being used to treat common cancers. The pilot phase of the Nominato... more

15 November 2018

A new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows the average cost of treating patients at Royal Perth Hospital rose by 10 per cent in three years — the biggest increase of all Australian major public hospitals. Comparison of avera... more

15 November 2018

In an opinion piece Penny Egan writes, ahead of National Skin Cancer Action Week, that every year in Australia, skin cancers account for about 80 per cent of all newly diagnosed cancers with two in in three Australians diagnosed with skin cancer by a... more

15 November 2018

Chemotherapy dosing across the state will be prescribed electronically in a bid to avoid human error following a bungle that led to 10 patients receiving half the amount they should have. The computer system is intended to reduce the chance of human ... more

14 November 2018

New research has found no evidence that testosterone gel, used to treat women with low sex drive after menopause, increases breast cancer risks. The hormone which controls sex drive and in men characteristics such as facial hair, has increasingly bee... more

14 November 2018

Too much time spent in front of a screen raises the risk of a dozen cancers, according to a report by the World Cancer Research Fund. The report, which reviewed 80 studies involving more that 200,000 people worldwide, ranked smart-phones and tablets ... more

14 November 2018

Obese people are more likely to get cancer because fat clogs the immune system, according to scientists at Bringham Women’s Hospital in the US. The study found that too much fat in the body damaged the “natural killer” cells needed to destroy tumours... more

13 November 2018

WA researchers want governments to pay do-it-yourself renovators to safely remove asbestos from their homes as figures reveal hundreds of new mesothelioma cases. A new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report to be released today shows there... more

12 November 2018

A four-person team from the Canberra Hospital has recently returned from setting up the Solomon Island’s first oncology unit, bringing a new range of treatment options to the Pacific Island nation. The project began in 2016 when Professor Desmond Yip... more

12 November 2018

Research commissioned by Nivea Sun has found that Western Australians are among the most negligent in the country when it comes to applying sunscreen. While 92 per cent of Western Australians always wear sunscreen when going to the beach, nearly thre... more

12 November 2018

A report released by ImpactPay says Australians remain generous with their donations, despite the decline in people carrying loose coins or notes. About 84 per cent of people donate to charity at least once a year and about 75 per cent believe suppor... more

07 November 2018

Cancer Council NSW has warned that advertisements for ice-cream, chips and soft drinks on state buses and at train stations are undermining the NSW government’s efforts to combat childhood obesity. CCNSW said the government was sending out a ‘contrad... more

06 November 2018

Skin cancer deaths among men have soared in wealthy nations since 1985, with mortality rates among women rising more slowly or even declining. Researchers told a medical conference in Scotland that the reason for the discrepancy between sexes is uncl... more

06 November 2018

Sitting is not the new smoking, an international team of scientists has found. The risk of death from sitting for long periods pales in comparison with the chances of premature death from smoking. The findings, published today in the American Journal... more

05 November 2018

Millions of women could be spared the ordeal of having smear tests after the age of 55, a major study suggests. At the moment Australian women are invited for regular cervical screening between the ages of 18 and 70. But research indicates that a sen... more

05 November 2018

Children whose mothers are from poorer backgrounds and smoked during pregnancy have an increased risk of obesity and depression, a new study shows. University of Western Australia Emeritus Professor of Medicine Lawrence Beilin said the children of sm... more

05 November 2018

The lives of thousands of men could be prolonged with a new treatment that uses radiotherapy to mount a “twin attack” on prostate cancer. It simultaneously blasts the prostate with radiation from outside the body while using “tumour-seeking” radioact... more

05 November 2018

Men diagnosed with prostate cancer are saying they would trade some of their odds of survival for improvements in side-effects, such as impotence and incontinence. In many cases, prostate cancer is a slow-growing disease with a relatively good surviv... more

05 November 2018

A $1.2 million clinical trial will investigate if medicinal cannabis improves the quality of life of cancer patients who are unlikely to be cured. The trial will be bankrolled by the state government with 100 patients from The Olivia Newton-John Canc... more

05 November 2018

The most controlled studies on radiation emitted by mobile phones have found "clear evidence" of a link between high levels of exposure and heart cancer in male rats. While the rat link is real, the researchers say the results cannot be compared dire... more

05 November 2018

Food labels should clearly flag which products are most likely to contribute to cancer and other chronic diseases, health experts say. With the now five-year-old Health Star Rating system under review, the Dietitians Association of Australia has dema... more

31 October 2018

Hundreds of smokers are taking part in a study at Prince Charles Hospital, which researchers hope will lead to the formation of targeted lung cancer screening in Australia. The ongoing trial of 4000 smokers and ex-smokers aged 55-80 across Australia ... more

29 October 2018

Junior doctors are ill-prepared to talk to cancer patients about radiation therapy because they just don’t know enough about it – despite an ever-increasing number of Australians battling the disease. An alarming new study which will be presented to ... more

29 October 2018

One Australian dies from lung cancer every hour, with only 15 percent of patients still alive five years after diagnosis, but the Federal Government will offer them a lifeline by subsidising a miracle drug. From Thursday, at least 850 patients with a... more

29 October 2018

Despite years of cigarette health warnings, thousands of Queensland mothers are still putting their babies at risk. Surprisingly,14.2 percent of women in the state smoked during pregnancy, compared with a national average of 12.3 per cent. Analysis o... more

29 October 2018

The largest e-cigarette industry in Australia will be “decimated” after major parties in South Australia united to pass the tightest regulations in the nation, retailers and public health advocates say. Under amendments to the Tobacco Products Regula... more

29 October 2018

Fathers-to-be who smoke before conception are putting their children at risk of serious behavioural disorders such as ADHD. US scientists exposed a group of male mice to low-dose nicotine in their drinking water and bred them with female mice that ha... more

29 October 2018

A study suggests sunbathing every other day – rather than daily – will lead to a darker tan and also cut the risk of cancer-causing skin damage. The reason is because the body’s response to sunshine follows a 48-hour cycle. The Israeli scientists fou... more

29 October 2018

Cancer Council SA is teaming up with Adelaide and Country SA Primary Health Networks to launch the new campaign today to encourage South Australians to get screened for cancer and “get on with living”. It comes as research shows large numbers of peop... more

29 October 2018

A Brisbane-based researcher has teamed up with neurosurgeon Charlie Teo to conduct a world-first medicinal cannabis trial in brain cancer patients. Complementary medicine researcher Janet Schloss said the study would investigate whether oral medicina... more

29 October 2018

A massive study of more than 400,000 Victorian cases since 1982 has revealed men have much lower survival rates for 11 out of 25 cancers suffered by both sexes, raising calls for governments to take action to address the gap. Across all cancers, male... more

29 October 2018

Only one fire station in the Darwin and Palmerston region has been fitted with extractors to pull diesel engine fumes from engine bays and monitor levels of dangerous substances despite the risk the exhaust is potentially carcinogenic. Darwin fireys ... more

29 October 2018

More than half of West Australians support a tax on sugar-laden drinks blamed for rising rates of obesity in adults and children, a poll has found. Results from Cancer Council WA’s LiveLighter survey found that 57 per cent of people supported a sugar... more

26 October 2018

Thousands more obese people are at risk of liver cancer than previously thought, prompting calls to overhaul screening for the killer disease. New research by Monash University and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has found people who are obese and have... more

26 October 2018

A new breast imaging technique that uses dye with traditional breast X-rays could detect more cancers, benefiting women with dense breast tissue who risk having their tumours missed. The technique, found by a Royal Perth Hospital study, injects patie... more

26 October 2018

Melbourne-based Cancer Therapeutics Co-operative Research Centre has struck a sizeable research partnership with global Pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer that could eventually be worth as much as $US460 million ($650 million). Cancer Therapeutics Co-opera... more

25 October 2018

A Canadian study published in the British Journal of Cancer has found that a drug for osteoporosis may also have a protective effect against breast cancer. Post-menopausal women who used the drug denosumab had a 13 per cent decreased risk of breast c... more

25 October 2018

A new report released by Lung Foundation Australia has highlighted the stigma associated with lung cancer, and how this represents a blockade to funding better treatment and early diagnosis. Given the link between smoking and lung cancer, people diag... more

25 October 2018

The significant change that women’s bodies undergo at 34 weeks of pregnancy can significantly reduce their risk of breast cancer, according to a new study. While previous research has highlighted how women under the age of 30 can reduce the risk of b... more

25 October 2018

Breast cancer sufferers who take statins can reduce the chances of a tumour in their other breast by 12 per cent, scientists have claimed. Researchers identified 52,000 women who suffered non-metastatic breast cancer between 1996 and 2012. More than ... more

25 October 2018

Morrison government will today sign a deal with the largest medical complex in the world, Texas Medical Centre, to encourage collaboration on health breakthroughs. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the memorandum of understanding would enable Australian... more

25 October 2018

A Californian study published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B has found that tall people are at greater risk of getting cancer, with the danger rising by about 10 per cent for every 10cm above the average height. Researchers said that bein... more

24 October 2018

With cases of some drug-resistant infections on the rise, London health officials from Public Health England (PHE) have launched a campaign warning people they could put themselves and their families at risk by unnecessarily taking antibiotic medicat... more

24 October 2018

In an opinion piece Jane Martin writes that nearly two thirds of adults and more than a quarter of children are classified as overweight or obese in Australia. The piece focuses on the need for a national healthy weight strategy and the need for acti... more

24 October 2018

Shortages of clinicians able to screen women for breast cancer has triggered an internal SA Health call for “spare” workers – but even the head doctor admits it is probably just a courtesy call. SA Medical Imaging clinical director Dr Marc Agzarian c... more

24 October 2018

A study in the Journal of Investigative Medicine has shown the link between tumours in the mouth and exposure to air pollution. When the researchers examined the health records of 482,659 men over 40 in Taiwan, along with data from air quality-monito... more

24 October 2018

Results from the world's largest prostate cancer trial are set to change the way Australian men with an advanced form of the disease are managed. Published on the weekend in the journal The Lancet, the trial involved more than 2000 men who, on being ... more

23 October 2018

A new approach to radiotherapy for prostate cancer patients whose disease has spread increases survival rates by up to 11 per cent. Patients whose prostate cancer has spread are typically given hormone therapy to reduce or stop the production of test... more

23 October 2018

People who eat a lot of organic food have a reduced risk of cancer, a new study of almost 70,000 people claims. Despite the findings published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, independent academics warn the cancer-prevention ... more

23 October 2018

A new advertisement campaign, being launched today by Cancer Council Victoria, will deliver the hard-hitting message that our weight sits alongside smoking and sun damage as the top modifiable cancer risk factors. About 3900 Australians are diagnosed... more

22 October 2018

A new immunotherapy drug has shown promise against breast cancer in a large study that combined it with chemotherapy to treat an aggressive form of the disease. But the benefit for most women was small, raising questions about whether the treatment i... more

22 October 2018

The waiting time for treatment for cancer in the ACT has risen sharply, according to figures just released in the annual report of ACT Health. It says that 58 per cent of patients with terminal cancer started their radiotherapy within two weeks of th... more

19 October 2018

Researchers at The Garvan Institute in Sydney have developed a new way to classify cancers by using the computing power of smartphones donated through Vodafone’s Dreamlab project. The citizen science project has identified more than 140 new cancer su... more

17 October 2018

Writing in journal Genetics, researchers at Michigan State University in the US say it may be possible to accurately predict someone’s height and, potentially, their risk of serious illnesses such as cancer solely from their genes. Using an algorithm... more

17 October 2018

A widespread clinical trial underway in 40 hospitals across Australia offers a new blood test that could help more patients avoid unnecessary chemotherapy. First developed at Johns Hopkins Medicine in the United States, the test can determine if pati... more

16 October 2018

A study recently published in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health found vaping may have a “gateway effect” and lead young people to cigarettes. Lead author Dr Michelle Jongenelis said that young people are vulnerable to the marketing ... more

16 October 2018

A charity spearheading efforts to legalise the nicotine vaping in Australia has accepted funding from an overseas group with clear links to tobacco multinationals. Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA), a doctor-led charity, accepted ... more

15 October 2018

Doctors who are sick of their industry’s own greed are offering heavily discounted surgeries, saving patients as much as $70,000. Most major health funds offer a service called “Known Gap”, where you are charged a gap fee of no more than $500 above t... more

15 October 2018

Third of West Australians are tossing, turning and snoring their way towards devastating health conditions including heart disease, cancer and obesity. The revelation, contained in the Health Department’s annual report into the health and well-being ... more

15 October 2018

Overdiagnosis is exposing healthy people to tests and treatments that are at best useless, and at worst triggers aggressive procedures with devastating side effects, an alliance of peak doctors colleges, researchers, advocates and public health exper... more

12 October 2018

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is today asking the state counterparts at a Council of Australian Governments meeting in Adelaide to allow the CAR-T therapy in public hospitals, in a bid to save more lives. The therapy can kill cancer within three ... more

12 October 2018

Yesterday Australian and New Zealand ministers agreed to a deal that every bottle of alcohol will have to carry a pregnancy warning label. Since late 2011 the alcohol industry has applied pregnancy warnings on a voluntary basis, but now a warning sta... more

11 October 2018

Queensland kids battling deadly brain cancer will be offered world-leading clinical trials at a new dedicated state based children's brain cancer research centre. The Children's Hospital Foundation Queensland will direct $10 million to the Morrison G... more

11 October 2018

News Ltd reports that two million women who are at higher risk of breast cancer are being denied crucial information that could help protect them from the disease. Australia is lagging behind the US by failing to inform women about the density of the... more

11 October 2018

The West Australian provides an overview of the latest in breast cancer. In good news, researchers are close to developing a breast-cancer risk tool that could be used by GPs to provide a personal risk assessment. Worryingly though, participation rat... more

11 October 2018

Farm lobby groups say the portrayal of glyphosate as a cancer-causing agent has been blown out of proportion on an ABC TV program. WAFarmers grain council president Duncan Young and Pastoralists and Graziers Association grains committee president Gar... more

11 October 2018

Tasmania’s peak farming body is backing Australia's regulatory body allowing the use of herbicide glyphosate, possibly the world's most important agricultural chemical. Glyphosate is the active ingredient used in 80 different agricultural products, i... more

11 October 2018

The widow of a former Canberra firefighter who died of cancer has joined the United Firefighters Union in criticising ACT authorities' response to contamination caused by firefighting chemicals, and calling for a national response to the issue. But o... more

11 October 2018

Australians who are obese as young adults risk dying up to 10 years earlier than their slimmer counterparts, researchers say. Modelling from The George Institute for Global Health and the University of Sydney, published in the International Journal o... more

11 October 2018

In an opinion piece Dr Jane Fynes-Clinton from the University of the Sunshine Coast writes that sugar is disguised, hidden and renamed on food labels. She argues that a sugar tax is the most obvious place to start. Courier Mail, 10/10/2018, Page 13

11 October 2018

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has doused claims the world's most popular weedkiller is unsafe, calling for calm after health concerns sprouted. The Daily Telegraph reports that Cancer Council wants an independent review into glyphosate, the ... more

09 October 2018

Cancer Council Australia wants an independent review into weed killer Roundup, which has been linked to cancer claims in the US. The authority wants a formal review into an active ingredient in the product – chemical glyphosate, according to the ABC.... more

09 October 2018

Nutrition experts are warning that regular meals including staples like muesli, vegetable soup and lasagne can lead to a daily sugar intake five times the recommended amount. It comes as new research to be released today shows nearly half of all Aust... more

08 October 2018

In an opinion piece Rex Jory writes about the costs associated with being a pack a day smoker and the effects this cost could have over a persons lifetime. The piece focuses on the economic and health burden smoking puts on the Australian economy and... more

08 October 2018

A peptide from an Australian funnel web spider has been found to kill human melanoma cells. The research, started at Brisbane’s QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, also found that the funnel-web compound had almost no negative effects on surro... more

08 October 2018

Aussie scientists have harnessed light in the war against cancer. At Melbourne’s Hudson Institute, researchers recently managed to kill ovarian cancer cells and basal cell skin cancers. The process begins with an injection of photosensitising chlorop... more

08 October 2018

Taking a low dose of aspirin every day could slash women’s risk of ovarian cancer by a quarter, a major study has concluded. British scientists who studied 205,000 women found that those who regularly took the painkiller were far less likely to be di... more

05 October 2018

Breast screening is on track to become more accurate and safer, through Melbourne research creating sharper and more detailed images. While current mammography struggles to detect small changes to the breast, especially in dense tissue, the Australia... more

04 October 2018

Teenagers who use e-cigarettes really are more likely to smoke tobacco in the future, scientists have found. A study suggests vaping is a gateway to real cigarettes – and youngsters who smoke and vape may use both products more heavily over time. The... more

04 October 2018

Diabetes significantly increases the risk of developing cancer, researchers warn. Scientists from Manchester and Sweden have published the results of two major studies which show people with type 2 diabetes – particularly women – are at a high risk o... more

04 October 2018

Babies diagnosed with cancer are having their tiny ovaries removed and frozen so that one day they can have bubs of their own. Fertility preservation treatment in infants is not yet mainstream, but the Herald Sun can reveal doctors have launched an a... more

04 October 2018

Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has imported about 3500 Chinese-made rail carriages containing asbestos in one of the largest breaches of a national ban on asbestos imports since it was introduced 15 years ago. The Australian Border Force will ... more

04 October 2018

A diet of fish, vegetables and olive oil could decrease the risk of breast cancer. Macaque monkeys that were fed a Mediterranean diet had healthier breast tissue than those that ate high-fat and highly-processed diets, US scientists have found. After... more

03 October 2018

Enemies of tobacco have won some famous victories but in a clear sign the war carries on, an Australian campaign has now taken the fight all the way to the UN, with La Trobe University in the vanguard. The Tobacco-Free Finance Pledge was launched at ... more

03 October 2018

Cervical cancer is set to become a rare disease in Australia within just two years and rendered so uncommon by 2028 it will be deemed eliminated as a public health problem for the first time anywhere in the world. The new forecast has been detailed i... more

03 October 2018

It may come as a surprise, but the high rate of survival from prostate cancer in Australia is a mixed blessing. While 95 per cent of diagnosed men will still be alive five years later, a great number will not be surviving well. "The problem is that a... more

03 October 2018

Alcoa has been ordered to release asbestos and dust monitoring results straight after the company demolishes the old Anglesea power station with explosives, amid community fears that the toxic material remains inside. Age, 03/10/2018, page 11

03 October 2018

Darwin has gained its newest National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratory, after Greencap’s local laboratory achieved accreditation in September. This achievement expands the ability to provide a comprehensive service in i... more

03 October 2018

In an opinion piece Victoria Keys writes that shows like The Block encourage Australians to take on DIY projects that may put themselves at risk of exposure to dangerous materials like asbestos. The piece focuses on the risks associated with asbestos... more

02 October 2018

American James Allison and Japan’s Tasuku Honjo have jointly won the 2018 Nobel Prize in medicine for their work on cancer therapy. Dr Allison studied a protein to “unleash immune cells to attack cancer tumours”. Professor Honjo also worked on a prot... more

02 October 2018

In an editorial The Canberra Times reports that recent suggestions to raise the smoking age to 21 in the ACT sits at odds with other ACT policies around drug access and that the discussion is a smokescreen for concerns about ACT Health. They suggest ... more

02 October 2018

Immunotherapy for advanced kidney cancer has shown promising results in trials – and now there are calls for the drugs to be made more affordable. The combination treatment of nivolumab and ipilimumab — better known by their brand names Opdivo and Ye... more

02 October 2018

Severe hot flushes that cost cancer survivors sleep and can lead some to stop treatment could be tackled by a new drug to go on trial around Australia. Many women with breast cancer are given Tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors to block oestrogen, a ho... more

01 October 2018

Darwin Private Hospital’s new oncology centre recently became the first in the Territory to manufacture its own chemotherapy drugs on site. Cancer patients can now receive chemotherapy within 20 minutes of seeing their doctors, where previously it wo... more

01 October 2018

A new immunotherapy drug called Nivolumab is offering new hope for children with Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumour (ATRT) – a type of brain cancer. In an Australian first, Children’s Cancer Institute and Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick will partn... more

01 October 2018

Smoking could soon be banned in more of Canberra’s public spaces, with Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris focused on having some of the toughest laws in the country. The ACT Government will also look at raising the smoking age to 21. The government wi... more

01 October 2018

A trial vaccine is showing promising results in patients with a range of cancers. The method involves extracting immune cells from a patient, altering them in the laboratory so they can ‘‘see’’ a protein common to many cancers called HER2. The resear... more

01 October 2018

Mayor Jilly Gibson is pushing for North Sydney to be the first CBD in the Harbour City to ban smoking. “It’d be another first for North Sydney, and it goes hand-in-hand with our revitalisation plans for the city centre,” Ms Gibson said after the prop... more

30 September 2018

The number of women with ovarian cancer now eligible for a powerful targeted treatment will dramatically increase, after a discovery by Melbourne researchers of why some women respond to the medication. Just as the discovery of cancer-causing BRCA ge... more

30 September 2018

West Australians are the fattest they have ever been, with just under a third now classified as obese and nearly seven in 10 overweight. For the first time the State is home to more obese people (32.1 per cent) than those with a body mass index (BMI)... more

29 September 2018

Rising obesity in women will see breast cancer deaths start to increase for the first time in 30 years, a report shows. Lifestyle factors, including excess weight and drinking, would cause 89,000 cases in the next decade, UK Breast Cancer Now researc... more

29 September 2018

Researchers have joined forces to put cancer on the map, revealing the relative risk in our suburbs, towns and rural areas, with this week’s launch of the Australian Cancer Atlas. It’s there for all to see, on a freely accessible website (atlas.cance... more

28 September 2018

Women who take the pill have a lower risk of getting ovarian cancer, a study has revealed. The paper, published in The BMJ, found the positive effect of taking a contraceptive pill strengthened with longer periods of use and lasted for several years ... more

28 September 2018

New research published in PLOS Medicine has found that taking aspirin significantly increases the chances of survival for thousands of cancer patients, research suggests. Scientists found cancer patients already taking low-dose aspirin were up to 25 ... more

28 September 2018

The rate of childhood obesity is rising faster in Victoria than in any other state, with new figures revealing that almost a third of children are overweight or obese. The data has prompted calls from public health advocates for an urgent state-wide ... more

26 September 2018

Most men know more about the symptoms of breast cancer than prostate cancer, a survey has found. Three quarters of men admitted they have limited knowledge of its symptoms, the European Association of Urologists (EAU) reports. Around 31 per cent of m... more

25 September 2018

Obesity will overtake smoking as the leading preventable cause of cancer in women within 25 years. Experts warn that a study predicts one in 10 new female cancer cases will be caused by excess weight by 2035 — only 2000 fewer than cancer cases caused... more

25 September 2018

A world-leading Queensland research project, four years in the making, has pinpointed cancer hotspots in thousands of neighbourhoods. From today, Australians can find out the trends for 20 of the most common cancers in the areas they live in a digita... more

25 September 2018

Being overweight, drinking too much and having a history of smoking is the perfect trifecta to raise the risk of bowel cancer through the roof for men. A big data study involving 370,000 Australians has shown this potent trifecta will be responsible ... more

24 September 2018

More than 400,000 sick Australians will have quicker and cheaper access to scans for conditions such as cancer, heart disease and sporting injuries over the next four years with the Morrison Government boosting the number of bulk-billed MRI machines.... more

24 September 2018

We need to be eating more potatoes, rice, pasta, peas, cashews and rolled oats — topped off with unripe bananas — if we want to stave off diabetes, cancer and even heart disease. This is the key message from the CSIRO’s new evidence-backed meal plan,... more

24 September 2018

Laziness could be making Australians more likely to suffer from 13 types of cancer, however more evidence is needed to know which diseases physical activity will save us from. A new Melbourne research project is aiming to sort fact from fiction over ... more

20 September 2018

Liberal MPs have forced Health Minister Greg Hunt to commission research on the potential health benefits of e-cigarettes, just six months after a parliamentary inquiry opposed their legalisation. It is understood an “over-whelming majority” of Liber... more

19 September 2018

LNP backbencher Andrew Laming has urged states to refuse to enforce laws against vaping as an “experiment” to force the Federal Government to legalise liquid nicotine. Mr Laming, who has previously called for vaping to be legalised, said one state or... more

19 September 2018

In her weekly health column Jill Margo writes that according to experts Australia is in need of a cultural change in the way Australians passively submit to having a colonoscopy. The piece focuses of the questions Australians should ask of their doct... more

19 September 2018

Aussie scientists have developed a test that reveals your risk of such diseases as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s, in a breakthrough expected to be available to patients as early as next year. The rapid test would even show patients how a month at ... more

18 September 2018

In an opinion piece Caleb Bond writes about the South Australian Health Ministers calls to crack down on smoking laws after the states smoking rate has gone up by 1.6 per cent from last year. The piece focuses on electronic cigarettes as a solution t... more

18 September 2018

In an opinion piece Steven Lewis writes about the issue of healthcare innovations often resulting in debate about whether such innovation really does more good than harm. The piece focuses on how healthy eating and exercise are the keys to preventing... more

17 September 2018

A world-first study has found roundworms can sniff out cancer in patients’ urine with a high degree of accuracy. Queensland University of Technology cancer researcher Derek Richard said Brisbane was chosen for the early-stage study of a Japanese-deve... more

17 September 2018

A daily dose of aspirin could do more harm than good to a healthy adult, a ground-breaking research study has found. A Melbourne-led clinical trial, the biggest of its kind in Australia, found aspirin did not prolong life, ward off disability or prev... more

14 September 2018

Breast, cervical and bowel cancers detected through national screening programs are less likely to cause death than cancers diagnosed in people who have never been screened. According to a landmark analysis from the Australian Institute of Health and... more

14 September 2018

Scientists say they have found a way to help determine whether specific genetic abnormalities are likely to make people sick, a step toward avoiding uncertainty that can surround DNA test results. Researchers used genetic engineering to create tiny v... more

13 September 2018

Cancer patients are having crucial diagnostic testing delayed as a national medical isotope shortage blows out from weeks to months, forcing scientists to battle against time to get the nuclear material from the United States. Hospitals are being for... more

13 September 2018

Australian children diagnosed with cancer and treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy are 50 times more likely to be diagnosed with a secondary therapy-related cancer, Queensland research has revealed. Children’s Health Queensland and Cancer C... more

13 September 2018

A urine test for ovarian cancer that could radically improve survival rates is on the horizon. Scientists at Britain’s University of Hull have discovered a protein present in the tissue of women who have early-stage ovarian cancer when there are no s... more

13 September 2018

In her weekly health column Jill Margo writes that the Asia Pacific Prostate Cancer Conference, held in Brisbane in August was told there is proof of principle that a layer of fat around the gut impacts on prostate cancer. Piece focuses on how a larg... more

11 September 2018

In an opinion piece, Lisa Murphy writes that despite Australians living longer, they are doing so with decreased quality of life as chronic diseases increase. The piece focuses on how half of Australians have at least one chronic disease, such as car... more

10 September 2018

Medicare is at the centre of a gender war and is being accused of sexism for subsidising MRI scans for men with prostate cancer but not for women with breast cancer. Breast MRI scans needed by thousands of women a year can cost between $450 and $1500... more

10 September 2018

Women aged in their 30s who have big waistlines have a much higher risk of getting breast cancer in later life, a South Australian study has found. The Flinders University research has discovered having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more when aged... more

10 September 2018

In an opinion piece Professor Ian Frazer writes that many medical breakthroughs that have changed and saved lives would not have been possible without people, both sick and healthy, generously volunteering their time to participate in clinical trials... more

10 September 2018

Regional and remote communities hundreds of kilometres from medical and mental health services are neglecting their wellbeing as drought tightens its stranglehold, the NSW Country Women’s Association warns. President Annette Turner says the service g... more

07 September 2018

Ex-drinkers and ex-smokers risk blowing a hole in the Federal Budget, as healthier lifestyles siphon “sin taxes’’ from Government coffers. Workers will be slugged with higher taxes over the next decade despite the Federal Government’s recent tax cuts... more

06 September 2018

Australian’s spending on cigarettes is on the rise for the first time in 13 years as tobacco giants turn to social media to bypass bans. Smokers outlaid $15.95 billion for tobacco in 2017-18, up by $180 million on the prior financial year, according ... more

06 September 2018

Research teams will be used to stop prostate cancer rapidly accelerating under a $12 million push by the Federal Government and Movember to combat the disease. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the new funding to establish the Prostate Canc... more

06 September 2018

Adelaide researchers are teaching computers to help doctors find cancer faster. The system uses Artificial Intelligence and is almost twice as fast as existing methods of detecting breast cancer and the results just as accurate. In July, another team... more

06 September 2018

Doctors are warning more than 1.4 billion adults are at risk of deadly disease due to inactivity, with global activity levels virtually unchanged in nearly two decades. A study by the World Health Organisation found a third of women and a quarter of ... more

04 September 2018

Loneliness may cause tumours to grow more rapidly, leading to calls for better social support for patients battling cancer. New Victorian and international research has shown tumours in socially isolated animals grow faster than those surrounded by t... more

03 September 2018

Smokers have been hit with another hefty price hike after the Federal Government jacked up the excise rates on tobacco by 12.5 per cent. Tax on cigarettes increased from 71 cents to 80 cents per stick yesterday, with the average price of a 25-pack ju... more

03 September 2018

Scientists are using artificial intelligence to predict how cancers will progress and evolve, paving the way for more effective treatment. A team has developed a computer-based tool that can pick out patterns in DNA mutation in cancers then use that ... more

03 September 2018

A Canberra school did not reveal concerns about the presence of asbestos in the schoolyard for three days, sparking anger among some parents. An ACT education directorate spokeswoman said garden beds at Harrison School in Gungahlin were tested on Tue... more

03 September 2018

West Australian women are the least likely in the country to exercise regularly, according to a new national health study. The survey found only 64.9 per cent of WA women did at least two hours of moderate physical activity every week, compared with ... more

03 September 2018

Victorian men are leading the way when it comes to sweating it out at the gym, compared with their interstate counterparts. Polling of more than 1000 Australian men reveals that 38 per cent of Victorian men visit the gym at least once a week, compare... more

31 August 2018

A genetic breakthrough could spare thousands of men from needless prostate surgery and radiotherapy. Scientists have discovered a gene that determines whether a prostate tumour is aggressive or relatively harmless, potentially paving the way for a bl... more

31 August 2018

A high proportion of childhood cancers are diagnosed before the disease has spread to other parts of the body, giving these children the best chance of survival, a groundbreaking new database shows. But a child’s chance of survival greatly depends on... more

31 August 2018

People who are diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus – the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach – will most likely die if they don’t undergo surgery. But, at the same time, in about 50 per cent of cases, surgery appears to make the aggress... more

30 August 2018

Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten will today promise to save patients in Perth’s eastern suburbs hundreds of dollars on MRI scans. Mr Shorten will commit Labor to delivering a full, Medicare-funded MRI licence at St John of God Midland Hospital if el... more

30 August 2018

In a common condition called undescended testes that affects about one in 100 baby boys who are born with at least one testicle absent from their scrotum. A new study led by University of Sydney researchers has warned that delaying surgery to fix the... more

29 August 2018

Scientists in the US claim they have found a way to turn the toxic tumour treatment, mainly given as an injection in the arm, into something patients can drink instead. It could mean patients, who often need to attend hospital daily for a week for ch... more

28 August 2018

A new blood test may make diagnosing cancer as simple as a pregnancy test, providing the chance to detect dangerous diseases much sooner and while they can be easily treated. The revolutionary blood test being developed by Australian scientists has b... more

27 August 2018

Fresh questions about the safety of vaping were raised last night after research showed e-cigarette users are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as non-smokers. The study of nearly 70,000 people linked e-cigarettes to an increased heart attack ... more

27 August 2018

The Tasmanian smoking rate has failed to decline since 2010, in contrast to the rest of Australia. Between 2010 and 2016 the amount of people aged 14 and over lighting up daily fell in every state and territory except Tasmania, which remained at 16 p... more

27 August 2018

South Australians, especially women, are being urged to check their vitamin D levels following a record-breaking sunshine slump in the lead-up to winter. The state’s chief public health officer, Professor Paddy Phillips, said national research showed... more

27 August 2018

Reducing air pollution would save more lives than cures for breast and lung cancer combined, scientists say. Sooty particles from diesel cars and factories are killing about seven million people around the world every year, according to World Health ... more

27 August 2018

Sedentary lifestyles are costing millions of dollars each year as more than half of all Queenslanders don’t know how much physical activity they need to stay healthy, experts have warned. Inactive lifestyles results in more than 20,000 hospitalisatio... more

27 August 2018

Drinking alcoholic beverages is linked to about 2.8 million deaths each year, say researchers who concluded there is no safe level of alcohol use. The chemical in beer, wine and hard liquor is associated with nearly one in 10 deaths in people aged 15... more

27 August 2018

A Fairfax investigation has found that a doctor-led charity leading the fight to legalise the vaping of nicotine and giving the impression it is free of industry ties had accepted initial funding from e-cigarette businesses. The Australian Tobacco Ha... more

24 August 2018

Drinking regularly as a teenage boy triples the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer decades later, research suggests. Those who have at least seven drinks a week between the ages of 15 and 19 are three times as likely to get the disease in ... more

23 August 2018

The Federal Government is refusing to tighten controls over deadly asbestos, claiming it would cost companies too much to test imported goods. Asbestos has been found in children’s crayons, quad bikes and even the Queensland Government’s “Tower of Po... more

22 August 2018

Smoking e-cigarettes damages DNA in the mouth and may increase the risk of cancer, scientists have warned. Supporters of vaping claim it is a way for smokers to quit and it is also a “lesser evil” than conventional cigarettes. But new research sugges... more

22 August 2018

In an opinion piece Jan Davis writes that the fears about the Herbicide glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, are not based on science. The piece focuses on the evidence surrounding glyphosate as a cancer risk and the benefits of glyphosate for agri... more

20 August 2018

Councils and the Environment Department could be exposed to major lawsuits if workers get sick, in the wake of a landmark US trial involving Australia's most popular weed-killer, a law firm has warned. But a ban would have a "catastrophic impact" on ... more

20 August 2018

A breakthrough discovery by British scientists has paved the way for a pill to make cancer more sensitive to radiotherapy. Researchers based at the Francis Crick Institute in London and Oxford University are developing a drug that blocks the ability ... more

20 August 2018

Widespread confusion about cancer symptoms is leading to delayed diagnoses and irregular self-examinations. One in two people will be diagnosed with cancer. However, 42 per cent are confused about what to check for when it comes to common cancers suc... more

20 August 2018

E-cigarettes are winning major support from official and political organisations, including the Liberal Party of Western Australia, CSIRO and a British parliamentary committee that yesterday endorsed their use as a quit-smoking aid. The British repor... more

20 August 2018

Students at a Melbourne TAFE college feared for their health after learning a room they used every day for years contained exposed asbestos. The discovery was made in a furniture spray booth at the Box Hill Institute in mid-July, yet students were no... more

20 August 2018

Torrens Rd at Brompton was closed to busy peak-hour traffic for more than an hour and a half on Friday after a truck lost a load of asbestos.Police patrols and MFS crews were dispatched to the scene after asbestos fell from a truck and sprawled acros... more

20 August 2018

A new plaque has been unveiled in West Perth’s Solidarity Park to the Wittenoom victims of asbestos-related disease. Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia chief operating officer Melita Markey said her organisation had lobbied for decades for such r... more

20 August 2018

Vaping rules in the UK should be relaxed to allow the promotion of e-cigarettes to help tobacco smokers quit, British politicians say. That could include prescribing medically licensed e-cigarettes. Herald Sun, 19/08/2018, Page 34; Hobart Mercury, 1... more

20 August 2018

Claire Harvey writes that Aretha Franklin was fighting pancreatic cancer – which Claire describes as the most frightening cancer. Pancreatic cancer kills about 3000 Australians a year — approximately double the national road toll. Claire compares res... more

20 August 2018

Queensland women are almost 23 per cent more likely to be alive five years after a breast cancer diagnosis today than they were in the 1980s, new figures show. Cancer Council Queensland has released the new figures in the lead up to Daffodil Day on F... more

20 August 2018

Around 1200 lung cancer patients are expected to be efit when the price of cancer immunotherapy Keytruda is slashed from $150,000 a year to just $39 a month after an expert committee approved a government subsidy. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory... more

20 August 2018

Research has uncovered a surprising factor that protects elephants against cancer: a gene that had gone dormant in their mammalian ancestors, but got turned back on as their evolving bodies grew ever bigger. Scientists call it a ‘‘zombie gene’’ – ‘‘a... more

20 August 2018

Australian blood cancer patients will have access to a suite of new experimental drug trials - aiming to prevent the devastating and often fatal side effects of a bone-marrow transplant - as part of a $1 million research project. Stem cell transplant... more

20 August 2018

Positive traces of asbestos have been detected at the Collegians football field in Warwick, where hundreds of young children from across the district have played and trained this year. Collegians Junior Rugby League Club was notified on Tuesday of po... more

17 August 2018

This week's update from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports on the latest stats on drug, tobacco and alcohol use in Australia. The AIHW report, based on national surveys, shows people living in remote and very remote areas are like... more

17 August 2018

Australian cancer patients are being forced to wait up to 18 months for affordable access to life-saving cancer drugs because the regulatory system has not kept pace with advancement in immuno-oncology treatments. Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers S... more

16 August 2018

Air quality inside Sydney bars and clubs has been found to be dangerously choked with second-hand smoke at levels more than double the safe amount. Cancer Council NSW has found air quality is alarmingly poor in designated smoking areas of nightspots ... more

16 August 2018

It is well known that eating your greens can help to prevent bowel cancer, but now scientists have zeroed in on exactly why they’re protective. Experts have revealed how a substance found in kale, cabbage and broccoli — called indole-3-carbinol or I3... more

15 August 2018

A robot surgery academy will be built in the Parkville medical precinct to train Australian and international specialists in the revolutionary new medical tools. With medical robots increasingly taking over some forms of delicate surgery, the world-l... more

15 August 2018

The Australian-first “Optimal Care Pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer” includes a detailed series of printed resources to be distributed throughout the health system aimed at practitioners and patients. It works from... more

15 August 2018

The perception that e-cigarettes are safe should be treated with caution, scientists have said as new research suggests vapour could harm lung cells. A study, published in the journal Thorax, found vapour may cause inflammation and impair the activit... more

15 August 2018

A private member’s bill could clear the way for assisted dying to be legalised across Australia as it looks set to gain a majority vote. If passed, the bill, which was introduced by Liberal Democratic Party senator David Leyonhjelm, would allow the A... more

14 August 2018

Deadly asbestos-related illnesses are likely going undiagnosed in the Northern Territory despite the widespread use of the cancer-causing material, the Asbestos Disease Support Society has warned. ADSS QLD/NT chairman Andrew Ramsay said there was off... more

14 August 2018

A key ingredient in a weedkiller linked to cancer has also been found in loaves of bread and cereal such as Corn Flakes. Official research in the UK found traces of glyphosate — the alleged cancer-causing substance in the weedkiller — have been found... more

13 August 2018

Indigenous breast cancer survivors will be approached for their views on initiatives aimed at improving the lives of women with the disease. The Federal Government is giving $430,000 to Breast Cancer Network Australia to continue a program that allow... more

13 August 2018

A revolutionary new blood test promises to spare men with prostate cancer from months of gruelling chemotherapy. Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London have used the new test to analyse tumours in greater detail than ever before by ... more

13 August 2018

Australian researchers are calling for a radical overhaul of cancer diagnoses to reduce harmful overtreatment. Dropping the ‘‘cancer’’ label from low-risk conditions including localised prostate and ‘‘stage 0’’ breast cancers could protect many patie... more

13 August 2018

South Australian medical researchers will receive an $11million funding boost that will safeguard the development of breakthrough treatments for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The Federal Government today will announce grants for 23 projects acr... more

13 August 2018

Doctors have found one of the deadliest poisons arsenic can also be used as a drug to kill cancer. The discovery was made after studies showed lower breast cancer rates in areas where arsenic was present in drinking water. Now researchers say that wh... more

13 August 2018

Thousands of tonnes of deadly asbestos-contaminated soil are missing, believed to have been illegally dumped at an unknown location. A government agency raised the alarm after it discovered fake waste depot invoices supplied by a contractor hired to ... more

13 August 2018

A California jury ordered chemical giant Monsanto to pay nearly $290 million for failing to warn a dying groundskeeper that its weed killer Roundup might cause cancer. Jurors unanimously found Monsanto, which vowed to appeal, acted with “malice” and ... more

13 August 2018

A new cancer alliance is launching this week to get a fairer deal for the many cancer sufferers who are missing out on new, lifesaving drugs because they can’t afford them. The National Oncology Alliance, made up of clinicians, patients and pharmaceu... more

10 August 2018

A Federal crackdown on the tobacco black market is set to save the Commonwealth $3 billion. The government will now tax tobacco when it is imported into the country rather than when it leaves a warehouse for sale. A quarter of the illegal tobacco sol... more

10 August 2018

Sperm dysfunction and prostate cancer are the focus of two men’s health studies that have received $1.3 million in Federal Government grants. Monash University’s Professor Melissa Southey is investigating managing prostate and breast cancer using pre... more

08 August 2018

People with pancreatic cancer could soon be diagnosed earlier with a breathalyser. The disease is often diagnosed at a late stage as it doesn’t tend to cause symptoms early on. But a new study in the British Journal of Surgery suggests people with th... more

07 August 2018

The expanding waistlines of our children are costing Australian taxpayers $43.2 million a year — not including hospital care, a study says. Researchers at Monash University have for the first time calculated the cost of the obesity epidemic among our... more

06 August 2018

The new $220 million National Cancer Screening Register for cervical cancer is putting lives at risk because it is much slower than the old system at matching test results with women’s medical histories. The NCSR was launched in December 2017, replac... more

06 August 2018

New, evidence-based Australian research confirms that older adults who exercise regularly have a reduced risk of developing chronic disease compared with those who do not exercise. Those who trained like athletes – exercising well above levels recomm... more

06 August 2018

Children are still being bombarded with junk food advertising and the food and beverage sector needs to be subjected to the same strict guidelines in place for the tobacco industry. That is the opinion of leading consumer organisation Choice, which c... more

06 August 2018

The prospect of a vaccine to stop you getting fat is drawing closer after scientists found compelling evidence linking obesity to an infectious virus. Adenovirus-36 is found four times more often among the obese than in patients of a healthy weight. ... more

06 August 2018

Rare cancer cases linked to breast implants will soon be tracked as health ministers move to get every breast implant recorded on a national register. Health Minister Greg Hunt secured the support of state health ministers at a meeting in Darwin last... more

03 August 2018

Computers will be pitted against Melbourne skin cancer specialists in a promising sign artificial intelligence will soon be able to more quickly and accurately diagnose melanomas. The world-first Monash University study will see artificial intelligen... more

02 August 2018

National health data released today shows about 40 percent of deaths in Australia in the past five years could be traced to six causes – heart attacks, dementia, lung cancer, strokes, lung disease and diabetes. The top causes of death are largely the... more

02 August 2018

A new type of drug that puts cancer cells to an eternal “sleep” without the toxic side effects of traditional treatment has been developed by Melbourne researchers. The discovery, the result of a decade of work by several Victorian medical research i... more

01 August 2018

Sunscreen that is SPF50 offers only marginally better protection than SPF30+, the Cancer Council Queensland has warned. The misconception that there is almost double the block from the higher sun protection factor is putting Queenslanders at risk. Th... more

01 August 2018

In an opinion piece Jan Davis writes that Australian children are exposed to unhealthy food marketing every day, due to the lack of regulation on junk-food advertising. The piece focuses on the Obesity Policy Coalition proposal to introduce mandatory... more

31 July 2018

South Australian researchers engineering immune systems to fight cancers, such as brain and ovarian cancer, have received $2.08 million from the Federal Government. The research investigates the use of CAR-T cell therapy to combat solid cancers and e... more

30 July 2018

Emergency room visits for sunburn have doubled in Queensland as experts worry complacency during the winter months could add to the state’s melanoma crisis. More than 350 people suffered sunburn that was so severe they needed medical treatment in 201... more

30 July 2018

Australia is missing a big opportunity by ignoring the potential for Medicare data and machine learning to transform diagnosis and treatment of common diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, melanoma and oesophageal cancer, says venture capitalist... more

30 July 2018

A NSW scientist is trying to develop a new blood test that would help detect ovarian cancer early. UNSW School of Women’s and Children’s Health’s Dr Kristina Warton is investigating the test, which would be able to identify ovarian cancer based on DN... more

30 July 2018

Adelaide researchers are looking for new ways to treat a life-threatening form of leukaemia that predominantly affects older people. Thanks to a $480,000 research grant based at Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Cancer Council Early Researche... more

30 July 2018

An international group of researchers has taken a major step forward in the development of an artificial ovary to grow immature eggs, with the aim of helping women have their own children after cancer treatment. Researchers want to create a scaffold ... more

30 July 2018

In an opinion piece Katie Bice writes that the Obesity Policy Coalition’s calls for an end to junk food sponsorships of junior sports will result in some children being denied access to sport. The piece focuses on the need to encourage all kids to pl... more

27 July 2018

Australians with head and neck cancer will from next week have affordable access to an immunooncology drug, which up until now has cost about $100,000 for the treatment. The drug, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo, will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Be... more

27 July 2018

In an opinion piece Colin Mendelsohn writes that he believes the Eliminate Cancer Initiative that was established to reduce cancer, will increase cancer rates due to their opposition to e-cigarettes. The piece focuses on the use of e-cigarettes in sm... more

27 July 2018

The US Food and Drug Administration appears committed to the idea of introducing a rule to set a maximum nicotine level for cigarettes, a level so low that cigarettes become minimally addictive or even non-addictive. If this plan for nicotine-reduced... more

26 July 2018

Artificial intelligence could be used to better help determine the best treatment for cancer patients in as little as two years. Scientific lead of the Artificial Intelligence and Genomics to Predict Cancer Treatment Project Dr Nic Wadell said AI wou... more

26 July 2018

Chemotherapy can now be turbo-boosted to fight the most common type of lung cancer, while also preventing damage in the kidneys. Scientists hope to also boost the lifespan of other mainstay anti-cancer drugs, allowing more patients to be treated more... more

25 July 2018

In an opinion piece Dr Sarah White writes that clinical trials have shown that combining behaviour-change coaching provided by Quitline with nicotine replacement therapy or a stop-smoking drug significantly increases successful quitting. Despite this... more

25 July 2018

Prostate cancer patients are currently at the centre of a dispute between urological surgeons and radiation oncologists. Most of these men have potentially curable cancer but the dispute is about how they can best get information about the two curati... more

25 July 2018

Hundreds of young Australians with rare and aggressive forms of cancer have been given a second chance at remission thanks to a new drug trial. Health Minister Greg Hunt will today announce $3.6 million in funding for the trial, which will give 260 p... more

25 July 2018

The anti-vaccination lobby is under fire for promoting a controversial “documentary” which challenges the science behind the Gardasil vaccine. The film, Sacrificial Virgins, is set to screen at seven locations in Australia next month. Sacrificial Vir... more

24 July 2018

Melbourne scientists have found a possible treatment for prostate cancer as a result of their breakthrough discovery of how to grow and sustain tumours in the laboratory. A team from Monash University and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has now been ab... more

24 July 2018

Kangaroo Island’s Ligurian bees are now proving to be valuable to cancer research. Researchers have discovered the bees’ propolis – a resinous mixture they produce – has certain compounds which could be beneficial for cancer treatments and which are ... more

24 July 2018

The end of junk food sponsorship of junior sports is one of several measures being called for by the Obesity Policy Coalition in its new report slamming the industry’s self-regulation process. While national advertising codes introduced in 2011 dicta... more

23 July 2018

Australian Border Force officials have smashed an alleged Chinese syndicate smuggling tobacco and cigarettes into Australia hidden in children’s toys. A Sydney man, who police allege was using his position as a delivery driver to assist the criminal ... more

23 July 2018

Cancer patients who use complementary therapy such as herbal treatments, traditional Chinese medicine, tai chi, acupuncture, yoga or homoeopathy are more likely to refuse conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy and suffer ... more

20 July 2018

Pregnant women who resort to e-cigarettes or nicotine patches to avoid smoking may increase the risk of their newborns becoming cot-death victims. Any kind of nicotine exposure during pregnancy, whether from smoking, vaping or skin patches, heightens... more

20 July 2018

Smokers who quit today will take 40 years to drop down to the same risk of lung cancer as those who never smoked, according to a new Australian study. A smokers’ risk of lung cancer halves with every 10 years since quitting. In addition, the evidence... more

20 July 2018

Diabetes significantly raises the risk of developing cancer, according to a global review involving 20 million people. The review, led by Australian researchers, firmly establishes the link between both kinds of diabetes and cancer. Published in the ... more

19 July 2018

Eating dinner before 9pm could cut people’s risk of breast and prostate cancer by a fifth. Sitting down to an evening meal at least two hours before going to bed reduces the chances of getting both cancers, a study of more than 4000 people suggests. ... more

18 July 2018

The world’s first blood test capable of detecting melanoma in its early stages has been developed in Western Australia, adding another tool to detecting a cancer that kills 1500 Australians each year. In findings published today in medical journal On... more

18 July 2018

A new molecule designed at Adelaide University could eventually end the need for chemotherapy in treating prostate, breast and lung cancers, researchers say. The molecule targets a protein that plays a major role in the growth of most cancers.   Ad... more

18 July 2018

Patients battling the most aggressive and deadly cancers will have the DNA of their cancer cells studied to pinpoint the exact medication they need to beat the disease. The genomic sequencing treatment ensures doctors tailor the treatment to individu... more

17 July 2018

Smokers could cost the Australian economy a staggering $388 billion over the course of the Australian population’s working lives. Research released today shows the indirect costs of smoking, including lost time due to smoke breaks, second- hand smoke... more

17 July 2018

Researchers tested the machine against a group of radiologists and doctors and it came out on top, with almost 100 percent accuracy. The “deep learning” technology now being used for medical images was developed for applications including driverless ... more

17 July 2018

The causes of a possible “cancer cluster” around a phone tower at Oaklands Park should be the subject of a State Government investigation, Marion councillors say. The council has written to Health Minister Stephen Wade, asking him to look into the he... more

17 July 2018

In an opinion piece Kylie Lang writes that the governments vaccination laws should exclude unvaccinated children from attending school and instead be home-schooled. The piece focuses on the medical guidelines for vaccination and the issues surroundin... more

17 July 2018

In an opinion piece Ben Grubb writes that he will be opting out of the Federal Government My Health Record. The piece focuses on the security of the My Health Record and the opt-out option. Ben Grubb is a former Herald technology editor. Age, 17/07/... more

16 July 2018

A cancer drug that treats an aggressive form of lymphoma will be subsidised from next month, making it affordable for hundreds of patients. The drug Imbruvica is used to treat mantle cell lymphoma in cases when there is a relapse after chemotherapy. ... more

16 July 2018

Today, Health Minister Greg Hunt, will announce a $250 million package to subsidise four life-changing cancer medicines, in what is believed to be the first consumer instigated drug listing in Australia. The decision will save thousands of patients u... more

16 July 2018

Children with the worst types of brain cancer will receive new life-saving drugs and ground-breaking genetic testing as part of a $5 million boost from the federal government. More than 50 children across Australia with high-risk brain tumours will g... more

16 July 2018

Queensland researchers in a world first, have just published a high-level comparison of traditional open surgery and robotic surgery. Published in the Lancet Oncology, it found that over two years both forms of surgery produced equivalent results for... more

16 July 2018

Researchers have worked out how much we should reduce our alcohol and tobacco intakes to cut cancer deaths. They found that if alcohol consumption in Australia was slashed by three litres a year per capita, 5000 cancer deaths would be prevented over ... more

16 July 2018

A new prostate cancer drug that has been found to dramatically extend the lives of men with the disease has been fast-tracked onto the Australian market. Studies found Erlyand delays prostate cancer from spreading by more than three years after surge... more

16 July 2018

Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay more than $6 billion to women who claimed asbestos in the company’s talc products caused them to develop ovarian cancer. It marks the sixth-biggest product-defect verdict in US history. Overnight Thursday... more

16 July 2018

West Australians will know exactly how many kilojoules they are consuming when they eat their favourite fast foods under a new plan for mandatory nutritional menu labelling. WA is one of the last States not to force fast-food chains to display energy... more

16 July 2018

A minimum floor price on alcohol would be one of the best ways to curb alcohol-related harm, according to health experts, as pressure ramps up on the State Government to introduce the measure. In a submission to the National Alcohol Strategy, the Pri... more

16 July 2018

Expectant mothers and people suffering from chronic pain will have to fork out hundreds of dollars more in premiums for “gold” private health cover under the new tiered private healthcare reforms. After months of consultations, Health Minister Greg H... more

16 July 2018

This week Wounds Australia is calling on the federal government to adopt its five-pronged strategy to improve the treatment of chronic wounds and reduce the financial costs, which it estimates at about $3 billion a year in hospital and residential ca... more

13 July 2018

A new blood test means doctors may be a step closer to finding out which of their patients are likely to develop lung cancer. Scientists from the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer in France developed the test and... more

13 July 2018

The decommissioning of manufacturing plants and coal-fired power stations has sent demand soaring for asbestos removal services. "There's a fair bit going on," says John Flavel, the national asbestos manager for McMahon Services, the country's larges... more

13 July 2018

Australian shoppers would see a confronting 16 teaspoons of sugar on the label of a 600-millilitre Coca-Cola bottle if the federal government adopted one of the more contentious options in its new sugar-labelling paper. The government has released a ... more

11 July 2018

Microbubbles loaded with drugs could revolutionise the treatment of cancer. Scientists at Oxford University found the technique increased the power of chemotherapy ten-fold and significantly reduced side effects. The research was published in the Lan... more

10 July 2018

Young people can feel isolated when living with a family member who has cancer and are often forgotten by the health system, support group CanTeen says. Dr Pandora Patterson from CanTeen said the paediatric and adult health system was not geared to r... more

10 July 2018

Ten thousand South Australian women will receive personal video invitations on their mobile phones to have their breasts checked. General manager of BreastScreen SA (BSSA), Jane Burden, said the women would receive a personal message from Seven News’... more

09 July 2018

Two years since smoking was outlawed in outdoor dining areas across the state, local authorities have not issued a single fine for flouting the ban. SA Police last week confirmed they had not issued any fines across the Burnside and Norwood, Payneham... more

09 July 2018

Most smokers know their habit is damaging their lungs, hearts and throats, but don’t realise that smoking increases the risk of serious health problems, from type 2 diabetes and leukaemia to infertility and rheumatoid arthritis. New research by Cance... more

09 July 2018

Australian anti-sunbed campaigner and melanoma survivor Jay Allen is taking his message to Britain. Melanoma UK has enlisted Mr Allen to share his story in the hope the UK will follow Australia’s lead in banning sunbeds. Sunbeds were banned in Austra... more

09 July 2018

Beach lifestyles and working in the great outdoors increase the risk of skin cancer by up to 31 per cent compared with city living, a University of South Australia study indicates. The first study to systematically document non-melanoma skin cancers ... more

09 July 2018

Targeting breast cancer screening at the women most at risk would lead to more deaths every year, a report says. The UK study shows that scrapping screening for low-risk women would cut “over-diagnosis” by 27 per cent but increase deaths by 3 per cen... more

09 July 2018

Blasting away prostate cancer with ultrasound is as successful as more gruelling treatment but a lower risk of side-effects, a study suggests. Though survival rates for the most common type of male cancer are high, some patients suffer distressing an... more

09 July 2018

Tiny particles invisible to the human eye, and packed with layers of different drugs, are being developed as the next innovative way of delivering drugs and treating cancers in hard-to-reach places. The revolutionary research of nanoparticle layering... more

09 July 2018

An Australian medical breakthrough offers liver cancer sufferers hope for a more effective treatment for the killer disease in its early stages. Centenary Institute scientists have successfully created a model of primary liver cancer which places med... more

06 July 2018

A technique for better detecting melanoma is being developed by a small firm in Melbourne. Geneseq Biosciences has received local and international attention for its non-invasive test and is preparing for a big clinical trial. The test, called Melase... more

06 July 2018

Soft drinks would be slugged with a 20 per cent tax and fast-food companies wouldn’t be able to advertise on TV until 9.30pm under recommendations put to the government by some of the country’s leading nutrition experts. The Centre of Research Excell... more

06 July 2018

In an opinion piece David Crowe writes that local campaigns about local hospitals are shaping up to be vital issues in upcoming by-elections. The piece focuses on the current issues within the Australian health system, including patients having to tr... more

04 July 2018

Children with a form of deadly brain cancer that typically kills within nine months will no longer have to resort to dangerous and unauthorised medications overseas with a game-changing drug trial set to begin in Sydney. A new international clinical ... more

04 July 2018

An “immuno revolution” of cancer therapy is upon us, surging ahead now that the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended approval of a ground-breaking personalised cellular therapy for two common bloo... more

04 July 2018

The ACT government has promised to scrap the chemotherapy co-payment for ACT cancer patients who are ‘‘unfairly’’ slugged when receiving public treatment. The government is set to announce it will start paying the co-payment on behalf of patients by ... more

04 July 2018

New research shows coffee may boost chances for a longer life, even for those who down at least eight cups daily. In a study of nearly half a million British adults, coffee drinkers had a lower risk of death over 10 years than abstainers. The apparen... more

04 July 2018

Australian researchers have uncovered a disturbing link between prostate cancer and suicide. Two studies published this week have shown the risk of suicide is so significant that doctors need to be mindful of it when making a diagnosis and should fla... more

04 July 2018

Demonstrating a remarkable level of professional support for medicinal cannabis, most Australian general practitioners say they are either in favour of its use or remain neutral on the subject, according to a survey published today in the BMJ Open on... more

03 July 2018

Women unable to bear children have been given new hope after Danish scientists created an artificial ovary. A synthetic organ, made out of a woman’s own tissue, could be transplanted into a female left infertile due to medical treatment, allowing her... more

03 July 2018

Australian researchers have discovered a new gene that could lead to treatments for cancer, arthritis and influenza. The gene, called C6, plays a critical role in regulating the body’s immune response to infection and disease and it could help scient... more

02 July 2018

Australian researchers have shown that quick "spot welding" can save some men from two years of the challenging hormone therapy that is standard treatment for advanced prostate cancer. They say each spot takes about an hour to treat and can be done d... more

02 July 2018

The Ainslie shops will likely return to normal this weekend after being cleared of Mr Fluffy loose fill asbestos, although the building could still be demolished in as soon as five years. Canberra Times, 30 June 2018, Page 3

02 July 2018

The Australian focuses on e-cigarettes in their “cut and paste” column, summarising a range of quotes and articles from the past few years. The sub-header reads “The crusade against Big Tobacco continues regardless of the cost to those who want to qu... more

02 July 2018

Exercise is being prescribed to beat cancer with new research showing patients who work up a sweat are able to endure more treatments and boost their chances of survival. The innovative treatment is being used at a cancer clinic in southwest Sydney w... more

02 July 2018

The World Trade Organisation has ruled that Australia’s plain tobacco packaging laws do not breach international rules. Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia and Cuba brought a case against Australia’s policy, but the WTO ruled plain packaging ... more

02 July 2018

Anson Cameron writes about his personal experience receiving a positive bowel cancer screening test. His colonoscopy resulted in the removal of pre-cancerous polyps and he encourages others to do the test. The Saturday Age, 30 July 2018, Page 3 (onl... more

02 July 2018

The manufacturers of breast implants linked to a rare cancer are paying surgeons more than $140 million in royalties, speaking, research and consultancy fees each year. And there are fears the payments could compromise the advice doctors provide to p... more

02 July 2018

From Sunday, a new $400 Medicare rebate will be offered for prostate MRI scans, bringing it within grasp of the 20,000 Australian men who are diagnosed each year but cannot afford the option. The rebate means men can have an MRI scan (about $600) fir... more

02 July 2018

A new report from the Minderoo Foundation has sounded the alarm bell on e-cigarettes, warning they are being used by Big Tobacco to hook children on smoking and could erode the massive gains in the fight against deadly cigarettes. The report comes am... more

02 July 2018

More than 3000 breast cancer patients will get access to cheaper medication after the cost of a lifechanging drug was slashed. The federal government has listed ribociclib (brand name Kisqali) on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The drug, in combi... more

02 July 2018

The Courier Mail reports that an extract from soya beans is being hailed as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy for combating hot flushes. They say that for years, women have avoided HRT due to fears about breast and womb cancer. The substi... more

02 July 2018

Melbourne scientists have discovered a gene that helps our body fight off infections, which could help develop new ways to tackle autoimmune diseases, influenza and some cancers. But the gene needs a name. It’s currently called C6orf106 or C6, which ... more

02 July 2018

In an editorial piece, Deborah Sims, an Executive within the Institute for Public Affairs recounts her own personal experience accessing life-saving cancer drugs. She is now campaigning for terminally ill patients to have access to the latest drugs, ... more

29 June 2018

Tokyo’s city government Wednesday passed strict new anti-smoking rules ahead of the 2020 Olympics, leapfrogging national legislation on lighting up that has been watered down after opposition from pro-smoking MPs. Japan has long been an outlier in th... more

29 June 2018

A major pharmaceutical company has announced success in clinical trials for one of its ovarian cancer drugs. Drug giant AstraZeneca said it found its Lynparza drug significantly delays disease progression when tested on those with an inherited gene c... more

29 June 2018

The Blue Mountains council will be scrutinised after the state government announced a public inquiry into the council’s alleged mishandling of an asbestos crisis. NSW Local Government Minister Gabrielle Upton said on Wednesday the independent inquiry... more

29 June 2018

Cartoon characters are proving way too sweet for Australian children. An Obesity Policy Coalition analysis of foods targeted towards children through the use of cartoon characters reveals massive amounts of sugar, despite guidelines supposed to preve... more

28 June 2018

A decade ago the price of a packet of 30 cigarettes was $13.50, today the same pack will cost you $40.50 – but if health advocates had their way, you would be coughing up even more. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the price of tobacco has ... more

27 June 2018

Widespread access to cancer wonder drugs could be fast tracked. As a result, the lives of about 10,000 Australians a year could also be extended or saved under a proposal to make breakthrough medicines – the $150,000-a-year Keytruda and Opdivo – more... more

27 June 2018

A sensor that can diagnose ovarian cancer in minutes using a single spot of blood has been developed by researchers in the UK. The test, which is known as an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy sensor, identifies markers associated with the early ... more

27 June 2018

In an opinion piece Penny Egan writes that funding in health prevention continues to be low, despite being one of the most cost-effective ways to maintain the health of the population. The piece focuses on the need for the government to invest in pre... more

26 June 2018

Counting drinks helps people cut their alcohol use but adding ice to drinks and having a designated driver can make them drink more, according to a Perth study. Curtin University-led research tracked Australian adult drinkers over four weeks to see w... more

26 June 2018

Health experts have overwhelmingly given the soft drink industry’s plan to slash sugar by 20 per cent the thumbs down, with key figures labelling it a ‘‘scam’’, ‘‘window dressing’’ and ‘‘smoke and mirrors’’. The Australian Beverages Council, flanked ... more

25 June 2018

Australia’s first medical cannabis clinic is set to open in Melbourne later this year with the blessing of the state and federal governments. Offering treatments for adults and children, CannaLife intends to open a further nine medicinal centres next... more

25 June 2018

Australian scientists discovered a new weapon in the fight against cancers. Sydney’s Children’s Medical Research Institute and Perth’s Harry Perkins Institute have found a way to block the uncontrolled growth that occurs with most cancers. Human tria... more

25 June 2018

Research into rare diseases such as brain and ovarian cancer will receive a much needed boost with the Turnbull Government injection millions of dollars into medical research. About $33 million in government funding will be provided to Australia’s be... more

25 June 2018

Women who are underweight as teenagers are more than four times more likely to develop breast cancer before the menopause than those who are obese, a British study has found. Women with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.5 between the ages of 18... more

25 June 2018

About 200,000 people have dropped the kilos — going from overweight into a healthy weight range — as Australia shows signs it is starting to win the battle with the killer bulge. The nation’s proportion of people considered overweight or obese fell f... more

25 June 2018

Simply following a healthy “balanced” diet has the capacity to cut the risk of cancer deaths by 65 per cent. The discovery of the diet — which simply uses a variety of fruit and vegetables, grains, proteins and dairy — even alarmed the US authors of ... more

22 June 2018

Children may no longer be left deaf as a result of lifesaving chemotherapy following a breakthrough that can protect them from the side effect. An international trial involving the University of Melbourne and the Royal Children’s Hospital has discove... more

22 June 2018

In his weekly health column Sean Parnell writes about the recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report; Australia’s Health 2018. The piece focuses on the current state of Australia’s health, including life expectancy, smoking and alcohol ... more

21 June 2018

Cancer patients are up to 4½ times more likely than the general population to commit suicide after diagnosis, researchers said. Researchers studied more than four million cancer patients from between 1995 and 2015, and identified more than 2000 who c... more

21 June 2018

For those who like to relax with an occasional glass of wine, it’s good news – drinking in moderation may help you to live longer. Researchers from Queens University in Belfast found that people who have one 175ml glass of wine a day are less likely ... more

21 June 2018

Australians with stage-three melanoma can now access a drug that reduces the risk of the cancer returning but they will be hit with a $100,000 charge unless the federal government subsidises the treatment. Drug company Bristol-Myers Squibb will annou... more

20 June 2018

In an opinion piece Marg Wenham writes about the ever increasing out of pocket costs for Australians receiving medical care in both the public and private sectors. The piece focuses recent research into out of pocket costs, the ongoing ministerial co... more

20 June 2018

A discovery by Monash University’s Biomedical Discovery Institute sheds light on why people lose their ability to fight infections as they age and may pave the way for a promising new form of cancer treatment to one day be tailored to a patient’s age... more

20 June 2018

Scientists are developing healthier white bread to try to improve people’s wellbeing. White loaves usually contain a type of starch that is digested too quickly, leading to spikes in blood sugar. Researchers at Britain’s Quadram Institute hope to cre... more

20 June 2018

Australians are now among the world’s worst for obesity, the latest biennial report card on the nation’s health has revealed. More than 70 per cent of Australian men are now considered overweight or obese. Women fare somewhat better with a rate of 56... more

20 June 2018

The ACT has among the highest rate of mesothelioma in Australia, a report has revealed. The figures come after an Australian National University report last year proved a link between living in a house with loose-fill ‘‘Mr Fluffy’’ asbestos and devel... more

20 June 2018

A report released on Wednesday from the Breast Cancer Network Australia has revealed gaps in the territory’s treatment for women with breast cancer. The report showed thousands of Australians are missing out on quality care and facing huge out-of-poc... more

19 June 2018

Most Australians want electronic cigarettes legalised, according to a survey by the nation’s peak retail body, but government and anti-smoking advocates maintain the devices might pose health risks. Adults surveyed were more convinced they were a les... more

19 June 2018

An international study led by Queensland researchers has identified a dozen new genes that influence a person’s risk of developing breast cancer, using a new method they hope will lead to more drugs to treat or prevent disease. The study, led by QIMR... more

18 June 2018

In an opinion piece, Penny Egan writes that, more Tasmanians need to participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. The piece focuses on the need for Australians to include participating in screening as a part of leading a cancer-smart l... more

18 June 2018

The word “women” has been cut from a UK pap smear test campaign to avoid excluding transgender men. Cancer Research UK had been urging women aged between 25 and 64 to get screened. But it will now target “everyone with a cervix”. The charity’s move a... more

18 June 2018

Taking vitamin D could help ward off bowel cancer, a major international study has found. Researchers, led by Harvard University in the US, have found what they claim is the first strong evidence that vitamin D can protect against the disease. They s... more

18 June 2018

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer can be life-saving, but success often comes at the cost of quality of life — and physique. Side effects of treatment, which works by suppressing the production of testosterone, can include rapid weight gain and los... more

18 June 2018

California officials have bucked a recent court ruling and offered reassurance to coffee drinkers that their fix won’t give them cancer. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has proposed a regulation to essentially clear coffee of the... more

18 June 2018

A genetic test could help doctors identify prostate cancer patients who may benefit from immunotherapy. Scientists found tumours in men with an advanced form of the disease had a distinctive pattern of genetic changes. The biological features of the ... more

14 June 2018

In an opinion piece Graeme Lynch writes that e-cigarettes are just another product on the market that effectively serves to boost tobacco companies’ business model. The piece focuses on the issues with e-cigarettes including, the lack of clear resear... more

14 June 2018

Endoscopies to check for ulcers and bowel cancer are the most common reason for men to be admitted to one of WA’s biggest private hospital groups. Data released by St John of God Health Care as part of Men’s Health Week shows that gastroscopies and c... more

13 June 2018

Men with prostate cancer should be routinely referred to both a surgeon and a radiation oncologist so they are fully informed of all treatment options, the peak body for radiation oncologists says. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radi... more

13 June 2018

Soaring wait times for crucial colonoscopy procedures are putting lives at risk in Queensland, as patients are being forced to wait 154 days for life-saving diagnoses. New data from Bowel Cancer Australia shows wait times have increased by two weeks ... more

13 June 2018

Almost 3000 women who have surgery for early breast cancer this year will likely face the trauma of repeat surgery within three months, according to big data used in a new Australian study. Women who have breast conserving surgery that is unsuccessfu... more

12 June 2018

In an opinion piece Michael Koziol writes that Australia stands alone with regards to legalising e-cigarettes. The piece focuses on the doctors who currently prescribe the use of e-cigarettes for patients wishing to quit smoking, despite this contrav... more

12 June 2018

In an opinion piece Eric Abetz writes that the time for legalising e-cigarettes or vaping has come. The piece focuses on how many smokers would like the opportunity to switch to vaping as a means to quit smoking. Eric Abetz is a Liberal senator and r... more

12 June 2018

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz is calling on the government to legalise e-cigarettes, saying they allow people to satisfy their nicotine craving without the tar, additives and smoke. As it stands, it is illegal to sell, buy or use e-cigarette c... more

12 June 2018

Dying patients do not get the best palliative care unless they have cancer, a study suggests. Those with progressive and incurable diseases such as dementia, liver failure, Parkinson’s and strokes typically spend about half as much time receiving end... more

12 June 2018

Australian scientists have helped identify 62 new genetic regions linked to prostate cancer and one particular area of DNA linked to early onset prostate cancer. Researchers, including from the University of Adelaide, found that when these links were... more

12 June 2018

Australian researchers have uncovered how a key cancer-fighting gene — one that is involved in at least half of all cancers globally — works to stop cancer growth. The gene, called p53, is present in every cell in the body and has the job as the “mas... more

12 June 2018

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is doing a deal with the largest medical complex in the world, Texas Medical Centre, to boost clinical trials in Australia and enhance collaboration between Australia’s top researchers and the centre. Mr Hunt, in Hou... more

12 June 2018

Australia may be facing a tsunami of breast implant associated cancer cases in the next few years due to the explosion in cosmetic surgery rates from 2010. Research shows the cancer takes about 7.5 years to develop and experts warn the surge in cases... more

12 June 2018

Unhealthy habits such as drinking, smoking and not eating enough vegetables are catching up with Queensland men, with new data revealing the rates of some preventable cancers are four times higher in men than women. Lung cancer and melanoma rates are... more

12 June 2018

Generations of us have grown up with the message that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But a Queensland cancer surgeon says that morning bowl of cereal could be helping to kill you. Almost two-thirds of Australians are overweight or o... more

08 June 2018

Less than half of all cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed at an early stage when it is most treatable, according to national data. Cancer Australia said the figures were disturbing given that 46 people were diagnosed with bowel cancer each day and 11... more

08 June 2018

Coca-Cola Amatil CEO Alison Watkins admits that a federal sugar tax is likely and is responding with a radical transformation of its business, including switching to smaller portion sizes, reformulating fizzy drinks to use no sugar, or sugar substitu... more

08 June 2018

Flavoured milk drinkers are consuming so much sugar from a single container they might as well be eating an entire bag of lollies, a new analysis has revealed. Having examined the added sugar content of the leading brands available across Australia, ... more

07 June 2018

More than half of eligible Australians are shunning the chance to use a potentially lifesaving cancer test, with those living in remote and regional areas the least likely to use it. However, a study released today, led by researchers at Cancer Counc... more

07 June 2018

Treating cancers based on their genes, rather than where they occur in the body, gives patients a sixfold greater chance of surviving for a decade, a study has found. Data presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago sho... more

06 June 2018

Australian doctors have made a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with advanced skin cancer. Those with this type of cancer have a poor prognosis and currently there are no approved targeted therapies for this disease. Immunotherapy drug Cemip... more

06 June 2018

Older South Australian women will continue to receive free mammograms as part of a new $4.2 million agreement between State and Federal Governments. Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said the agreement with the Federal Government meant t... more

06 June 2018

Pancreatic cancer patients could live more than twice as long if given chemotherapy and radiation treatment before surgery, a study shows. For those whose tumours were removed successfully, having chemo and radiotherapy after surgery provided an extr... more

06 June 2018

Many WA men are in “fantasyland” when it comes to understanding their risk of skin cancer, a study suggests. A survey by the Australasian College of Dermatologists reveals that only 24 percent of WA men consider themselves at high risk of skin cancer... more

05 June 2018

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has accused the Andrews government of jacking up private health premiums around the country following new data showing private patients were taking up nearly one-third of all beds in some Victorian public hospitals. ... more

05 June 2018

Don’t worry about 10,000 steps — a 10-minute brisk walk could be just as effective. Health officials want people to increase the intensity of their walking, rather than just focus on the distance. Just 10 minutes of brisk walking — around 1000 steps ... more

05 June 2018

In an opinion piece Alexandra Jones writes that the recent Deakin University Inside our Quick Service Restaurants report is a transparent way to give kudos to market leaders and call out those who are dragging the chain in regards to their commitment... more

05 June 2018

In an opinion piece Dilip Dhupelia writes that children of obese parents are more than twice as likely to become morbidly overweight. The piece focuses on the AMA Queensland’s is calls for the State Government to fund an obesity awareness campaign th... more

05 June 2018

A breakthrough drug has saved almost half the terminal patients treated in a trial which has stunned doctors. Patients with an advanced and common form of skin cancer, who currently have no treatment options, may soon be offered a lifeline, after the... more

04 June 2018

A Sydney surgeon charging $18,000 for prostate cancer surgery has name-dropped the Australian Medical Association and a peak specialist body to justify the fee. The sum, bold-typed and highlighted on the paperwork handed to a patient, typifies the da... more

04 June 2018

For the first time, Australian women can find out their personal risk of breast cancer. A new online tool developed by oncologist and breast cancer expert Prof Kelly-Anne Phillips aims to slash the 18,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year by... more

04 June 2018

Taxpayers are footing the bill for foreign tourists to get free mammograms, a The Saturday Telegraph investigation has revealed. Women do not need a GP’s referral nor a Medicare card to access the free Australian BreastScreen program via its mobile v... more

04 June 2018

Cancer treatments that attack tumours based on their individual genetic traits — not their location in the body — far outperform traditional methods, extending survival for twice as many patients. A new UK study said the precision medicine field of t... more

04 June 2018

Prostate cancer patients with weeks or months to live could survive longer with immunotherapy treatment, a British trial has shown. More than a third of men with an advanced form of the cancer were still alive, and one in 10 had not seen the cancer g... more

04 June 2018

About 70 per cent of women with early-stage breast cancer and an intermediate risk of cancer recurrence can safely skip chemotherapy after their tumours have been removed, US researchers say. The research, presented at the American Society of Clinica... more

04 June 2018

The “holy grail” of cancer treatment has moved a step closer after a study showed that a simple blood test could spot several forms of the disease at an early stage. Experts were “very optimistic” that the test would transform the chances of patients... more

04 June 2018

Antibiotics may significantly shorten the lives of cancer patients receiving immunotherapy treatment, a UK study has shown. Taking the pills to treat minor infections could affect the length of survival of immunotherapy treatment patients, it was war... more

04 June 2018

In an opinion piece, Tony Featherstone writes that the Australian fast-food industry has only itself to blame if governments introduce taxes to force fast-food operators to make menus less harmful and improve food-nutrition labelling. The piece focus... more

04 June 2018

Global indigenous populations could become the priority demographic for improvements in cancer control, if the World Health Organisation has its way. Menzies School of Health Research Professor Gail Garvey – who is also a Kamilaroi woman from New Sou... more

04 June 2018

Every breast implant used in Australia should now be recorded on a national register to help track cancer cases. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and his Labor counterpart have both agreed to act after it was revealed how there had been an explosion... more

01 June 2018

Heart Foundation NT is calling for the Gunner Government to introduce more smoke-free areas across the Territory, and for a ban on smoking in public places. HINT chief executive Simon Dixon also wants buffer zones between smoking and non-smoking area... more

01 June 2018

Women will have to buy top health cover if they want to be insured for breast cancer treatment but men will get prostate cover in the cheapest policies under controversial government changes. Cancer groups are staging a revolt against the changes, wh... more

01 June 2018

A Queensland research centre will be the first in the world to trial a new melanoma treatment that could improve the survival rates of patients. The Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation at Greenslopes Private Hospital will run the trial of the combi... more

01 June 2018

In his weekly health column Sean Parnell writes that at least one-quarter of Australian children and adolescents are overweight or obese, as are almost two-thirds of adults — with obesity rates on the rise. The piece focuses on Australia’s obesity cr... more

01 June 2018

E-Cigarettes could spark a major health crisis in decades to come, experts warn. They say there is growing evidence that using e-cigarettes, or “vaping”, damages health and is highly addictive. In one of the most significant interventions to date, th... more

31 May 2018

Health experts have been buoyed by a “promising” vaccine that could add years to the lives of people with an aggressive form of brain cancer. The treatment for people with glioblastoma works by using the immune cells of patients to target their tumou... more

31 May 2018

Prostate cancer survivors taking androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) are at a higher risk of developing chronic diseases, according to research from the University of South Australia. Researchers analysed the pharmaceutical records of about 3700 prost... more

30 May 2018

A computer was better than human dermatologists at detecting skin cancer in a study that pitted human against machine in the quest for better, faster diagnostics, researchers said yesterday. A team from Germany, the United States and France taught an... more

29 May 2018

Cancer patients would be able to get experimental immunotherapy at a fraction of the current cost under a world-first plan to turn the treatment into an off-the-shelf remedy. CAR T-cell therapy involves removing a patient’s immune cells and re-engine... more

29 May 2018

An Australian hospital is using cutting-edge cervical cancer treatment to deliver stronger doses of radiation while minimising damage to surrounding organs. The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne has started using a V... more

29 May 2018

In a feature, Sian Powell writes that Australians are turning to e-cigarettes to quit smoking despite needing to import nicotine liquid as it is currently illegal. The piece highlights the view of a range of experts and organisations including Cancer... more

29 May 2018

The incoming president of the Australian Medical Association has dashed hopes that he might move to relax the association’s opposition to e-cigarettes. Melbourne GP Tony Bartone has said there would be no change in the AMA’s stance on the issue — “ab... more

28 May 2018

Authorities have seized thousands of packets of illegally imported tobacco at an Adelaide shipyard which were concealed inside a shipment of dates from Iran in an attempt to avoid import taxes. The Australian Border Force found 1.6 tonnes of tobacco ... more

28 May 2018

Hundreds of people are turning up at Queensland public hospital emergency departments with severe sunburn every year, despite the increased risk of developing skin cancer in the melanoma capital of the world. Queensland Health data shows the rates ar... more

28 May 2018

A subsidiary of Sonic Healthcare has emerged as one of the laboratories at the centre of a "false negative" scandal for cervical cancer testing that is gripping Ireland. The Austin-based Clinical Pathology Laboratories is the Australian-listed giant'... more

28 May 2018

Nearly three-quarters of men diagnosed with low risk prostate cancer are not being adequately monitored, a study has found. Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia found that only 26.5 per cent of men who took part in the Victorian stu... more

28 May 2018

Scientists have developed a capsule packed with tiny electronics and millions of genetically engineered living cells that might someday be used to spot health problems from inside the gut. The capsule was tested in pigs and detected signs of bleeding... more

28 May 2018

Cancer cases linked to breast implants have surged, with 72 Australian women now contracting the rare disease and three dying from it. As the cases mount, victims have slammed the companies behind the implants for refusing to pay compensation for the... more

28 May 2018

Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a California jury to pay $US25.7 million ($34 million) in damages to a 68-year-old woman who claimed her deadly cancer was caused by asbestos in the company’s baby powder. The jury awarded $US21.7 million in compe... more

28 May 2018

Fast food meals should be automatically served with water and salad or fruit unless customers ask otherwise, obesity researchers say. Price cuts for healthy choices are also being urged to inspire a shift from fatty chips and sugary drinks. “All meal... more

25 May 2018

New treatment guidelines could halve the rate at which melanoma recurs. But anyone undergoing new therapies will be slugged up to $210,000 a year because the new drugs are not subsidised. The first new treatment guidelines in 10 years will be release... more

25 May 2018

Scientists have identified the mechanism that allows breast cancer cells to lie dormant in other parts of the body only to re-emerge years later with lethal force. Using human cells and live mice, researchers showed that disabling the mechanism with ... more

25 May 2018

Hundreds of lives have likely been saved by an advertising campaign that resulted in a surge in Victorians using free bowel cancer screening. After driving up bowel screening rates by 12,500 Victorians in just seven weeks, Cancer Council Victoria is ... more

25 May 2018

It’s one of life’s great pleasures for the Aussie male — standing at the barbecue, beer in hand, as you watch the snags or steaks sizzle. But new research claims merely standing near a barbecue can expose your skin to cancer-causing fumes. Oils carri... more

25 May 2018

The birthplace of the Mediterranean diet now has the fattest children on the continent as southern Europe rejects grilled fish and olive oil in favour of burgers and fries. Countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece have some of Europe’s highest rates... more

24 May 2018

Desiccated pig thyroid and homeopathic vaccines. These are some of the unproven and sometimes dangerous remedies that general practitioners say are becoming increasingly common in Australia. They are being adopted, in desperation, by patients with te... more

24 May 2018

Scientists have identified the mechanism that lets breast cancer cells lie dormant in other parts of the body before re-emerging years later with lethal force. In experiments with human cells and live mice, researchers showed disabling the mechanism ... more

23 May 2018

Childhood leukaemia could be prevented by exposing babies to germs, a landmark study suggests. Britain’s leading expert in the most common childhood cancer believes keeping babies in a sterile environment can trigger it in those with a faulty gene. I... more

23 May 2018

Chemicals widely used in sunscreen have been found in breast tissue — raising concerns about the potential health risk. The chemicals, used as filters to protect the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light, were found in 95 per cent of participant... more

22 May 2018

There’s a well-known grocery item in the pantry that we’re not using enough, according to the latest research. While the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) have been widely publicised, a new study reveals three tablespoons a day can pre... more

22 May 2018

In an opinion piece Jane Martin writes that, a health levy on sugary drinks is just one element of a comprehensive approach needed to improve diets and curb obesity. The piece focuses on countries that have introduced the sugar tax and seen a decreas... more

21 May 2018

Eating fish twice a week is the key to warding off heart attacks and strokes. Scientists have found that the benefits of eating oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, outweigh any risk from mercury exposure. Experts suggest that people who... more

21 May 2018

Women with an aggressive breast cancer can be treated in half the time using existing drugs — slashing the risk of side-effects such as heart damage, a study has found. Herceptin is prescribed to women to treat early-stage breast cancer. But the drug... more

21 May 2018

Painful and exhausting chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) could be a thing of the past with a trial of a new procedure based on a patient’s own immune system. Rather than rounds of toxic chemotherapy drugs designed to kill... more

21 May 2018

Immune cells typically kill cancer cells like a sniper. A direct injection of toxin into this foreign cell ends its life. But Melbourne researchers have found another way the body’s immune system destroys tumour cells — as “bystander killers”, a mech... more

18 May 2018

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Australia – eclipsing the combined death rates of breast, prostate and pancreas cancers – and there has been little hope on the horizon for this often symptomless and ‘‘silent’’ creeper. Survival im... more

18 May 2018

A chemical heavily used in gardens and on food crops to kill weeds has been identified as a potential health threat at levels deemed “safe”. Glyphosate is the most commonly used weedkiller in the world but experts from Italy and the US found it had a... more

18 May 2018

Dietitians are concerned muffins as big as softballs and super-sized cake slices served in cafes are normalising large portion sizes at a time when Australians are struggling to control their weight. A study of sweet treats in cafes and supermarkets ... more

18 May 2018

A senior haematologist has withdrawn from an 11th-hour bid to shut down an inquest into the deaths of four under-dosed chemotherapy patients. Darrell Trim QC, acting for senior doctors – including Ian Lewis and Agnes Yong who were stood down from the... more

17 May 2018

Patients will be persuaded to try medical trials to access next-generation treatments while bolstering Australia’s biotechnology industry. A new push to open clinical trials of the latest emerging treatments — including lifesaving drugs, such as thos... more

17 May 2018

The blood test scandal engulfing SA Health has widened, with delays to urine, tumour and genetic testing. Results are not only days late but going missing, causing problems for patients including those awaiting lifesaving chemotherapy treatment. Offi... more

16 May 2018

Across Australia, hundreds of men with advanced prostate cancer are praying that a brief encounter with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tomorrow will deliver the promise of a life-extending therapy. The therapy, which uses radioactive radium 223, was... more

16 May 2018

Some WA women are wrongly believing they have cancer or a risky infection because of confusion over the new cervical cancer screening test, according to experts. WA’s Sexual Health Quarters has been contacted by women who have misinterpreted the resu... more

15 May 2018

Australian scientists claim to have discovered an anti-ageing drug capable of tricking cells into thinking they’re younger and protecting us from disease. Queensland University of Technology researchers are developing a wonder drug with the potential... more

15 May 2018

A $1.9 billion research investment strategy will be unveiled by the Federal Government today. Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said the research infrastructure investment plan was a response to recommendations from Australia’s Chief Scient... more

14 May 2018

Ireland’s leader has apologised for a scandal over inaccurate cervical cancer screening tests and has pledged an investigation to find out what went wrong. It emerged this month that an audit had found possible errors in the smear tests of 209 women ... more

14 May 2018

Australians are more likely to forgo booze because of its calorie content than because of the risks posed by alcohol-fuelled violence — or even cancer. The Global Drug Survey, released this week, shows that almost a quarter of Australian respondents ... more

14 May 2018

Thousands of Australians are dying needlessly from cancer each year but could have been saved if they had made the most of a simple and free screening test. Of the four million bowel screening tests sent to the homes of Australians over 50 each year,... more

14 May 2018

A simple blood test could replace uncomfortable mammograms in detecting breast cancer after ground-breaking Australian research. The test coupled with new 3D mammograms are being pioneered by two Australian doctors and will change the way to diagnose... more

14 May 2018

They thought their five-year-old had beaten fatal brain cancer — but she is now critically ill and on life support after it returned. Annabelle and her family, like many other desperate Australians, had flown to Mexico for expensive and experimental ... more

14 May 2018

It is not only good for the baby, it might save your life by dramatically cutting the risk you will get breast and ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes. A major review of breastfeeding studies has calculated that women who breastfeed for 12 months redu... more

14 May 2018

Anti-vax campaigners have been posting and sharing a new “study” that claims the HPV vaccine could be behind an increase in cervical cancer, but the author is a fake. An article published in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics was written by a Lars ... more

11 May 2018

Brisbane City Council has been accused of neglect after failing to remove asbestos contaminated soil from two popular parks, despite knowing about it for almost a year. State Transport Minister Mark Bailey said he had twice written to Lord Mayor Grah... more

11 May 2018

New Zealand has effectively legalised e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping products, bringing the nation into line with other governments such as Britain and the US and further isolating Australia, where e-cigarettes and vaping remain illegal. The New Ze... more

10 May 2018

The World Health Organisation says a Nordic-style diet could help ward off cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Now it is recommending governments encourage people to adopt Scandinavian – or Viking – eating habits. A Nordic diet comprises fish, sea... more

10 May 2018

Drinking red wine lowers the risk of men getting prostate cancer, a study claims. Moderate consumption – no more than a glass a day – cuts the chances of getting the disease by 12 per cent, according to an analysis of 17 scientific studies on men and... more

10 May 2018

A study has doubled the number of genetic markers known to influence a person’s ability to tan, providing scientists with potential new targets for treating skin cancer. Queensland researchers were involved in the international study of more than 170... more

09 May 2018

The illicit tobacco industry will come under scrutiny in a bid to claw back $3.6 billion over the next four years. At the heart of the program is a crackdown on the smuggling and domestic production of illegal tobacco, with the Illicit Tobacco Task F... more

09 May 2018

An experimental treatment, ignored by big pharma companies, is being trialled at Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. LuPSMA is made up of two molecules. Radioactive lutetium-177 is shipped straight from NSW’s 20-megawatt Lucas Heights nuclear ... more

09 May 2018

A cradle-to-grave health plan outlined in the Budget will let newborns receive rare disease checks and a digital health record from birth while the elderly will get mental health and exercise help. Experts have warned babies born today are at risk of... more

09 May 2018

A court ruling that gave coffee drinkers a jolt earlier this year was finalised yesterday when a Los Angeles judge said coffee sold in California must carry cancer warnings. Starbucks and other roasters and retailers failed to show that benefits from... more

08 May 2018

Queenslanders who died “before their time” from cancer lost a combined total of 162,215 years off their lives in 2015 alone, shocking new data reveals. The most years lost – 63,260 – were from patients who died prematurely from lung, bowel and breast... more

08 May 2018

Perth’s biggest council will consider lifting a restriction on the use of the controversial weed killer glyphosate in its natural reserves. But the City of Stirling is also poised to take steps to reduce the overall use of glyphosate, which is the ma... more

08 May 2018

There is no “current” evidence that exposure to PFAS chemicals is linked to ill health in humans, according to a Federal Government review. But advice from a Federal Government expert health panel doesn’t rule out the possibility that the chemicals c... more

07 May 2018

A breakthrough new treatment for ovarian cancer that aims to stop the disease returning by killing off the cancer’s stem cells is undergoing safety trials in Australia. Ovarian cancer is the deadliest female cancer in Australia; more than 1600 women ... more

07 May 2018

Smoking is killing people as young as 30, analysis from the Victorian Health Department shows. Smoking killed 24 Victorians in their 30s and 155 in their 40s in 2011, according to the report, which takes a fresh look at data collected in 2011 for the... more

07 May 2018

Big Tobacco is not only slowly killing its customers, it’s gouging them first by raising cigarette prices way beyond the increases in tax. Analysis shows how these supercharged price increases have bolstered Big Tobacco’s bottom line and countered th... more

07 May 2018

The war against the deadliest childhood cancer has been given extra firepower with the state government pledging $1 million for brain cancer treatments in a push to improve dismal survival rates. Experts say the funding is a “game-changer”, allowing ... more

07 May 2018

Today, a group of leading Australian cancer organisations became the first globally to declare that exercise should be prescribed as a standard part of cancer treatment. Led by the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, the new position statement me... more

07 May 2018

A tobacco taskforce will be set up in the Budget tomorrow to crack down on the illicit trade and raise $3.6 billion. The Australian Taxation Office will receive new powers to charge duties and a permit will be required to import tobacco. The taskforc... more

04 May 2018

Family GPs will get more money each visit under a boost to be announced in next week’s Budget, but experts say it won’t be enough to address patients’ out-of-pocket pain. Under the Budget plan, the Medicare rebate for GP visits will rise 55¢ a visit ... more

03 May 2018

Feeding toddlers can be a minefield but the rising levels of sugars and additives in ready-made snack foods is creating a new generation of very “hangry” tots, nutritionists say. Tantrums and tears can be sparked in kids by something as simple as a b... more

02 May 2018

The nation’s 2.4 million smokers are turning to illegal and even unhealthier cigarettes to avoid crushing increases in tobacco tax, costing the federal government almost $2 billion in lost revenue. Between 2016 and 2017, tobacco consumption fell 6.1 ... more

01 May 2018

The real answer to long life comes down to following just five straightforward lifestyle steps, say experts. And they can add 14 years to the life of a woman aged 50 – and 12 years for a man, US researchers found. Not smoking, regular exercise, a hea... more

01 May 2018

Exercise is a wonder pill that can slash the risk of heart disease with just a half-hour walk a day, according to experts. But research released by the Heart Foundation WA for Heart Week shows that only 7 per cent of people realise that exercise does... more

01 May 2018

In an opinion piece Peter FitzSimons writes that Australia needs to both reduce consumption sugar and find a way to pay for the soaring health costs associated. The piece focuses on how best practice would be to introduce a sugar tax. Sydney Morning... more

30 April 2018

The NSW and federal governments have announced a $41 million boost in funding to expand world-first research at Westmead that is revolutionising the detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. The joint investment will support the work of ... more

30 April 2018

A world-leading $400 million treatment centre will be built in Parkville to save youngsters who have brain cancer. The National Proton Beam Therapy Centre, at the Royal Children’s Hospital, will also aid patients with other inoperable cancers that ca... more

30 April 2018

Hundreds of thousands of women will have cheaper access to lifesaving breast cancer tests that have previously cost hundreds of dollars. The advanced test will be one of a number of new items covered by Medicare to be included in next month’s Federal... more

30 April 2018

In an opinion piece Jill Poulsen writes that recent research published in the Clinical Obesity journal, found the level of care for seriously overweight patients would not be accepted if it were applied to those with cancer or heart disease. The piec... more

30 April 2018

In an opinion piece Sarah Jackson writes that social media is changing the way the alcohol industry is pushing its products into the minds and mouths of young people. The piece focuses on how social media is, for the most part is an unregulated and u... more

27 April 2018

Many people wrongly believe stress, food additives and electromagnetic fields cause cancer, but have poor awareness of known risk factors such as obesity, eating red or processed meat, or drinking alcohol. British experts said these views had risen o... more

26 April 2018

More than three-quarters of Australian women with breast cancer are diagnosed in the all-important early stages, but fewer than half of bowel cancer patients are picked up early, a new report shows. For the first time, cancer experts have been able t... more

24 April 2018

Prostate cancer patients could be treated by high-power radiotherapy in just 2½ weeks instead of two months. The treatment would cut the sessions patients needed to seven, one every other day, compared to the 39 needed at present. Researchers say the... more

24 April 2018

Prostate tumours could be diagnosed in just 15 minutes using an ultrasound technique that successfully detects other illnesses. Scientists used a process called shear wave elastography to detect tumours by measuring cell tissue density. The technique... more

24 April 2018

Obese patients are not being treated as well as those with cancer or diabetes in the public hospital system, with some facilities not even providing suitable chairs or treatment tables that can hold their weight, new research reveals. Medical special... more

23 April 2018

Territory tradies are being urged to wear long sleeves, despite the heat, in a bid to cool soaring skin cancer rates. Cancer Council skin cancer prevention manager Liz King said two in three people who grow up in Australia would get skin cancer in th... more

23 April 2018

A discovery by Melbourne scientists could improve the treatment of stomach cancer, a disease that more than 2000 Australians are diagnosed with each year. The findings in mice by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research suggest a new c... more

23 April 2018

Small differences in the way a patient lies during radiotherapy treatment for lung or oesophageal cancer can have a significant impact on how likely they are to survive, new research shows. Differences of only a few millimetres can mean the radiation... more

23 April 2018

Kids are confused and don’t know or don’t care about healthy eating habits, new WA research reveals, raising concerns that public health campaigns are failing to “cut through” to youth. University of Notre Dame’s School of Health Sciences Associate P... more

23 April 2018

In an opinion piece Patrick Carlyon writes about recent Cancer Council data on the advertising of the nutritional content of beer being misleading is unsurprising. The piece focuses on how the nutritional information and advertising for many foods, i... more

22 April 2018

Thousands of women have been offered a lifeline, with the Federal Government set to subsidise two medicines that allow breast cancer battlers to live longer and better. Ibrance and Kisqali had cost $5000 a month, but are now in line for a subsidy whi... more

20 April 2018

An implant that detects cancer in the body and causes a small mole to appear on the skin as an early warning sign has been developed by scientists. The tiny patch lies under the skin and is made of a network of cells that constantly monitor calcium l... more

20 April 2018

Billionaire Andrew Forrest has launched the Universal Cancer Databank, a global data sharing project aimed at breaking the gridlock on the most deadly cancers. Mr Forrest launched the new project in London at the House of Commons with Baroness Tessa ... more

20 April 2018

Drinkers are being duped into believing low-carb beers are healthy and they need protection from questionable marketing, the Cancer Council claims. Despite advertising that boasts it’s better for you, an analysis of so-called low- carbohydrate beers ... more

19 April 2018

Victorians with kidney cancer are being given a lifeline through the trial of a new high-dose radiotherapy and immunotherapy combination, which is kick-starting their immune systems to boost the treatment’s effect. The first 17 patients with secondar... more

19 April 2018

Melanoma buddies are saving lives. New research shows that the deadly skin cancers are more likely to be detected early in married couples, as partners keep a watch on skin spot changes. The findings have sparked a call from the Cancer Council Queens... more

19 April 2018

A powerful healthcare lobby is launching a national billboard attack on the Prime Minister, accusing him of failing to deliver on a key election promise. The Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association (ADIA) campaign will criticise Malcolm Turnbull fo... more

19 April 2018

One in eight mothers have smoked during pregnancy, with shocking new statistics exposing smoking rates of 40 per cent in parts of Queensland. Official data reveals alarming rates of smoking among pregnant women, despite doctors’ warnings of the healt... more

18 April 2018

Dozens of lines of attack against prostate cancer have been opened by the most comprehensive genetic study of the disease. Scientists have found 80 genetic mutations that could be targeted by drugs and have identified other genes involved in helping ... more

18 April 2018

Ground breaking research will dramatically cut the time and cost to find which DNA mutations cause human bowel cancer, paving the way for swifter personalised treatment. Researchers at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMR... more

18 April 2018

More young Australians are being diagnosed with cancer than 25 years ago, however they have a higher chance of surviving their disease. The latest national health snapshot reveals between two and three 15-24 year olds are diagnosed every day. For eve... more

18 April 2018

If you’re planning to have a family, you need to sort out your lifestyle years before you even start trying – or you’ll be putting your future children at risk of serious illness. And sugar, along with grilled, fried and roasted foods have been found... more

18 April 2018

Australians are reducing sugar from their diets and choosing healthier snacks and drinks, according to new shopping habits research. Grocery sales of overly sweet biscuits, spreads, dips, milk flavourings and yoghurt are shrinking as more low-sugar v... more

17 April 2018

Australians are too busy to participate in the national bowel screening program, even though the three-minute test could save their life. Data released yesterday shows that 40 percent of respondents who received the free bowel cancer screening kit la... more

17 April 2018

The new five-yearly cervical screening test is expected to reduce the number of cervical cancer deaths by 45 per cent by 2035, in what has been described as a major step “towards completely eradicating cervical cancer” by Cancer Council NSW’s directo... more

17 April 2018

DIPG, or diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, has been described as the worst of all child cancers. Australian researchers have made a significant breakthrough they hope could one day result in children surviving the disease. Following more than 250 unsu... more

16 April 2018

More than 100 Victorians have been given the green light to use medicinal cannabis. The Herald Sun can reveal 106 people across the state have received approval under a new federal scheme. More requests are being processed. Among the patients are peo... more

16 April 2018

State governments will be asked to overhaul a vital cancer testing system following huge increases in wait times that are forecast to multiply over the coming years. With the expansion of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program expected to create... more

16 April 2018

Patients battling Hodgkin lymphoma, will have cheaper access to a lifesaving cancer drug that previously cost $200,000. While 85 per cent of Hodgkin Lymphoma sufferers are cured with chemotherapy, patients who relapse or those who cannot undergo norm... more

16 April 2018

Queensland researchers may have discovered a new way of diagnosing prostate cancer, gauging how advanced it is, and predicting how well men will respond to treatment. If their findings are validated in large patient trials, they believe their work co... more

16 April 2018

Queensland researchers may have discovered a new way of diagnosing prostate cancer, gauging how advanced it is, and predicting how well men will respond to treatment. If their findings are validated in large patient trials, they believe their work co... more

16 April 2018

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has launched a “manifesto” to cut the scale of childhood obesity in half. The campaigner is calling for a ban on junk food advertisements on UK television before the 9pm watershed and to stop energy drinks being sold to ch... more

13 April 2018

Cass Sustein a Professor from Harvard argues that a tentative judicial ruling in Los Angeles County last week to put cancer warnings on coffee is just plain silly. “It could potentially turn into a fiasco, I think, and it tells us something important... more

13 April 2018

Exercise is already known to help cancer patients recover after their treatment but WA researchers believe it can also help in the lead-up to surgery. Edith Cowan University is running a trial of 40 men with prostate cancer to see if pre-surgery exer... more

13 April 2018

The West Australian government is expected to propose increasing the legal smoking age to 21 at a meeting of health ministers today. Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon, who is due to address the meeting, said he would support the... more

13 April 2018

Smokers of e-cigarettes could be fined up to $550 if caught vaping in public spaces or on public transport across NSW. The ban will come into effect in July after NSW parliament passed new laws on Wednesday night. Herald Sun, 13/4/2018, Page 33; Dai... more

13 April 2018

Jane Martin from the Obesity Policy Coalition explores food marketing in an opinion piece for the Herald Sun. She says that some products that are high in sugar create a “healthy halo” through their packaging and argues the Health Star Rating system ... more

12 April 2018

States will be lobbied to make it illegal for Australians to smoke until their 21st birthday at a meeting of the nation’s health ministers tomorrow as Western Australia takes up mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest crusade. WA Health Minister Roger... more

12 April 2018

Tens of thousands of men will be able to get a Medicare-funded MRI to check for prostate cancer in a $15-20 million measure expected in the federal Budget. A $400 Medicare rebate will be made available for scans to diagnose and monitor prostate cance... more

12 April 2018

Hundreds of Queenslanders are dying each year from cancer related to excessive drinking. The new data has led the Cancer Council Queensland to urge people to switch from a daily tipple to weekly as experts continue to review drinking guidelines, whic... more

11 April 2018

Patients would be able to access medicinal cannabis within 48 hours under a radical plan by the Turnbull Government to take over approval processes from the states. The Courier-Mail can reveal Health Minister Greg Hunt will submit the plan at a Counc... more

11 April 2018

Almost half of young South Australian women are not having regular Pap smears, and it is feared confusion over a new screening test will lower participation rates further. SA Health data shows 58 per cent of SA women are having regular cervical scree... more

11 April 2018

Asbestos is a popular building material in many parts of Asia and given that it only takes a few fibres to cause a fatal cancer, tourists may unknowingly be facing a health risk. While there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, risk does increas... more

10 April 2018

Lifesaving radiotherapy machines may have to shut down for years during Metro Tunnel construction, forcing the state government to spend tens of millions of dollars on replacement services. The government is secretly making contingency plans for a co... more

10 April 2018

Almost half of men with prostate cancer had to see their GP at least twice before being diagnosed, research reveals. As doctors called for urgent action to tackle the crisis, the figures also show that 6 per cent of men went to their doctor at least ... more

10 April 2018

Wine lovers everywhere rejoiced when studies indicated a couple of tipples of red before bed could actually help with weight loss. The Washington State University and Harvard Medical School studies reported a polyphenol in red wine called resveratrol... more

09 April 2018

Legalising electronic cigarettes containing nicotine could prevent most cases of lung cancer, a leading expert claims. University of NSW conjoint associate professor Colin Mendelsohn told the Australian Lung Cancer Conference in Sydney yesterday that... more

09 April 2018

For medical cannabis, some experts believe the hype has surged way past the science, which is weak, inconclusive and often non-existent for many conditions. When cannabis does work, the effect is often small. “The evidence, in general,” says Professo... more

09 April 2018

Patients suffering the early signs of heart failure could one day have their condition detected before they suffer symptoms, with the aim of catching it early enough to reverse. Scientists say the new imaging technique currently being tested on Melbo... more

06 April 2018

Australians with breast cancer can apply to receive a drug that reduces the risk of cancer returning, under a special access program. Nerlynx is targeted for use in women with HER 2+ early breast cancer. One in four women diagnosed with this type of ... more

05 April 2018

A breakthrough Melbourne drug may make chemotherapy unnecessary for patients with advanced leukaemia and dramatically improve odds of survival. Results of two trials show that venetoclax could save more than twice as many patients as chemotherapy and... more

05 April 2018

Health Minister Greg Hunt has been urged to back Labor’s proposal for a Productivity Commission investigation into the private health sector “crisis” after a survey revealed a quarter of breast cancer patients experienced out-of-pocket costs of more ... more

04 April 2018

Lung cancer will be detected and treated before people have any symptoms, under a ground-breaking new program offering screening for the deadly disease. Only 16 per cent of people are alive more than five years after being diagnosed with lung cancer,... more

04 April 2018

A team of international scientists have identified almost two dozen new genetic risk factors for stroke, marking a significant advance in what is known about the underlying causes of one of Australia’s biggest killers. Stroke kills more women than br... more

04 April 2018

In an opinion piece Jan Davis writes that the order to place a cancer warning on their products because of acrylamide, a chemical produced in the roasting process, needs to be put in context. The piece focuses on the process that causes acrylamide in... more

03 April 2018

A drug used in treating non-small cell lung cancer could offer a targeted therapy for thousands of breast cancer patients, research has shown. Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London have established that lung cancer drug crizotinib ... more

03 April 2018

Top Queensland health experts have rapped GPs for not routinely prescribing exercise as medicine. And Australian Medical Association chief Dr Michael Gannon agrees that some clinicians are uncomfortable with addressing subjects like obesity, diet cha... more

02 April 2018

What we wear, how we groom and our beauty regimens are having an impact on skin cancer rates. A study released today reveals fashion, beauty and grooming decisions affect tumour positions in both men and women. “The higher anatomic distribution of tu... more

01 April 2018

The price of millions of scripts will drop by up to 40 per cent from today, giving unwell Aussies more affordable access to medicines. The cost of more than 300 drugs that treat high blood pressure, depression, digestive disorders and certain types o... more

01 April 2018

In an opinion piece, National Politics writer Annika Smethurst writes that vaping continues to be illegal despite cigarettes which cause 15,000 deaths each year being legal and available. The piece focuses on the recent parliamentary inquiry into e-c... more

01 April 2018

Hundreds of Victorians are waiting more than a year for vital cancer tests after hospital waiting lists blew out by more than a third over the past two years. In at least one major Melbourne public hospital, the median wait for bowel cancer tests is ... more

01 April 2018

Urban chook owners are being warned of the risk of eating their pets’ eggs after tests have revealed toxic pesticides banned in the 1980s are still lurking in backyard soils. A Perth laboratory that does soil and egg tests for residents said dieldrin... more

31 March 2018

A Los Angeles judge has ruled that Californian law requires coffee to carry a cancer warning label because of a chemical produced in the roasting process. Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle ruled on Wednesday that Starbucks and other coffee companies f... more

30 March 2018

Eating a breakfast of bacon and eggs could make a leading prostate cancer treatment more effective. Fatty foods may allow the drug abiraterone — which can extend the lives of patients with advanced prostate cancer — to be absorbed 10 times more easil... more

29 March 2018

The sale of electronic cigarettes containing nicotine – classified as a poison – should remain prohibited in Australia, a parliamentary committee has concluded after a yearlong inquiry. In its much anticipated report, the majority of the Standing Com... more

28 March 2018

The rise in demand for professional manicures has shone a light on the skin cancer risks of UV lamps used to harden gel nails. Skin experts warn in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology out today that sunscreen should be applied to the hands before... more

27 March 2018

In an opinion piece Adrian Reynolds writes that doctors should use effective, tried and tested methods before considering medicinal cannabis. The piece focuses on the research into medicinal cannabis, and the current known evidence. Whilst also calli... more

26 March 2018

Farmers are being recruited and strongarmed by organised crime gangs to plant illegal tobacco crops, which major retailers allege is funding terrorism. The stark warning comes amid calls for the Turnbull government to devise a comprehensive strategy ... more

26 March 2018

The Federal Government has slashed the cost of a special lung cancer drug, helping about 2000 patients who would have otherwise been required to pay up to $100,000 for a round of treatment. The PBS listings cut the costs of the medicines to a maximum... more

26 March 2018

A secret fee “bible” used by doctors to set rates for medical procedures has revealed a massive overcharging scandal, with some specialists demanding up to 10 times the recommended Medicare fee. The Australian Medical Association’s List Of Services A... more

26 March 2018

Parmalat, the food giant behind Vaalia and Ski yoghurts, has ranked last in a study that examined the obesity prevention efforts of Australia’s biggest food and beverage manufacturers, scoring a derisory three out of 100. With an alarming two-thirds ... more

26 March 2018

A rising number of unusual cancer cases linked to breast implants across the world have been reported to US authorities. The US Food and Drug Administration confirmed that cases of the illness — which is not breast cancer but a malignancy of the immu... more

26 March 2018

A world-first trial of an Australian-made radioactive molecule developed to destroy prostate cancer cells from the inside has begun, with men undergoing screening in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This doctor-led trial — most are initiated by drug c... more

26 March 2018

Thousands of women who have radiotherapy for breast cancer could be spared severe side-effects after scientists found that targeted treatments or lower doses were just as effective. The study, led by Cambridge University and the Institute of Cancer R... more

23 March 2018

Billionaire philanthropist Andrew Forrest has blasted the slow rollout of radical new cancer treatments demanding the nation’s leading experts work with “the burning impatience of dying patients”. has donated $75 million to cancer research, says rest... more

22 March 2018

A record 28 tonnes of illegal tobacco with an estimated street value of $60 million has been seized at properties near Bundaberg. The Australian Taxation Office announced yesterday that it had seized the tobacco following a joint operation with Queen... more

22 March 2018

At Frome St’s Centre for Cancer Biology, Dr Guillermo Gomez is using stem cells to grow mini-brains to better understand the human brain and one of its most terrifying afflictions – cancer. The mini-brains, or brain organoids, are grown from stem ... more

22 March 2018

Regular physical activity that raises the heart rate and makes a person “huff and puff” can significantly reduce the risk of colon cancer — no matter what their body weight, a study has shown. The study of more than 200,000 adults, conducted by Cance... more

21 March 2018

Wives of men with prostate cancer find their own health suffering as a result of their husband’s illness, researchers have found. The new study suggests nearly half of wives see their health suffer as their husbands go through treatment. The research... more

21 March 2018

In her weekly health column Jill Margo writes that the issues surrounding over-diagnosis and PSA testing is still a matter of public health. The piece focuses on new active surveillance research recently published in the Journal of the American Medic... more

21 March 2018

Thousands of cases of aggressive prostate cancer could be spotted early by using cutting-edge MRI scans, a major study has found. Researchers found they could diagnose 46 per cent more aggressive tumours by using MRI scans rather than biopsies. The s... more

21 March 2018

A Perth company is running a trial of a vaccine for coeliac disease that it believes could help stop people reacting severely to gluten. The number of people being diagnosed with coeliac disease is increasing but there is no treatment for it other th... more

19 March 2018

Electronic cigarettes do not help smokers quit and may actually increase tobacco use, according to a major study. Smokers who take up vaping while also smoking ordinary cigarettes are less likely to give up than those who do not, the UK research foun... more

19 March 2018

One in five people can’t afford travel insurance because they have illnesses such as cancer and diabetes, which make their premiums unaffordable. As a result, many tourists are travelling uninsured or lie about their medical history, taking a major r... more

19 March 2018

It’s the sunburnt country, but 92 per cent of Australians do not know they need to start protecting themselves from the sun’s harsh rays when the UV level reaches three or above, new Cancer Council research shows. Despite widespread awareness that ul... more

19 March 2018

Australian cancer researchers have made a breakthrough that could lead to an effective treatment of multiple myeloma, an incurable form of blood cancer that affects 1800 Australians every year. Multiple myeloma grows in the bone marrow and mainly imp... more

19 March 2018

The blood of patients taking a revolutionary drug that “melts” leukaemia cells will be analysed to uncover why some cancers evade destruction or become resistant to treatment. Technology capable of analysing thousands of cancer cells a second is bein... more

16 March 2018

Terminally ill cancer patients are being forced to pay $150,000 a year for a lifesaving treatment even though it has been recommended for a government subsidy. Six months after an expert government committee approved a subsidy for immunotherapy keytr... more

16 March 2018

Adelaide scientists are leading the charge to cure a whole range of cancers by using the body’s own immune system to fight the deadly disease. They have armed the body’s killer T-cells with the ability to seek and destroy solid tumours of different c... more

16 March 2018

In his weekly health column, Sean Parnell writes that the latest results from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey are concerning as the survey showed one in four people binge drink to dangerous levels at least once a month. The piece focuses ... more

15 March 2018

A new menopause drug could dramatically cut hot flushes and sleeplessness in just three days. Scientists have hailed the results as “game changing”, holding out hopes for an alternative to hormone replacement therapy. Research by Imperial College Lon... more

15 March 2018

Indigenous Australians have higher rates of cancer than non-indigenous Australians, less chance of surviving the disease and more frequently acquire cancers typically associated with poor lifestyle. Lung cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer ... more

15 March 2018

Chemotherapy bungle victim Andrew Knox is angry with the Labor Government, “mortally disappointed” in Nick Xenophon and urging voters to give the Liberals a chance. Mr Knox, whose leukaemia returned after under-dosing of chemotherapy in 2015, said he... more

14 March 2018

Children who try e-cigarettes are 12 times more likely to smoke tobacco, British research has found. Scientists have uncovered strong evidence of a so-called “gateway effect”, according to the first UK study of its kind. Researchers from King’s Colle... more

14 March 2018

Australian urologists say a PSA blood test offers the best hope for beating prostate cancer despite a British study over 10 years finding the popular yet contentious screening did not cut the number of men who died from the disease. A trial compared ... more

14 March 2018

Scientists have discovered a ‘‘treasure trove’’ of 110 genes which raise the risk of breast cancer, in a major breakthrough that paves the way for new treatments. The study, the most comprehensive investigation ever conducted into the genetics of bre... more

13 March 2018

Environmental educator Arwen Birch compares the environmental and health costs of cars to tobacco. She argues that are similarities between the two industries and that car advertising should regulated. The Age, 13/03/2018, Page 18; Sydney Morning He... more

13 March 2018

More than 46,000 people in NSW will be told they have cancer in 2018, official projections show. The sobering forecast also foreshadows the number of new breast, lung, bowel cancer and melanoma patients will be diagnosed across each local government ... more

12 March 2018

Thousands of prostate cancer patients could be spared gruelling treatment after a breakthrough by British scientists. Experts at Cambridge University have created a tool that calculates a man’s chances of dying from the cancer with 90 per cent accura... more

12 March 2018

Consumption of cigarettes has risen for the first time in more than a decade, adding to concerns about the effectiveness of measures to reduce smoking. Expenditure on tobacco products, which has been in steady decline for a generation, rose 2.6 per c... more

12 March 2018

Australian researchers have developed a simple online test to predict the risk of someone developing melanoma in the next few years. The test, to be launched today, is based on questionnaires involving about 40,000 people over 40, including more than... more

12 March 2018

A thinning ozone layer combined with farming practices in India may add up to more days of extreme ultraviolet radiation Down Under. Analysis of daily UV readings since 1997 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane found the number of days when ultraviolet ... more

12 March 2018

Men who watch more than four hours of TV a day significantly increase their risk of bowel cancer, a study shows. Researchers, who tracked 500,000 British people for six years, found a significant link between sedentary behaviour and bowel cancer risk... more

12 March 2018

Australian scientists believe they have discovered a “magic bullet” to defeat one of the deadliest childhood cancers — and, if it works, it could also help save adults. The technology is able to deliver chemotherapy to treat deadly neuroblastoma dire... more

12 March 2018

Scientists are set to launch ground breaking research into prostate cancer in a bid to reduce deaths from the disease within five years. New imagine techniques are being developed by a team of researchers to detect which cancers should be treated agg... more

12 March 2018

Women in Cairns are more likely to develop breast cancer than anywhere else in the state. The alarming statistic has been revealed by Cancer Council Queensland, which examined the incidence and survival patterns for the five most common cancers – bre... more

12 March 2018

Young women have become the epicentre of the nation’s obesity epidemic with the fastest growing waistlines in the country. And experts warn it will have catastrophic implications for the next generation because childhood obesity has been linked to th... more

09 March 2018

What started as a joke between friends has become a successful business venture for Kookaburras goalkeeper Tristan Clemons. He has created a business selling legionnaire style hats - Get Flapped. Clemons also works as a nanotechnologist at the Univer... more

09 March 2018

Jay Weatherill has given a US based company $10 million to set up a training and testing centre in Adelaide before long-running questions are resolved over its suitability to build the southern hemisphere’s first cancer fighting proton therapy unit i... more

09 March 2018

The Australian explores health risks specific to women. Topics discussed include higher levels of physical inactivity, chronic illness, endometriosis and genetic breast cancer risk. The Australian, 9/3/2018, Page 18

09 March 2018

Vitamin D could help ward off cancer, a major study suggests. Middle-aged men and women with high levels in their blood are 20 per cent less likely to get the disease, experts found. Vitamin D is known to strengthen bones and muscles and growing evid... more

09 March 2018

The discovery of a tiny trail of “breadcrumbs” left behind by cancer cells in the blood could be used to develop an early detection test for one of the country’s deadliest diseases. Findings of the Melbourne research could improve treatment for an ag... more

09 March 2018

Half of Britons wrongly believe that stress causes cancer, a survey suggests. Yet many are unaware of the proven link between the disease and processed meat and alcohol. Commissioned by the World Cancer Research Fund, the poll highlights the widespre... more

08 March 2018

More WA women are getting breast cancer but their chances of surviving have dramatically improved, with almost 100 per cent of those in the earliest stage now beating the disease. Figures from a special report by WA’s Cancer Registry, tracking surviv... more

08 March 2018

Perth cigar retailer Simon Devlin supports an exception to tobacco law that allows niche retailers to display tobacco products. The law is due to be debated in the WA Upper House this month, alongside other amendments to the Tobacco Products Control ... more

08 March 2018

Penny Egan, CEO, Cancer Council Tasmania calls on the newly elected Tasmanian Government to invest in cancer prevention – and for Tasmanians to take action to reduce their personal cancer risk. Hobart Mercury, 8/03/2018, Page 19

08 March 2018

Simon Breheny, Director of Policy at the Institute of Public Affairs writes that food, nutrition and human behaviour are far too complex to be regulated with a star rating system. Daily Telegraph, 8/03/2018, Page 3

07 March 2018

A vaccine could one day protect men from developing prostate cancer, thanks to a breakthrough by British scientists. Experts have designed a vaccine that boosts the immune system’s ability to track down and kill the cancer cells as soon as they start... more

06 March 2018

The Blue Mountains Council is gearing up for another extraordinary general meeting, the third in as many months, as it considers a second report from the inquiry into its asbestos management practices. The extend of the council’s unfolding asbestos c... more

05 March 2018

A federal Liberal MP says normally law-abiding smokers are buying black market cigarettes because tobacco taxes are too high in Australia. Boothby MP Nicolle Flint has criticised the repeated above-inflation tobacco excise increases which have been i... more

05 March 2018

The Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre expansion will soon be under way, with the construction tender given to Sitzler. Health Minister Natasha Fyles yesterday made the announcement for the $10.5 million project to expand the centre and build the facilit... more

05 March 2018

The Blue Mountains City Council is facing an asbestos crisis, after an independent inquiry found the council instructed its workers to dig up, transport and sift through soil it knew was contaminated with asbestos. As a result of critical failures by... more

05 March 2018

An expert will travel to Mexico to investigate the controversial clinic reported to have successfully treated Australian children who have terminal brain cancer. The Cure Brain Cancer Foundation (CBCF), the peak organisation for brain cancer research... more

05 March 2018

The end of cervical cancer is within sight and Australia is likely to be the first nation free of the killer disease thanks to the ground-breaking human papillomavirus vaccine. As new research reveals the rate of HPV has dropped from one in five youn... more

05 March 2018

Better access to swimming lessons, a vastly improved cycling network and a focus on getting people moving are key planks of a five-point plan to make Melbourne a healthier city. Education on minimising risks of sunburn and skin cancer, and how to spo... more

05 March 2018

A new prostate cancer nurse at Royal Adelaide Hospital is providing support and information to patients.  Ms Otto is only the second prostate specialist nurse in the state, following one at Flinders Medical Centre, providing care co-ordination and a ... more

05 March 2018

The first Australian to use the breakthrough cancer immunotherapy treatment Keytruda is thriving six years on but other lung cancer patients still can’t get a subsidy for the $150,000 a year treatment. Peter Suffolk is the world’s second longest surv... more

05 March 2018

Half of babies from poorer families are consuming sugary drinks including fruit juice, fizzy drinks and cordial before their first birthday, driving up their risk of obesity. They were also twice as likely to be eating savoury snacks, a study of 3000... more

02 March 2018

Patients, including children, will have easier access to medicinal cannabis, with the state government to drastically slash the red tape that dogs the current approvals process. State bureaucrats will no longer have to sign off on access to the drug,... more

02 March 2018

A woman caught running an illegal solarium had her sentence downgraded after outing another underground suspect. Macleod woman Taryn Battye faced the Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on two commercial tanning-related charges. She was given a 12-month go... more

02 March 2018

In his regular health column Sean Parnell discusses the effect socio-economic status has on cancer outcomes. The piece focuses on new AIHW data, the new National Cervical Screening program, new “nanocell” chemotherapy results published in the journal... more

02 March 2018

Former Hazelwood Power Station employees who fear they have been exposed to asbestos have been urged to sign up to a formal register. An Australian legal firm is urging former staff of the station, which was closed last year, to add their names to it... more

02 March 2018

Nestle has bowed to pressure and announced it will remove the controversial 4.5 health star rating splashed on tins of Milo. The company said it remained committed to the health star rating system, designed to encourage healthier purchases, but ackno... more

02 March 2018

A WA cancer educator is calling for a minimum $1.50 unit price on packaged alcohol — more than the $1.30 price endorsed by the Northern Territory Government this week. Cancer Council WA director of education and research Terry Slevin will tell the St... more

01 March 2018

Alarming new research shows many Australian women incorrectly believe the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine protects them against ovarian cancer, while the majority still think a pap smear can detect the lethal disease. A nationwide survey found ne... more

01 March 2018

Delays in bowel cancer tests are putting lives at risk, with Australia’s $52 million bowel cancer screening program stymied because participants who return a positive stool test must wait a dangerously long time for a colonoscopy. Nine in 10 Australi... more

01 March 2018

Soft-drink makers have accused the State Government of shunning them at a preventive health summit tomorrow, claiming they should be part of efforts to reduce obesity. Geoff Parker from the Australian Beverages Council, which also represents makers o... more

01 March 2018

In an opinion piece Jane Fynes-Clinton writes that it is not the responsibility of supermarkets to prevent obesity but the individual’s responsibility. The piece focuses on the tactics supermarkets use to encourage consumers to buy products, food lab... more

01 March 2018

In an opinion piece Peter Martin writes that the taxation system applied to alcohol is affecting the federal budget, due to failing indirect tax system. The piece focuses on the changes in taxation for alcoholic beverages and the 2010 Henry Tax Revie... more

28 February 2018

In an opinion piece Jill Margo writes that radiation oncologists are giving men with low-risk prostate cancer radiation therapy and that urologists are under-treating men with an intermediate risk cancer. The piece focuses on the trend of over-treatm... more

28 February 2018

Tasmanians are more likely to die from cancer than people in other states and analysts say the data should serve as a wake-up call to improve local early detection and treatment options. Tasmania has much higher death rates from all major cancers — e... more

28 February 2018

New research released by Ovarian Cancer Australia to mark Teal Ribbon Day shows nearly 30 per cent of Australians don’t know the difference between ovarian and cervical cancer, a cancer that occurs in the cervix. Both are aggressive, but lack of earl... more

28 February 2018

Printing calories on menus helps reduce how much diners eat by up to 12 per cent. Restaurants and cafes should specify the number of calories in each dish to help combat obesity, researchers said last night. Professor Susan Jebb, the co-author of a n... more

28 February 2018

Australians are unaware how much alcohol they can drink before harming their health, sparking calls for a campaign to outline safety limits. The National Health and Medical Research Council alcohol guidelines say any more than two standard drinks a d... more

27 February 2018

Millennials are on course to be the fattest generation since records began, a charity has warned. Seven in 10 adults born between the early-1980s and mid-1990s will be overweight or obese before they reach middle age, Cancer Research UK predicted. It... more

27 February 2018

Almost 6000 Australians are dying from alcohol-related causes each year, with more than a third the result of cancer. The National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University estimates that 5785 people aged 15 and over died from alcohol attributable... more

26 February 2018

Leading Australian paediatric oncologist Professor David Ziegler is not the only expert critical of the methods of Monterrey’s Clinica 0-19. Others worldwide warn that its doctors take unnecessary risks, using unproven science and drug combinations. ... more

26 February 2018

Three Aussie families are among 70 from across the globe to have put their faith — and their life savings — in a controversial Mexican cancer clinic. They credit the controversial Clinica 0-19 in the city of Monterrey in northeast Mexico with keeping... more

26 February 2018

The executive director of Queensland’s biggest hospital has issued a plea for women to have regular mammograms with the latest figures showing a disturbing slump in numbers among the target age group. Amanda Dines, of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s H... more

26 February 2018

In an opinion piece Alexandra Barratt writes that the advice Sunrise host Samantha Armytage gave to viewers to start breast screening at 40 instead of the recommended 50, ignores vast amounts of independent medical research about the downsides of can... more

26 February 2018

Firefighters are suffering a hidden cancer epidemic caused by exposure to toxic chemicals that become embedded in their clothing or inhaled during fires, researchers found. The rate of deaths from cancer in firefighters younger than 75 is “up to thre... more

26 February 2018

Supermarkets should banish lollies and soft drinks from checkouts, limit discounts on junk food, and promote more wholesome food in catalogues, obesity experts say. Deakin University researchers are urging grocery chains to take more responsibility f... more

23 February 2018

In an opinion piece Terry Barnes writes that the Australian government shouldn’t be banning the use of electronic cigarettes, as vaping allows smokers to quit smoking tobacco cigarettes. The piece focuses on other countries who have used e-cigarettes... more

23 February 2018

In an opinion piece Paul Glasziou writes that the prostate cancer screening tests David Koch underwent on Channel 7’s Sunrise last week give the public the impression that these tests are important and necessary. The piece focuses on how PSA and DRE ... more

23 February 2018

A truck driver has been fined $7500 for dumping a load of waste mixed with asbestos next to a water plant in regional NSW. The man from Perthville was fined after he was caught on CCTV offloading the asbestos outside the Bathurst Water Filtration Pla... more

22 February 2018

Downing soft drinks increases your risk of cancer even if the sugar is not showing up on your waistline, researchers have found. A study of 35,000 Australians has shown a person’s risk of suffering from 11 cancers rose sharply if they drank one or mo... more

21 February 2018

“Dr Google” could help curb cancer after Queensland scientists found a link between internet searches about melanoma and the number of officially confirmed cases. University of the Sunshine Coast, QUT and Cancer Council scientists compared searches f... more

21 February 2018

Women are more likely to change their diet than seek medical help when suffering from a key symptom of ovarian cancer, a charity has warned. Despite persistent bloating being one of the main signs of the disease, half of women say they would try meas... more

21 February 2018

Ward persons and hospital assistants at Canberra Hospital say their relationship with management has hit rock bottom, amid concerns their tiny tea room is an asbestos risk. The Health Services Union claims the workers have faced ‘‘ongoing bullying’’ ... more

20 February 2018

Thousands of West Australians are risking hefty fines by using nicotine electronic cigarettes as the State Government moves to tighten laws that could outlaw vaping as much as smoking. Under WA’s Medicines and Poisons Act, people can be fined $45,000... more

20 February 2018

Promising drugs to stop liver swelling and scarring have won the state’s first grant of $7 million from the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund. UniSA Professor Stuart Pitson from the Centre for Cancer Biology and Associate Professor Bernard Flyn... more

19 February 2018

Chemotherapy could become a thing of the past for up to two in three cancer patients with the Government looking at subsidising breakthrough new immunotherapies for a number of cancers. The medicines, called programmed-death ligand 1 (PDL1) therapies... more

19 February 2018

Medical experts have questioned whether the health system will be able to meet rising consumer demand for medicinal cannabis, especially with such little evidence of its safety and efficacy. In the Medical Journal of Australia today, associate profes... more

19 February 2018

Australia researchers have found a promising way to prevent serious and lifelong complications of bone marrow transplants, which affects almost half of blood cancer patients who undergo the lifesaving procedure. A team has successfully used the simpl... more

19 February 2018

Perth doctors are playing a key role in a remarkable gene hunt which could reveal thousands of unsuspecting women and men at high risk of breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. They are part of Traceback, a world-first cancer prevention, which will re... more

19 February 2018

A vaccine that slashes the risk of developing cancer could be on the horizon, researchers announced yesterday. They have found a way of “priming” the immune system to spot, attack and kill off breast tumour cells. By taking a sample of blood, alterin... more

19 February 2018

Fathers could be passing on a genetic mutation to their daughters that further adds to their inherited risk of ovarian cancer, new research suggests. A study of about 10,000 families impacted by ovarian cancer found a genetic mutation passed down thr... more

16 February 2018

A specialised radiotherapy machine that delivers vital cancer treatment at the Royal Adelaide Hospital is lying idle because of staffing issues, the Australian Medical Association says. It comes after it emerged six patients had their cancer treatmen... more

16 February 2018

Ultra-processed foods such as fizzy drinks, cake, cereal and processed meats could increase the risk of cancer, according to a new study. Processed foods make up to 50 per cent of the average person’s diet in some developed countries and could contri... more

14 February 2018

In an opinion piece Miranda Devine writes that the NSW Health Minister’s proposal to ban e-cigarettes would restrict tobacco smokers from quitting. The piece focuses on how smoking rates have not declined in three years, and that those who smoke have... more

13 February 2018

A faulty gene that kills people in their prime has proven to be a “super assassin” against cancer cells, showing that even the most heartbreaking clouds can have a silver lining. US experiments have revealed that the genetic defect responsible for Hu... more

13 February 2018

Brain cancer treatment hopes have been raised after Melbourne scientists unlocked a key to using the immune system to destroy tumours. Some forms of brain cancer are still 100 per cent fatal. Medication is largely palliative, and there have been no n... more

12 February 2018

Elderly patients with breast cancer could live longer with mild chemotherapy, research suggests. Chemo drugs can cause such severe side effects they often aren’t given to older people in the later stages of cancer. While effective in younger patients... more

12 February 2018

Cures for a range of cancers are in sight, thanks to a revolution in immunotherapy treatments, according to experts. They said that, within a decade, patients could be cured of the disease with the help of drugs that used the body’s immune system to ... more

12 February 2018

The use of electronic cigarettes is set to be banned indoors under changes NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard is expected to take to cabinet this week. NSW is set to go down the road of Victoria and put a ban on the practice of vaping indoors by imposi... more

12 February 2018

The Turnbull government has announced more than $180 million for programs to reduce the drastic rates of smoking among Indigenous Australians, with tobacco still a leading cause of death and illness in communities across the country. Ahead of the rel... more

12 February 2018

British scientists have created a cancer vaccine that fights the most deadly type of skin cancer – and learned how to predict who it will work for. Two-thirds of the patients immunised with the vaccine, which targets melanoma cells, are “alive and we... more

12 February 2018

A record number of West Australians last month got so badly sunburnt they ended up in hospital emergency departments, despite Perth’s mildest summer in 25 years. In January, 118 people — an average of almost four people a day — sought emergency medic... more

12 February 2018

Australia’s obesity crisis is hitting the nation’s maternity wards, with a significant proportion of serious pregnancy complications and trauma caused by women’s excess weight, new research has found. The study, published in The Medical Journal of Au... more

09 February 2018

Vaping makes users more likely to catch pneumonia – just like smoking tobacco or breathing in traffic fumes, experts suggested yesterday. The vapour from e-cigarettes helps bacteria that cause the condition to stick to the cells that line the airways... more

09 February 2018

A worrying number of Queensland women continue to smoke during pregnancy, despite warnings about the dangers to their baby. Department of Health figures show 12.4 per cent of Queensland women smoked during pregnancy compared to 10.4 per cent for the ... more

09 February 2018

Exercising during cancer treatment can protect the heart against accelerated ageing from toxic — but lifesaving — chemotherapy. A world-first trial by Australian researchers at Melbourne’s Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute has found the hearts of br... more

08 February 2018

Giving men with advanced prostate cancer a cheap chemotherapy drug soon after they are diagnosed dramatically improves survival chances, a major study has found. British researchers showed that men with the cancer lived 25 per cent longer if given do... more

08 February 2018

In a breakthrough that could stop cancers turning deadly, scientists have identified an amino acid responsible for spreading tumours around the body. An international research team has found that the compound, asparagine, plays a crucial role in seed... more

08 February 2018

The eye-opening shock tactics used in the nation’s world-acclaimed and highly successful anti-smoking campaign could play a part in stemming the rising tidal wave of obesity rates, the Australian Medical Association says. AMA president Michael Gannon... more

07 February 2018

All South Australian prisons will be smoke-free by the end of 2019, the State Government has pledged, breaking the habit for more than 80 per cent of inmates. The State Government has tasked a committee to ensure the transition is made by the end of ... more

07 February 2018

This is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Cancer Council Queensland is urging women to understand changes in their body as early detection helps survival. “If detected early, between 80 and 100 per cent of women diagnosed will survive at least five ... more

07 February 2018

“Mini organs” are being grown from tumours so thousands of drug combinations can be tested on them in an attempt to revolutionise the treatment of childhood cancer. In an Australian-first pilot program, Victoria’s Hudson Institute of Medical Research... more

07 February 2018

Prostate cancer has moved on. The focus used to be on diagnosing this cancer at an early stage. Now that testing is common, the focus in on trying to prevent an early cancer from developing into advanced disease. This is a significant shift because m... more

07 February 2018

Research: A cuppa can be deadly if you also drink alcohol, cancer researchers warn Drinking hot tea and too much alcohol can increase the risk of a deadly cancer fivefold, research has shown. Oesophageal cancer already was known to be linked to dri... more

06 February 2018

Relatives of women killed by ovarian cancer may get lifesaving news out of the blue warning they have a heightened risk of cancer. In a revolutionary program to anticipate cancers linked to genetic mutations, past ovarian cancer patients’ saved tumou... more

06 February 2018

Green tea and tomato juice could be the next medicinal weapons in the war on prostate cancer. Bristol and Oxford University researchers hope to carry out a large-scale randomised experiment after early studies produced “strong observational evidence”... more

06 February 2018

Half of all pregnant women are facing out-of-pocket expenses averaging $142 for a standard ultrasound because Medicare rebates have not risen in 20 years. And more than half of all cancer patients also face gap fees for scans. Lung cancer patients pa... more

05 February 2018

West Australians making poor lifestyle choices are driving up healthcare costs by almost $900 million a year. The latest figures from WA Health show bad lifestyles are contributing to a sick State, with the total hospital bill for “potentially preven... more

05 February 2018

Labor has announced three years of funding support for a breast cancer recovery program. An ALP government would provide $59,000 for each of three years to keep Women’s Health Tasmania’s Encore service running state-wide. The YWCA-developed program h... more

01 February 2018

Doctors are concerned access to codeine – which is available only by prescription from today – has been cut off with no viable alternative. Canberra emergency doctor David Caldicott said the use of medicinal marijuana was an obvious solution for pain... more

01 February 2018

Almost two million Australians will either be living with cancer or its after-effects by 2040, prompting a warning that support services will have to be vastly scaled up to cope with the impending wave. A Cancer Council report forecasts the number of... more

31 January 2018

Heath Minister Greg Hunt says the government will prioritise emerging medical research on genes and their functions, and has backed an innovation report designed to make Australia the healthiest nation in the world by 2030. The report released on Tue... more

31 January 2018

In an opinion piece, Caleb Bond argues that Nick Xenophon's policy of raising the smoking age to 21 in SA would send a message "that young people are not to be trusted and cannot be responsible for their own actions – despite the fact almost 90 perce... more

31 January 2018

South Australia has become the first state to legislate a ban on toxic firefighting foams. The prohibition on all fluorinated foams – including those that contain potentially cancer-causing perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid ... more

31 January 2018

Cancer is a numbers game — and a group of scientists has done the sums to prove it. Using a form of mathematical analysis called evolutionary dynamics, researchers managed to track how colorectal and intestinal cancers spread. They found that when th... more

31 January 2018

Daily sunscreen use by all Australians would slash melanoma rates by up to a third by the year 2031, research has found. The study, led by QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute scientists, suggests more than 28,000 fewer melanomas would be diagno... more

31 January 2018

Smoke from e-cigarettes damages DNA and can increase the risk of cancer and heart disease, scientists warn. The battery-driven devices, which deliver an instant nicotine “hit” without burning tobacco, have been promoted as a safer alternative to ciga... more

30 January 2018

SA best leader Nick Xenophon is backing a push from one of Australia’s richest men to raise the legal smoking age to 21, saying it would be a key demand if he becomes kingmaker after the state election. Mr Xenophon says he will begin releasing a suit... more

30 January 2018

A new report by not-for-profit CanTeen and Deloitte shows for the first time the lifetime cost for each young Australian diagnosed with cancer is $1.3 million. This includes $134,600 in health system costs, $418,700 in productivity costs, such as abs... more

30 January 2018

In an opinion piece Jane Martin writes that the despite the majority of both Coalition and Labor voters supporting a sugar tax both parties continue to ignore their voters. The piece focuses on the need for a sugar tax due to Australia’s high consump... more

30 January 2018

Residents of the sugar town of Mackay are officially the state’s fattest, according to the Cancer Council. In Townsville, obesity rates are growing faster than anywhere else in Australia. The number of obese and overweight adults grew 20 per cent – f... more

29 January 2018

A ban on smoking around schools and hospitals is being considered by the Tasmanian Government. The Government will consult with councils and the broader community about the move, which would see extended smoke-free areas around the institutions. The ... more

29 January 2018

Chain-smoking Indonesia is moving to stub out its booming e-cigarette sector, sparking criticism the government is siding with big tobacco firms at the expense of public health. The South-East Asian nation has one of the world’s highest smoking rates... more

29 January 2018

In an opinion piece Graeme Lynch, writes that many people are unaware of the cancer and heart disease risks of smoking. The opinion piece focuses on the need for more public awareness campaigns about the risks of smoking and further regulation of tob... more

29 January 2018

Tasmania needs a “reinvigorated approach” to addressing alcohol harm — a bigger challenge for the state than ice, says the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council. And the council says the link between alcohol and cancer will be the next public heal... more

29 January 2018

WA teenagers will have fewer jabs but better protection against cervical, head and throat cancers when a new vaccine is introduced this year. The WA Health Department is urging parents to be aware of the changes and keep an eye out for consent forms ... more

25 January 2018

Millions of people could be risking their health by taking herbal remedies and prescription drugs at the same time. Scientists warn statins, warfarin and other common drugs can interact with health supplements, producing dangerous side-effects or red... more

25 January 2018

Perth researchers have been awarded more than $3.5 million to pioneer treatments that could revolutionise how cystic fibrosis is managed. The Telethon Kids Institute scientists are the first West Australians to win a grant from the Federal Government... more

25 January 2018

Hundreds of red-faced Victorians are getting so badly sunburnt they end up in hospital emergency departments each year, risking their lives and long-term health. As Australians prepare for the long weekend, the Cancer Council warns January is the pea... more

25 January 2018

Health groups have raised alarm about a new bill that, if passed, would see the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) abandon the pre-approval process of advertisements for complementary and alternative medicines. While they support many elements of... more

24 January 2018

In an opinion piece, the editor writes of euthanasia: “We may fight the passage of years, and seek sometimes the most extraordinary means of prolonging life even just that little bit extra, but ultimately death claims us all. Short of some biomedical... more

24 January 2018

Research into rare cancers and often-overlooked diseases has received a shot in the arm under a program targeting diseases with low survival rates. Almost $70 million in federal government funding will be provided to some of Australia’s best medical ... more

23 January 2018

In an opinion piece, Judith Sloan writes that the Australian Medical Association’s sugar tax would result in the consumption of sugar going down but the rates of obesity increasing. The piece focuses on the AMA and the issues of introducing a sugar t... more

22 January 2018

Australians are expected to drink less alcohol, spend less on tobacco and eat more fruit and vegetables over the next five years, according to new research. But they will continue to battle with weight. The report conducted by IBISWorld, which specia... more

22 January 2018

A major new website of national cancer data will help researchers and officials pinpoint where efforts should go to best fight the disease. Cancer Australia has launched Australia’s first interactive website of consolidated cancer information, the Na... more

22 January 2018

A new genetic “hazard score” for prostate cancer can help guide decisions on who would benefit from prostate cancer screening, researchers say. Screening for prostate specific antigen or PSA – a cancer indicator – can lead to early detection and pote... more

19 January 2018

Lung cancer is now the biggest killer of Victorian women, overtaking breast cancer as the leading cause of mortality. It’s now the cancer most likely to kill men and women, with only 18 per cent of patients alive after five years. Health experts say ... more

19 January 2018

People with freckles on their irises could be at a higher risk of melanoma, especially if they are younger than 40, a Brisbane research project has found. The presence of three or more pigmented lesions on the iris, the coloured part of the eye, was ... more

19 January 2018

Testing women over 30 for genetic mutations could save more than 80,000 from getting cancer, research suggests. The faults, such as the BRCA gene mutation carried by actor Angelina Jolie, significantly raise cancer risk. Only women known to have fami... more

19 January 2018

Scientists have created a blood test that can detect eight of the most common cancers long before they turn lethal, in a breakthrough that could save millions of people from premature death. The “liquid biopsy” identifies early-stage tumours from pro... more

18 January 2018

In an opinion piece Dr Kathryn Barnsley writes that the tobacco industry has unleashed a new form of deadly filters, designed to create a fast addiction in children, adolescents and young adults. The piece focuses on how Australians, mostly women, th... more

18 January 2018

In an opinion piece Peter Martin writes that according to the Essential poll Australian’s have the same sort of disdain for sugar as they do for tobacco. The piece focuses on how the beverage industry is attempting to mislead Australians about sugar,... more

17 January 2018

Medicinal cannabis will be made available to more young patients in Victoria under an imminent expansion of access to the drug. Minister for Health Jill Hennessy and Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford are today expected to announce the changes, w... more

16 January 2018

Concerns have been raised about delays in cancer diagnosis in Alice Springs, which include a man who waited nine months to find out he had skin cancer. Steve Brown saw his GP about a pea-sized lump in his neck in October 2016. After months of scans a... more

16 January 2018

Research from the University of Virginia in the US shows that ramifications from schoolyard conflicts may be tied to premature aging and other issues – even tumors, arthritis and cancer – later in life. The study, called ‘‘The Body Remembers’’ and pu... more

16 January 2018

Women who receive hormonal therapy for breast cancer are at an increased risk of developing chronic conditions later in life. New research by Flinders University and the University of South Australia, published in the Medical Journal of Australia tod... more

15 January 2018

In an opinion piece Colin Mendelsohn writes that vaping is a potentially lifesaving technology for smokers who have been unable to quit smoking cigarettes. The piece focuses on how vaping isn’t harmless but is safer than tobacco cigarettes. Colin Men... more

15 January 2018

Doctors have warned that families are turning to drug dealers because the process of obtaining medicinal cannabis legally is too arduous, despite the Turnbull government legalising its export earlier this month. GPs are required not only to apply to ... more

15 January 2018

Parents who repeatedly neglect their children by failing to slip, slop, slap this summer have been accused of child abuse. Australia’s peak medical body and other health experts have put parents on notice following Sydney’s hottest day in almost 80 y... more

15 January 2018

Australia breast cancer patients will be the first in the world to access a “liquid biopsy” to detect mutations. Researchers have developed a blood test to gauge whether cancer treatments have stopped working, months earlier than standard, invasive b... more

15 January 2018

A major new study has found no difference in the overall survival rates between young women with breast cancer who had one of the high-risk gene mutations, and those who did not. About 97 per cent of BRCA carriers were alive two years after diagnosis... more

15 January 2018

In an opinion piece Esther Han writes that this year five countries will join 26 nations that have raised the price of sugary drinks in the hope of a healthier population but Australia – one of the fattest countries in the world – is defiantly refusi... more

12 January 2018

Aussies are glued to their mobile phones with a survey showing more than 1.2 million beachgoers are choosing smartphones as the No. 1 item to take to the beach. More than a third (36 per cent) of Generation Z or young people under 22 are most likely ... more

12 January 2018

Hundreds of young WA women are being left out of pocket from the costs of a cervical cancer test they do not need. Doctors and pathologists are concerned that women are confused about changes to the national cervical screening program which now recom... more

12 January 2018

Cancer Council Queensland will today announce a $2 million investment in cancer research projects across Queensland over the next two years, as our world-class scientists seek a cure. More Queenslanders are surviving cancer than ever, but of the 27,0... more

12 January 2018

In an opinion piece Polly Dunning writes that that she’s shocked to see the amount of Australians who fail to protect themselves from the sun when at the beach or pool. The piece focuses on Australia’s high skin cancer rates caused by sun exposure, t... more

11 January 2018

Women with breast cancer could be spared gruelling chemotherapy thanks to a new computer test. Scientists have come up with an algorithm that predicts whether or not a patient’s life is threatened by the disease spreading to their organs. The test is... more

10 January 2018

Women who regularly work night shift in Europe and North America may face a 19 per cent higher risk of cancer than those who work during the day, a study says. However, these heightened risks were not apparent among female night-shift workers in Aust... more

09 January 2018

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt will write to state colleagues to “streamline” patient access to medical cannabis after Tony Abbott went in to bat for the drug. The former prime minister approached Mr Hunt in December after medical cannabis advocat... more

09 January 2018

Australian cancer patients are missing out on drug trials that could prolong their life because of structural and technology failings, a roadblock one Perth doctor is hoping to change with the financial backing of Andrew Forrest. Michael Winlo, chief... more

09 January 2018

A stalled deal for $110 million of federal and state funding has delayed the southern hemisphere’s first proton therapy unit. The stand-off comes as questions linger over the technical capabilities of a US-based company in line to provide the cutting... more

09 January 2018

The state Liberals have pledged to focus on preventive health if elected in March, to follow a $5 million injection for a bowel cancer initiative to “save lives”. The Opposition yesterday announced the multi-million dollar boost intended to drastical... more

08 January 2018

Women who are unhappy with the size of their breasts are less likely to carry out regular cancer checks, researchers warn. Experts recommend women regularly examine their breasts for lumps that could be warning signs of a tumour. But doctors have fou... more

08 January 2018

A fire at an old school building south of Brisbane prompted fears of asbestos exposure to local residents. Police officers doorknocked the area around the Oxley State High School site on Seventeen Mile Rocks Rd, Oxley, after a fire broke out at an ol... more

08 January 2018

A review of medication errors involving opioids in palliative care has found under-dosing may be contributing to the burden of the pain of terminally ill patients in the last weeks of their lives. In a paper published in British Medical Journal Suppo... more

08 January 2018

Advertising junk food to children would be banned, sugar-sweetened drinks taxed, and unhealthy vending machines removed from all medical facilities under an all-out assault on poor nutrition being pushed by the Australian Medical Association. In a ne... more

08 January 2018

World-leading Victorian cancer researchers have been given a $7 million funding package to further discoveries that could potentially save lives. Over a dozen of the state’s most elite cancer researchers will share in the state government grants to h... more

05 January 2018

Australia could find itself the world’s pot dealer with the federal government granting approval for the export of medicinal cannabis. Health Minister Greg Hunt said medicinal cannabis product exports would help the developing domestic market. “By he... more

05 January 2018

Aussie medicinal cannabis will be soon sold overseas, but advocates claim it is still too difficult for local patients to get hold of the products. The Federal Government announced yesterday that it would license the export of medicinal cannabis. Onl... more

05 January 2018

A trial of a potential new brain cancer treatment has shown that a virus injected directly into the bloodstream can reach tumours deep inside the brain and switch on the body’s own defence system to attack them. The trial involved just nine patients,... more

05 January 2018

Drinking alcohol damages DNA, increasing the risk of developing several types of cancer, researchers have discovered. For the first time, scientists have found an explanation why alcohol can increase risk of cancers including breast, colon and bowel.... more

04 January 2018

Teenagers who start using electronic cigarettes are nearly twice as likely to go on to smoke tobacco. University of California researchers say “vaping” gets children hooked on nicotine after they become attracted by their flavours and perceived lower... more

04 January 2018

Patients with inoperable kidney cancer have been given new hope by an ultra-high dose radiation treatment, which pulverises tumours without killing surrounding healthy tissue. Five Royal Adelaide Hospital patients who have undergone the treatment are... more

04 January 2018

Queensland’s top doctors are getting tough on unhealthy snacking, saying Australian kids should follow guidelines of two snacks a day at 100 calories each – cancelling out Mars Bars at 230 calories or a bag of chips at 160 calories. The Australian Me... more

04 January 2018

Draught beer in pubs could become even more expensive under a radical tax hike proposed to the Turnbull government by anti-alcohol lobbyists. The excise on all alcohol would rise by 10 per cent, while the tax on draught beer – discounted since 2001 –... more

03 January 2018

Doctors are warning Australians not to be complacent about the dangers of sunburn as skin cancer kills thousands of people each year. Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon said the statistics were “frightening” and it was important ... more

02 January 2018

Almost 99 per cent of additional funding provided by the Turnbull government for Medicare since the last budget came from a once controversial taskforce looking for outdated, inappropriate and wasteful rebate-funded services. The Medicare Benefits Sc... more

01 January 2018

Cabinet rejected a recommendation by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee to list nicotine patches on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Minister for Human Services and Health Carmen Lawrence said listing the patches could cost up to $100 ... more

31 December 2017

Medications that can inhibit the growth of two “catastrophic cancers’’ will next week be made available to Australians at a tiny fraction of the original price. Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced the listing of cancer medicines alectinib (brand ... more

31 December 2017

Children born to women who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy, especially when mothers are heavy smokers, are at an increased risk of having attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a review of medical studies confirms. Mothers who smoked dur... more

31 December 2017

If you start scrutinising your food for added sugar, you won’t find any, says Professor Amanda Lee. And you can’t quit what you can’t find. Professor Lee helped write the book on healthy diets. She chaired the National Health and Medical Research Cou... more

22 December 2017

The evidence is still not in on medical cannabis for treating certain conditions, according to new guidance documents for doctors and the public. For the first time, Australian doctors will have access to up-to-date information from a government webs... more

22 December 2017

It  is the immune system’s “fountain of youth” — an organ the size of an orange behind the collarbone of a newborn, that wastes away from puberty until it is smaller than a marble by old age. But Melbourne researchers have identified a key cell likel... more

22 December 2017

In an opinion piece, Professor John Dixon writes that the NSW Health policy directive for doctors to not use the word “obesity” is counterproductive and promotes a state of denial. The piece focuses on how this new policy supports an ongoing denial t... more

20 December 2017

Deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease have doubled among people with mental illness over the past two decades, according to new research from the Australian National University. ANU School of Demography associate professor Vladimir Canudas-Ro... more

20 December 2017

Men with symptoms of prostate cancer wait four times longer for a diagnosis than women with suspected breast cancer, an audit has revealed. It takes 56 days, on average, from when a man first reports symptoms to a GP for him to be confirmed with pros... more

20 December 2017

A push to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21 is gaining traction in Queensland, with new polling showing 81 per cent of people support the change. Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles has also praised the proposal, saying it should be considered ... more

20 December 2017

Cervical cancer is set to become a disease of the middle aged, research shows. Experts predict it will almost be eradicated among young women by 2040 thanks to the HPV vaccine, which for the last decade has been given to all British schoolgirls. Inst... more

19 December 2017

Funding for ground breaking research into head and neck cancer will be among projects to benefit from grants worth $8 million being announced by the Turnbull Government today. The 24 successful recipients will focus on prevention, diagnosis and treat... more

14 December 2017

Smokers may defy health warnings by telling themselves their habit makes them look cool, but the latest evidence shows that smokers are less attractive to the opposite sex. Tell-tale wrinkles from puffing on a cigarette may be to blame for people jud... more

14 December 2017

Austria is to break with a global trend in health policy by abandoning plans to ban smoking in bars and restaurants. Full smoking prohibition was due to come in next May, but now will be shelved at the insistence of the far-right Freedom Party as a c... more

14 December 2017

Perth doctors are helping patients with advanced mesothelioma and lung and breast cancers breathe more easily and spend their last days at home instead of hospital. Patients use an implanted catheter that drains fluid so they do not need to go to hos... more

14 December 2017

The Blue Mountains council is facing suspension by the NSW government over alleged serious asbestos breaches, after the substance was discovered at a number of council-owned sites including two pre-schools and a library. Local government minister Gab... more

13 December 2017

Melbourne patients are the first in the world to trial an Australian-developed drug which hopefully will halt the most common and deadly form of brain cancer. Fifteen years after work first began to develop the drug KB004 (ifabotuzumab), the first br... more

13 December 2017

  There are more than 12,000 cases of melanoma diagnosed every year in Australia. As one of the most accessible and frequently visited healthcare destinations, pharmacy is in a prime position to educate customers on the risk of skin cancer and advis... more

13 December 2017

It’s something we should do at least twice a day, but now experts say there is an added benefit to regularly brushing your teeth - it could reduce your risk of throat cancer. The findings of a US study, published in the journal Cancer Research, were ... more

12 December 2017

Almost 40 per cent of cancer deaths in Australia are potentially avoidable, a study has found. Researchers estimate that about 17,000 Australian lives may be saved each year, mostly through lifestyle changes, such as giving up smoking, eating better,... more

12 December 2017

Ten tonnes of asbestos was dumped in the middle of a suburban street in Chester Hill early yesterday, metres from the front yards of residents. About 1am, occupants of Patricia St notified police and fire crews after noticing the toxic material in th... more

11 December 2017

More than 100 NSW patients have been victims of accidental doses of radiation due to medical error — including patient IDs not being checked properly or the wrong anatomy being X-rayed, a damning report has found. The cases include people being given... more

11 December 2017

A Canberra man diagnosed with cancer was referred to palliative care despite later undergoing successful treatment in another state. His complaint was among 387 health services related complaints received by the ACT Human Rights Commission in 2016-17... more

11 December 2017

A push to raise South Australia’s legal smoking age would be inconsistent with a recent move to toughen sentencing of serious young offenders, the state’s peak welfare body says. SA Council of Social Services chief executive Ross Womersley said raisi... more

11 December 2017

Women who use hormonal contraceptives have a 20 per cent higher risk of breast cancer than those who do not use them, according to new research. The study is said to be the biggest of its kind on breast cancer and hormonal contraception such as the c... more

11 December 2017

There is hope for women with the deadly “Angelina Jolie” breast cancer gene, with evidence an osteoporosis drug could save them from the disease. More than 15,000 Australian women have the BRCA1 gene, which gives them a 70 per cent chance of developi... more

11 December 2017

Postmenopausal women who lose weight may have a significantly reduced chance of developing breast cancer, research suggests. Several studies have associated high body mass index with increased breast cancer risk, sparking research to see if losing we... more

11 December 2017

NSW Cancer Council has called for a ban on alcohol sponsorship of sporting and cultural events —particularly those popular with youngsters — saying not enough people are aware of the links between drinking and cancer. “Weak” regulations meant childre... more

08 December 2017

The final licences needed for medicinal cannabis to be grown and manufactured in Tasmania have been obtained, with plantings earmarked for the second quarter of next year. The licence for Tasmanian Alkaloids’ facility at Westbury will enable AusCann,... more

08 December 2017

Watch out — your Christmas tipple could pack more kilojoules than the sweet treats it’s washing down. And while Australia’s food and drink regulations mandate nutritional information on food and beverage packaging, alcoholic drinks are exempt. Choice... more

07 December 2017

South Australian scientists have secured almost double their annual funding from Federal Government grants for research into health discoveries, treatments and cures. Breast cancer research, cardiovascular health, diet and nutrition, and women’s and ... more

07 December 2017

A wild Tasmanian underwater plant has played a key role in breakthrough US research that found seaweed compounds can reduce cancer growth rates. Studies on animals at the University of Texas, Houston, found extracts from two seaweed species, one of w... more

07 December 2017

Australians risk increasing their chance of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colon cancer if they cut quality carbohydrates high in cereal fibre from their diets.  A group of leading international and Australian experts say the evidenc... more

07 December 2017

Shocking people into understanding the deadly link between being fat and getting cancer could be the way to bolster support for anti-obesity policies such as a junk food tax, health experts claim. New Australian research shows only 42 per cent of peo... more

06 December 2017

New gender quotas for research have seen dozens of women scientists winning bonus grant funding. However, male researchers won two-thirds of the The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants being announced today. Cancer and heart d... more

06 December 2017

Women are discovering that while technology has brought great improvements in breast cancer screening, it has also brought a degree of uncertainty. A study from the Netherlands, published in BMJ Open today, is likely to cause alarm as it suggests hal... more

06 December 2017

Work has begun on a new oncology centre, with hopes it will cut waiting times for cancer patients and save Canberrans from travelling interstate for treatment. The Canberra Specialist Medical Centre at University of Canberra is due to open next year,... more

05 December 2017

Australia’s biggest superannuation fund is selling out of big tobacco in a punishing blow for the industry, offloading more than $900 million worth of shares. AustralianSuper has hatched plans to sell out of tobacco merchants including heavyweights P... more

05 December 2017

Common anti-inflammatory drugs could stop skin cancers becoming deadly ulcerated melanomas, Queensland researchers have found. A study by the Brisbane based QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute has shown that regular use of some anti-inflammator... more

05 December 2017

Most parents are confused over what constitutes healthy or unhealthy food, with treats now daily snacks for toddlers and vegetables scarce at dinner time. The latest Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll, a quarterly survey of almost 2... more

05 December 2017

Sausages could be better for us than previously thought. The World Health Organisation warned two years ago that 50g of processed meat — or a sausage a day — could raise risk of bowel cancer by almost a fifth. But scientists have found the chemicals ... more

04 December 2017

A new-generation cancer drug holds the hope of a “cure” for HIV patients, research has shown. French doctors made the discovery while using the immunotherapy drug nivolumab to treat a man with lung cancer and AIDS. They observed a “drastic and persis... more

04 December 2017

The RAH haematologist responsible for the chemotherapy mistake, Dr Ian Lewis, froze “like a kangaroo in the headlights” and did nothing to follow up the serious error that halved the doses given to seriously ill leukaemia patients. The coroner’s cour... more

04 December 2017

More women undergoing chemotherapy have been given a better chance of having a baby post-treatment, with the Federal Government expanding the listing of an effective fertility preservation medication on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Goserelin, ... more

04 December 2017

Nicotine patches and other tobacco replacements have been proven to be safer than smoking for pregnant women, despite a quarter of doctors claiming they never prescribe the treatments. A new report to be released today in the Medical Journal of Austr... more

04 December 2017

In an opinion piece, federal Labor MP Tim Hammond writes that he opposes the recent legalisation of voluntary assisted dying. The piece focuses on Tim’s reasons for opposing including that there has been adequate funding for palliative care and the e... more

04 December 2017