Cancer in the News

02 April 2020

Smokers have an opportunity to kick their habit during this time of spatial distancing as a combination of influenza and COVID-19 are likely to have a greater impact, including higher hospitalisation and death rates, on them over the coming months. E... more

02 April 2020

Three-quarters of all deaths in Australia resulting from the coronavirus pandemic are linked to just three sources of infection — the Ruby Princess and three other returning cruise ships, an aged care facility and the cancer treatment ward of a major... more

30 March 2020

Two cancer patients at The Alfred Hospital Melbourne, died on Wednesday 25th March after having been infected with COVID-19. The two men, aged in their 70s were being treated for blood cancers in the Alfred’s oncology department. The hospital confirm... more

26 March 2020

Inequality in obesity levels between the rich and poor is resulting in more than 3500 extra deaths and adding $1 billion to Australia’s public health expenditure each year. The study is the first to estimate the human and economic costs of Australia’... more

24 March 2020

An improved prostate cancer scan, called a PSMA-PET/CT scan, could save lives by detecting those at risk of recurrence. The study found using a radioactive molecule, which sticks to prostate cancer cells and lights them up during a scan, to be 27 per... more

23 March 2020

South Australia’s health industry is reaching for the next frontier of cancer treatment and the impact will be far-reaching, saving lives, accelerating science and technology businesses, and enhancing the new world of radiation and clinical research.... more

16 March 2020

Cancer Council WA is calling for a ban on all e-cigarette liquids amid concerns of some Perth retailers displaying fruit and flavoured e-liquids next to kids toys and sweets. Make Smoking History manager, Libby Jardine said these products were eviden... more

16 March 2020

Perth researchers have been awarded a $200,000 grant to develop a less toxic treatment for childhood brain cancer. Dr Nicholas Gottardo and the team at the Telethon Kids Institute are developing a therapy that uses the patient’s own immune system to ... more

13 March 2020

Melbourne City Council is set to ban e-cigarettes in existing smoke-free zones in parts of the CBD. Eleven no-smoking areas will be set up if the council passes an amendment next Tuesday night. Lord mayor Sally Capp said, ‘‘E-cigarettes are relativel... more

11 March 2020

Every Australian would need to eat an extra 9kg of nuts each year to help lower their risk of cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer and type 2 diabetes, new research shows. The University of Wollongong study, published in Public Health Nutrit... more

11 March 2020

Sydney students view up to 2800 advertisements for junk food while travelling to and from school each year, prompting Cancer Council NSW to call for a ban on such ads being displayed on government property. Research published by the Sax Institute yes... more

11 March 2020

Australia needs to ban the importation of liquid nicotine for use in e-cigarettes to protect young people’s health, South Australian Senator Stirling Griff says. But the nation’s leading retail lobby says such a move would drive people back to tradit... more

11 March 2020

Illegal liquid nicotine is being sold throughout Melbourne despite a host of laws banning the poisonous e-cigarette products. In frustration at inaction by government authorities, Quit Victoria last week visited several CBD stores to purchase alleged... more

09 March 2020

A new artificial intelligence assisted technology means one prostate cancer expert can provide a tailor-made treatment. Dr Amy Teh said the new radiotherapy treatment meant fewer side effects and a better experience for her patients. “You can actuall... more

09 March 2020

Audits of 31 licensed e-cigarette and vaping retailers in Adelaide have registered no serious breaches of new packaging and advertising laws. In March 2019, the e-cigarette industry in South Australia became more regulated. Advertising and point-of-s... more

04 March 2020

A landmark finding that there is ‘‘good evidence’’ toxic firefighting chemicals potentially cause harmful health effects including cancer has undercut the federal government’s claim that the risks are ‘‘minimal’’ and left it exposed to the threat of ... more

02 March 2020

Melanoma patients forking out more than $100,000 for advanced cancer treatment will now be able to access cheaper medicines. From today, the Morrison Government has added a host of Opdivo (nivolumab) treatments to the medicines that are on the Pharma... more

02 March 2020

Public health advocates have denounced the move by food delivery companies Uber Eats and Deliveroo to partner with convenience stores to deliver junk food. Two weeks ago, BP service stations expanded their ‘‘Couch Food’’ range in a partnership with D... more

02 March 2020

A study has found people order more wine at a restaurant when a 370ml glass is placed in front of them, rather than a 300ml one. Study author Mark Pilling, from the University of Cambridge’s Behaviour and Health Research Unit, said: “Pouring wine fro... more

02 March 2020

A crackdown on Australians who illegally import nicotine vaping products online is imminent, in a move set to reignite debate over whether e-cigarettes are helpful for smokers who need help to quit. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is seeking to tig... more

28 February 2020

Australian researchers have played a key role in the world’s biggest genetic analysis of breast cancer risk, laying the foundations for the development of new preventive drugs and earlier treatments. Geneticist Georgia Chenevix-Trench, of the QIMR Be... more

27 February 2020

Tobacco companies are offering cash and gift incentives to retailers to boost sales of cigarettes, with one shop owner admitting to getting a $1000 bar tab to throw a party for staff, new research out today reveals. A national Cancer Council probe in... more

27 February 2020

An electronic nose has been found to accurately detect a condition which precedes oesophageal cancer. The device can pick up Barrett’s oesophagus, a condition where healthy cells in the food pipe are replaced by abnormal ones, and often a precursor t... more

26 February 2020

Women aged 75 and older do not benefit from regular breast screening mammograms, researchers have reported. Although studies clearly show mammograms starting at age 50 prevent breast cancer deaths, until now, doctors have had little evidence about wh... more

26 February 2020

New blood cancer forecasts recommend the country change its approach to the disease to avoid dire outcomes. Leukaemia Foundation chief executive Bill Petch flew to Tasmania this week to discuss the “big year” ahead in the fight against blood cancer. ... more

26 February 2020

Australia's world-leading minerals industry has taken the next step in its successful industry positioning campaign with new ads showing how Australian gold is helping in the fight against cancer. The next stage of the Minerals Council of Australia’s... more

26 February 2020

Women are gaining more than 20 kilograms after a breast cancer diagnosis and it’s increasing the chance their cancer will return. Researchers from NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University and ICON Cancer Centre, Sydney Adventist Hosp... more

25 February 2020

Nine Adelaide researchers have been awarded a total of $1 million in grants by the Hospital Research Foundation to fight deadly diseases and improve the health and wellbeing of the community. The foundation is the largest non-government funder of med... more

24 February 2020

A $5000 test that can indicate whether a breast cancer patient needs chemotherapy has been rejected for a government subsidy even though it would mean thousands of women could avoid cancer treatment. The Government’s Medical Services Advisory Committ... more

24 February 2020

The nation’s police forces and Border Force have warned that a string of tax increases on tobacco, aimed at cutting Australia’s smoking rate, has encouraged organised criminals into the market just as the excise on a single cigarette is poised to hit... more

24 February 2020

New Zealand will introduce laws banning all advertisements of e-cigarettes and the sale of such products to people under 18 in a move to regulate a market that has been under pressure globally. The Bill, posted on the health ministry’s website, also ... more

24 February 2020

Women with ovarian cancer wait an average of 32 weeks for a diagnosis, national figures have found. And 1500 women in Australia will be diagnosed with the disease this year. It comes as calls are renewed for more research and funding into the disease... more

24 February 2020

A simple urine test could spot bladder cancer 10 years before symptoms appear, according to a major study led by the World Health Organisation. Detection of bladder cancer is usually very poor. If it is spotted at the earliest stage, there is a 90 pe... more

20 February 2020

Three out of four Australian parents are scared their children might try e-cigarettes, with many calling for a ban on flavoured vaping products that may appeal to teens. A Royal Children’s Hospital poll of parents found 87 per cent supported a ban on... more

17 February 2020

Biotech Noxopharm says a clinical trial suggests its experimental drug was able to extend the average lifespan of 32 men with terminal prostate cancer. The men were treated with Noxopharm’s Veyonda in combination with Novartis’ $6 billion experimenta... more

17 February 2020

Sex does not cause cancer, but a sex-centric lifestyle might. According to a new study, those who had 10 or more sexual partners during their lifetime were 91 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than women with one or zero partners. “Pre... more

17 February 2020

Australian research may have uncovered a clue — and a drug — to treat a cancer deadly to children under five. Professor Maria Kavalaris, from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Bio Nano Science and her team found tumours contained an increased number of... more

17 February 2020

Australia's childhood cancer rate is projected to jump another 7 per cent by 2035 after rising 1.2 per cent a year in the decade to 2015. The slow, but steady rise, follows a 10-year period when childhood cancer incidence rates in Australia were stab... more

17 February 2020

You need to apply sunscreen for your morning commute, school run or trip to the shops — or greatly increase your risk of getting skin cancer, new research has found. While fewer people are sunbaking on the beach, new research shows two in three still... more

17 February 2020

Doctors are fighting an application by global tobacco giant Philip Morris International to sell its ‘‘heat not burn’’ products in Australia, warning there is ‘‘no evidence’’ the product is any safer than smoking cigarettes. The Royal Australian Colle... more

13 February 2020

Research, new equipment and improved screening will be the centrepieces of an audacious plan to abolish breast cancer within a decade. The National Breast Cancer Foundation aims to raise $10 million a year for the next 10 years to achieve zero deaths... more

12 February 2020

Cancer patients suffering from rare or aggressive forms of the disease could soon be able to specifically tailor treatment to their genes, making it easier to attack the disease. A new genomic sequencing test, led by researchers at Melbourne Universi... more

12 February 2020

A 13 per cent improvement in blood cancer survival rates in Australia could save more than 22,000 lives over the next 15 years. The issue is most critical in regional Australia, where more than half of those diagnosed with a blood cancer aren’t seen ... more

12 February 2020

An upswing in cases of deadly silica dust disease in NSW has prompted the government to launch a public education blitz about the dangers of working with manufactured stone. State government figures revealed in Parliament yesterday show there were 70... more

11 February 2020

Two Australian robotics engineers and a medical doctor have won backing from the CSIRO’s innovation fund for a plan to use predictive analytics and machine learning to speed up treatments for prostate cancer and hepatitis C. In contrast to traditiona... more

07 February 2020

A decade-long study sequencing the genomes of dozens of cancers has revealed the secrets of how tumours form and may pave the way for better and more targeted treatment. The Pan-Cancer Project brought together more than 1300 researchers globally to t... more

05 February 2020

The UN health agency yesterday warned cancer cases would rise by 81 per cent in low and middle-income countries by 2040 because of a lack of investment in prevention and care. “This is a wake-up call to all of us to tackle the unacceptable inequaliti... more

05 February 2020

Eating red meat just twice a week raises the risk of early death, according to a major 30-year study. Processed food such as bacon and sausages and unprocessed steaks and chops were all found to raise mortality rates. The US researchers  tracked near... more

05 February 2020

Men with a family history of breast and ovarian cancers are at higher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, experts warn. The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia said that while having a family history of prostate cancer significantly inc... more

04 February 2020

Text message alerts are being trialled as the latest weapon against one of Australia’s biggest killer cancers and to convince people to save their own lives. With six out of 10 Australians turning their back on the free bowel screening kits that coul... more

04 February 2020

Better access to treatments, clinical trials and early diagnostics will be critical to preventing a spike in blood cancers across Australia over the next 15 years. A major health taskforce has been established to advise the Federal Government on how ... more

04 February 2020

Cancer deaths in WA are expected to soar by 33 per cent over the next five years, prompting authorities to draw up plans to cope with increased demands on the State’s public health system. More than 5500 West Australians will die from cancer in 2025,... more

03 February 2020

Scientists have discovered a new form of cigarette danger and it comes from long-time dead butts. In what they have labelled “after smoke”, researchers for the first time have found that there is a shock level of airborne nicotine emissions coming fr... more

03 February 2020

Some 62 million deaths could be prevented if the world’s poorest nations urgently increase cervical cancer services, new research suggests. Two studies published yesterday found 62 million lives could be saved over the next 100 years if 78 countries ... more

03 February 2020

Experts have suggested that a serve of yoghurt a day could help prevent breast cancer. Academics at Lancaster University in the UK found natural-based yoghurt contains milk with similar healthy lactose fermenting bacteria to the cultures found in the... more

31 January 2020

Smokers can effectively turn back time in their lungs by kicking the habit, with healthy cells emerging to replace some of their tobacco-damaged and cancer-prone ones, a new study shows. The study published in the journal Nature found that the body a... more

31 January 2020

Two deaths in England that may be linked to vaping are being investigated by the medicines watchdog. The Medicines and Healthcare regulatory agency has also had 20 reports of bad reactions to vaping. Public Health England advises using e-cigarettes a... more

31 January 2020

Major deficiencies in the management of people with chronic disease have been exposed by the Productivity Commission in a new report that also reveals that only about half of older people are regularly screened for breast and bowel cancer. It showed ... more

31 January 2020

Life expectancy in the United States is up for the first time in four years. The increase is just a month but it marks at least a temporary halt to a downward trend. The rise is due to lower death rates for cancer and drug overdoses, says the report ... more

30 January 2020

A trial will individually test lung cancer patients to create a personalised treatment plan and avoid unnecessary side effects and procedures. The new treatment will be offered to 1000 patients newly diagnosed with non-squamous, non-small cell lung c... more

29 January 2020

Doctors are calling for the Government to widen the net of subsidies for nicotine replacement medicines as daily smoking is three times higher in poorer areas of the country where smokers struggle to afford quitting aids. The Royal Australian College... more

29 January 2020

Johnson & Johnson chief executive Alex Gorsky testified in court on Monday for the first time in litigation over the safety of his company’s signature baby powder, saying the company has taken steps to ensure it is safe to use. “I was told by exp... more

28 January 2020

Australians battling highly aggressive blood cancers could start a ground-breaking treatment within weeks after the federal government signed a new funding deal for the therapy that uses the body’s own immune system to fight the disease. Adult patien... more

28 January 2020

The use of nicotine-based e-cigarettes has been cautiously recommended as a potential second-line aid for people who want to quit smoking. In an updated guide on supporting smokers to stop, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP... more

28 January 2020

There was not enough evidence to conclude that e-cigarettes helped smokers quit tobacco, a US government report said, as the vaping industry faced increased regulatory pressures. The advice was contrary to that provided by the British government, whi... more

28 January 2020

School lunch box sweet treats have been exposed as containing record levels of salt. They contain so much salt that a child would exceed their entire sodium intake for the day by eating a single choc chip muffin. Obesity campaigners LiveLighter check... more

28 January 2020

Marketing campaigns are fuelling childhood obesity and influencing what children choose to eat, an international report has found. The report, from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), found junk food marketing affects what kids “want, buy and eat”... more

28 January 2020

About 11,000 cancers in women and 18,000 in men are being over-diagnosed in Australia each year, subjecting people to unnecessary surgery and chemotherapy that can make them sterile and very ill. These people would never have experienced symptoms or ... more

24 January 2020

Kids with severe sunburn are presenting to emergency departments at alarming rates. One in every five cases of sunburn that presented to an emergency department in the 2018-2019 financial period were children under the age of nine. A further 32 per c... more

24 January 2020

Australian researchers have uncovered the genes that will make you healthy and able to live a long life, in a major scientific breakthrough. The Garvan Institute of Medical Research has mapped the genomic data of 4000 Australians aged over 70 who hav... more

24 January 2020

Queensland Health will offer renewed cancer screening to 760 patients who had “scopes” at Redland Hospital between 2008 and 2012 after concerns emerged about the “thoroughness” of a doctor who retired more than five years ago. Courier Mail Brisbane,... more

23 January 2020

The founder of Border Force’s illegal tobacco squad says increased cigarette prices have generated a corresponding increase in criminals stealing cigarettes – which have become ‘‘as expensive as silver’’ – to sell on the booming black market. A serie... more

23 January 2020

E-cigarettes are “not safe” and are harmful to wellbeing, global health chiefs warn. In a series of strongly worded tweets, they said there was not enough evidence the devices should be used by people who were trying to quit smoking. Vaping was parti... more

22 January 2020

A newly discovered type of killer immune cell has raised the prospect of a “universal” cancer therapy, scientists say. Researchers at Cardiff University suggest a new T-cell receptor offers hope of a “onesize-fits-all” cancer therapy. T-cell therapie... more

22 January 2020

A common pill used to treat anxiety and high blood pressure could become a breast cancer wonder drug. In a breakthrough discovery, a Melbourne study has found that beta blockers slow the spread of the disease that killed an estimated 3000 Australian ... more

20 January 2020

Survivors of childhood cancer are five times more likely to develop a “second primary cancer” than members of the general population, according to new research published today. While survivors are most at risk of relapsing during the five years after... more

20 January 2020

Pregnant women could help protect their babies from future heart disease and cancer by avoiding a fatty diet, Australian research reveals. The study, led by University of Sydney researcher and Heart Foundation future leader fellow, associate professo... more

20 January 2020

A gynaecologist is calling on women in the west to get their cervix screened after Maribyrnong ranked as a cervical cancer hot spot. Kingsville and Seddon have the highest rate of cervical cancer in Victoria at 29 per cent above the Australian averag... more

13 January 2020

South Australian women are facing the highest out-of-pocket costs for breast cancer scans in the country. New figures show South Australian women are paying $126.42 on average for a scan if they go through the private sector. A federal Health Departm... more

13 January 2020

Almost $3 million in funding has been awarded to South Australian researchers from Cancer Council’s Beat Cancer Project. A total of 13 new projects have been funded in the latest round of grants across a range of cancers, focusing on better ways to d... more

13 January 2020

Shocking skin cancer data reveals that Melbourne’s bayside suburbs of Sandringham and Black Rock are Victoria’s melanoma capitals. The adjoining suburbs recorded 36 per cent more cases than the national average between 2010 and 2014. Herald Sun Melb... more

13 January 2020

Mornington is the Victorian epicentre for a cancer that kills about 3500 Australian men every year. The peninsula village had 73 per cent more cases of prostate cancer than the national average — the highest rate in Victoria. The latest figures from ... more

13 January 2020

New ‘spray on’ chemotherapy being tested in Melbourne is giving fresh hope to cancer patients. The therapy administers cancer-fighting drugs directly to the tumour site using an aerosol spray instead of being injected into the bloodstream. Epworth He... more

10 January 2020

While the fall in cancer death rates in the US is making headlines across the world, Australia has quietly been doing just as well and, in some cancers, doing even better because of its universal healthcare system. Professor Sanchia Aranda, chief exe... more

10 January 2020

American Cancer Society reported yesterday that the cancer death rate in the United States fell 2.2 per cent from 2016 to 2017 — the largest single-year decline in cancer mortality ever reported. Since 1991 the rate has dropped 29 per cent, which tra... more

09 January 2020

Fears that using talcum powder can increase women’s risk of ovarian cancer are groundless, says a study. The verdict comes despite 22 victims winning damages after a jury found using talc had caused their cancer. But a study of 252,745 women says the... more

08 January 2020

Fifteen South Australians, including 10 children, have been exposed to dangerous levels of nicotine after ingesting liquid from e-cigarettes or vapes, and authorities warn the number could be much higher. Figures obtained by The Advertiser from the P... more

07 January 2020

A world-first clinical trial will be conducted in Adelaide to help long-term smokers who live in low socio-economic areas to kick their addiction. Flinders University will host the Cancer Australia funded trial, which will focus on the city’s poorer ... more

06 January 2020

A life-changing new medicine will now be cheaper for Australian women battling advanced breast cancer. The important new treatment, Verzenio, has been listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from January 1 this year to significantly reduce the c... more

06 January 2020

Men with testicular cancer could be spared some of the side effects of chemotherapy with new research suggesting their treatment could be halved. A new clinical trial concluded the cancer can be prevented from coming back using half the amount of che... more

06 January 2020

The US Congress has voted to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21 to stem the rising tide of youth vaping. Passed by the Senate as part of a wider budgetary bill, it will take effect next year and mean that tobacco and ... more

06 January 2020

Advertising for electronic cigarettes is pushing non-smokers and young people to take up vaping, despite the health risks. Researchers from Macquarie University reviewed 43 studies involving 27,303 people globally to examine the effect of e-cigarette... more

06 January 2020

The US government is banning most flavoured e-cigarettes in a bid to curb the rising tide of youth vaping. The Food and Drug Administration said cartridge-based e-cigarettes in flavours other than tobacco or menthol would be illegal unless specifical... more

06 January 2020

Vaping should be completely banned over emerging health concerns and vaping-related deaths overseas. This is the slim majority view dividing more than 4000 South Australians involved in the Sunday Mail’s survey. Just over half said that vaping should... more

06 January 2020

Scientists have discovered how to switch off a key “pain gene”, dramatically raising hopes of a long-term treatment to relieve the agony of serious illness for millions. The revolutionary technique alters a patient’s DNA, silencing a gene that transm... more

06 January 2020

A google artificial intelligence system proved as good as expert radiologists at detecting which women had breast cancer based on screening mammograms and showed promise at reducing errors, researchers report. The study, published in the journal Natu... more

06 January 2020

The UK’s National Health Service is hoping that a new pre-treatment fitness program will lead to better odds of survival for thousands of cancer patients. People who have been diagnosed with the disease are being given the option of entering into a “... more

06 January 2020

Not all processed meat has the same cancer risk, new research suggests. A study published yesterday in the journal Nutrients has questioned the World Health Organisation’s blanket classification of processed meat as carcinogenic. Researchers say they... more

06 January 2020

People with a high body mass index in some cases have a better chance of surviving certain cancers, Flinders University research has found. Its study used clinical trials of atezolizumab — an immunotherapy treatment for non small-cell lung cancer — a... more

06 January 2020

Australian dentists are joining the fight against skin cancer, taking an interest in the faces of patients rather than just their teeth and gums. Australian Academy of Dento-Facial Aesthetics (AADFA) director Myles Holt said dentists are asking patie... more

06 January 2020

20 December 2019

The number of men using traditional tobacco products has finally started to decline worldwide. Four out of five tobacco users globally are men, so declines among males “mark a turning point in the fight against tobacco,” the World Health Organisation... more

20 December 2019

The Instagram hashtag #breasties is used by breast cancer patients across the globe to share hidden insights about their treatment. RMIT University marketing researcher Lauren Gurrieri said information about breast cancer usually showed what happened... more

19 December 2019

The life-saving sun-safe message is getting lost, with Queenslanders making vital mistakes such as soaking up too much sun to boost their vitamin D. New research from Cancer Council out today highlights where sun safety is falling over. The latest da... more

19 December 2019

US health officials have endorsed a type of cigarette that could help ease the addictive grip of smoking by delivering very low levels of nicotine. The Food and Drug Administration will allow 22nd Century Group to begin selling the first low-nicotine... more

18 December 2019

Australia’s largest life insurer, TAL, has been sued in the Federal Court by the corporate watchdog after the company cancelled a cancer patient’s policy, claiming she had an unrelated “history of depression” that was not disclosed to the company.  ... more

18 December 2019

A South Australia researcher has received $560,412 to find more ways for the body’s own immune system to kill tumours. Acting Health Minister and South Australia Senator Anne Ruston yesterday announced $8.9 million for cancer research projects. The F... more

18 December 2019

A Queensland-first, innovative clinic has launched at the Princess Alexandra Hospital to predict the chances of a diagnosis in those who are at high risk of familial breast cancer. The Preventative High Risk Familial Breast Cancer Clinic will provide... more

17 December 2019

Vaping could raise the risk of serious lung disease by almost a third, a study by the University of California has found. E-cigarette users are 29 per cent more likely to suffer conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis and asthma than people who have... more

17 December 2019

Nicotine fluid can no longer be possessed in the Northern Territory – even with a doctor’s prescription – in a move which health experts say could force ex-smokers back to cigarettes. A spokesman for Health Minister Natasha Fyles said promoting e-cig... more

17 December 2019

Australians will have to slash their alcohol consumption by four drinks per week to fit within stringent new guidelines issued by the nation’s peak medical body. Previously, the safe drinking guidelines allowed up to 14 drinks per week. That will be ... more

16 December 2019

Almost 40 million illegal cigarettes have been seized in Melbourne in the past week. The Australian Border Force searched sea cargo shipments from China and X-rayed containers before finding the massive stash of tobacco. The shipment was declared as ... more

16 December 2019

Adelaide researchers leading an international clinical trial say they have made “the biggest breakthrough in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) treatment this century”. The project has demonstrated the safety and efficacy of a next-generation treatment ... more

16 December 2019

Certain forms of hormone replacement therapy actually protect women against breast cancer, researchers have shown. After years of debate on the risks of HRT, new analysis presented to the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in Texas suggests the type... more

16 December 2019

Women who use certain types of hormones after menopause still have an increased risk of developing breast cancer nearly two decades after they quit the pills, long-term results from a US federal study suggest. Although the risk is very small, doctors... more

13 December 2019

Smoking giant Philip Morris wants to introduce a new tobacco product in Australia: heated “sticks” it claims are an alternative to vaping and smoking that “produce fewer and/or lower levels of toxic chemicals than cigarettes”. The heated tobacco prod... more

13 December 2019

Doctors in the US have reported unusually good results from tests of two experimental drugs in women with an aggressive form of breast cancer. One drug, Tucatinib, showed particular ability to reach tumours in the brain, which are notoriously tough t... more

12 December 2019

A new type of cancer treatment that could potentially stop tumours growing and spreading has been discovered by Queensland scientists. The breakthrough by QIMR Berghofer researchers offers hope for patients with cancers that do not respond to current... more

12 December 2019

The number of Queenslanders admitted to hospital for skin cancer has tripled in the past five years. New Medibank data has revealed a 177 per cent spike in patient admission, with 5670 in the last financial year. The Australian Institute of Health an... more

11 December 2019

Hospital admissions for skin cancer in South Australia have tripled in the past five years. Analysis of Australian Cancer Council figures by Medibank shows there were more than 1300 hospital admissions in SA for skin cancer treatment last financial y... more

11 December 2019

The number of hospital admissions for skin cancer treatment in Tasmania has almost quadrupled over the past five years, new data from Medibank shows. Medibank chief customer officer David Koczkar said the increase in hospital admissions in Tasmania c... more

11 December 2019

Obesity experts want tougher restrictions on advertising junk food to children, after Kellogg’s exploited a loophole to tempt kids into consuming sugary foods via a colouring-in competition. The Ads Standards Community Panel, which oversees the food ... more

09 December 2019

Only 9 per cent of South Australians check UV levels to determine their use of sun protection, despite UV exposure causing up to 95 per cent of melanoma skin cancers, Cancer Council SA research shows. Despite all the information out there, these resu... more

09 December 2019

Parents have become so focused on keeping their kids safe from the sun they are neglecting to look after their own skin, a new study has revealed. The research from life insurer TAL also reveals that eight in 10 Victorians said they could do more to ... more

09 December 2019

There is new hope for cancer patients suffering from painful side effects from chemotherapy, with a new remedy being developed to treat or even prevent the symptoms. The breakthrough research is one of 66 Australian projects sharing in $61 million in... more

09 December 2019

Lung cancer is set to become the target of a new national screening program as cancer experts ask the public to help determine who should be eligible for testing. Cancer Australia is calling for submissions to help design a screening program that wil... more

06 December 2019

New research from life insurance agency TAL has revealed that Aussie parents are so focused on keeping their kids safe from the sun they neglect looking after their own skin. Almost 40 per cent of parents said they would always urge their children to... more

06 December 2019

Men who keep active cut their risk of prostate cancer by half. Experts say exercise, which can include gardening or walking, has a “far larger” protective effect than previously thought. A team funded by Cancer Research UK measured physical activity ... more

06 December 2019

Australian scientists studying a tapeworm commonly found in dogs have stumbled upon a potential new treatment for some human cancers. In what they describe as scientific serendipity, scientists from Brisbane’s QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institut... more

04 December 2019

Young women with breast cancer are missing out on the chance to have a baby because their doctors are not referring them to fertility clinics before their treatment starts. Half the young women diagnosed with breast cancer were not referred to a fert... more

04 December 2019

A survey of more than 9000 students across Australia has found approximately one in 14 teenagers said that they consumed energy drinks at least weekly and one in four had consumed them at least once. Teens who consume energy drinks at least once a we... more

03 December 2019

A lack of government funding is putting the lives of women in remote communities at risk, with Senator Malarndirri McCarthy calling on the Morrison Government to invest in breast cancer screening in the Northern Territory. Mobile mammography unit “Mi... more

02 December 2019

Artificial intelligence could soon be used to diagnose melanoma more cheaply and accurately based on an algorithm developed by WA researchers. Findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, led by researchers from the Universi... more

02 December 2019

In an explainer on glyphosate, the effects on farmers and gardeners using the herbicide is explored. Farmers say glyphosate is cheap, safe to use (when you follow the instructions) and works. It slashes farmers’ diesel bills because they don’t need t... more

29 November 2019

Massachusetts has become the first US state to ban flavoured tobacco and nicotine vaping products. The ban is meant to reduce the appeal to young people amid a rash of illnesses and deaths linked to vaping. Anti-smoking groups hailed the ban, which r... more

29 November 2019

In an article for the Courier Mail Brisbane, Senior Business Reporter, Glen Norris, writes that Asia is not only a region of rapidly expanding economies and wealth but one facing an increasing burden of disease associated with an ageing population. O... more

29 November 2019

A light therapy used to treat skin cancer and sun spots is emerging as a promising treatment for reaching cancer cells deep in the body, with Australian researchers finding the first evidence of its ability to kill ovarian tumours. New research from ... more

28 November 2019

A ban on e-cigarettes should be lifted across Australia to help lifelong smokers kick the habit, a new vaping lobby says. The Australian Retailers Association, groups of retailers and some health specialists are united in a push to relax strict vapin... more

28 November 2019

The District of Columbia is joining several states in suing e-cigarette maker Juul Labs, saying the company’s online ads and promotions illegally targeted minors. Washington, DC, Attorney-General Karl Racine announced the lawsuit, alleging that Juul’... more

28 November 2019

Australian researchers have uncovered a new key reason why men are more likely than women to get and die from cancer. Scientists from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre found that a common gene mutation on the X chromosome involved in more than half of al... more

26 November 2019

A surge in potentially deadly e-cigarette poisonings and the strength of nicotine liquid detected in Victoria has prompted a fresh health warning over the dangers of vaping. Already this year the Victorian Poisons Information Centre has received 38 c... more

24 November 2019

Many Aussies are putting themselves at risk this summer by not getting their skin checked. A new survey from the Skin Health Institute says only one in 12 Australians will prioritise a skin check, ranking it behind visits to the GP or dentist, or a b... more

24 November 2019

The Council of Australian Governments’ health council has released a consultation paper looking at ways to intercept the country’s expanding waist lines. The paper canvasses a broad range of solutions – including the politically sensitive sugar tax, ... more

24 November 2019

Clinical trials on a new treatment expected to improve the survival rates for sufferers of lung and ovarian cancer will begin soon in South Australia. Recruiting patients for the trials will start in early 2020 thanks to a partnership between AusHeal... more

23 November 2019

Medical and Scientific: Keeping cancer at bayMen who take statins are 24 per cent less likely to get an aggressive form of prostate cancer, a study suggests. Scientists tracked more than 44,000 British men over more than two decades and found that th... more

22 November 2019

Cosmetic surgeons have been granted permission to use banned breast implants linked to a rare cancer as the national medical watchdog hints the devices may carry other safety risks. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved applications from ... more

22 November 2019

Skin cancer expert Professor Anthony Dixon has had two journal articles retracted from The Australian Journal of General Practice after complaints from other cancer experts. After Professor Dixon’s articles were published in June, 18 of Australia’s t... more

21 November 2019

A ban on e-cigarettes has been ordered by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who threatened to arrest anyone vaping publicly in a country that already has some of Asia’s toughest antismoking rules. He has also imposed a wide-ranging ban on smokin... more

21 November 2019

Queensland researchers have taken another step towards the development of a genetic risk profile for melanoma that will allow doctors to warn parents about children most susceptible to excessive sun exposure. Scientists at the QIMR Berghofer Medical ... more

20 November 2019

California announced yesterday it is suing Juul, the US’s largest electronic cigarette manufacturer, for illegally targeting minors with its marketing campaigns. A joint lawsuit filed by California Attorney-General Xavier Becerra and his Los Angeles ... more

20 November 2019

Australians with forms of lung cancer and leukaemia will have access to drugs under additions to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme being announced today. The treatment options for non-small cell lung cancer and early-stage acute lymphoblastic leukae... more

19 November 2019

A leading tobacco researcher says new figures showing an increase in smoking among pregnant women in Tasmania adds fuel to the push for raising the smoking age. University of Tasmania School of Medicine adjunct researcher Kathryn Barnsley said the fi... more

19 November 2019

Dedicated skin cancer referral centres have opened in Western Australia, with the aim of giving people quicker and cheaper access to disease diagnoses and treatment. Skin Cancer WA works by offering GPs a direct way to refer people with suspected ski... more

18 November 2019

Doctors and tobacco experts have slammed new government guidelines on e-cigarettes claiming they exaggerate the harms of vaping nicotine and are forcing people back to smoking. New advice, released last week on a government health website - Health Di... more

18 November 2019

Children as young as 12 are exploiting online delivery systems to have alcohol and cigarettes sent straight to their homes or local post offices, with one in three getting booze delivered without an ID check. New research from the Foundation for Alco... more

18 November 2019

Sydney researchers investigating one of the most aggressive forms of childhood cancer have made a “significant” breakthrough by discovering a new molecule that causes the diseased cells to grow. It gives new hope to children with neuroblastoma, a can... more

18 November 2019

Cancer Council’s National Sun Protection Survey has sparked a call from Cancer Council for the government to run a national skin cancer awareness campaign. That was one of Australia’s great public health successes at its high point more than 12 years... more

13 November 2019

Fruit-filled toddler snacks promoted as healthy options contain more sugar than many junk foods, a shocking new study has found. The Obesity Coalition says parents are being misled about the risk because there is no clear labelling of added sugar. Th... more

12 November 2019

The first 10-year study of Australian men affected by prostate cancer has found many have long-term impairments to quality of life, sparking a call by experts for a change in the management of the disease. Cancer Council lead researcher, Associate Pr... more

11 November 2019

US health officials announced a breakthrough into the cause of a mysterious outbreak of vaping illnesses, reporting they have a “very strong culprit”. The same chemical compound was found in fluid taken from the lungs of 29 patients across the countr... more

11 November 2019

E-cigarette market leader Juul has said it is ending the sale of mint-flavoured products in the US, ahead of a possible ban by health authorities, intended to curtail youth vaping. President Donald Trump’s administration announced last month it would... more

11 November 2019

The amount of time and effort involved in prescribing medicinal cannabis is stopping doctors from becoming involved with the legal therapy, while cost is proving a barrier for patients. It comes as cannabis trials get under way in Australia for poten... more

11 November 2019

The risk of being diagnosed with and dying of cancer has been over-estimated prompting calls to overhaul estimation methods, according to new research. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) estimates the lifetime risks of cancer diagn... more

08 November 2019

Marijuana company Cann Group has signed a distribution deal to allow approved patients access to the company’s drugs at pharmacies around Australia. Symbion, which supplies healthcare products to 4000 retail pharmacies and 1300 hospitals around Austr... more

08 November 2019

Cowpox inspired the vaccine which ended the scourge of smallpox 200 years ago and now the virus is being used to kill cancer. Scientists have engineered a new virus based on cowpox that is able to kill every known type of cancer cell in a petrie dish... more

06 November 2019

An at-home, non-invasive screening for cervical precancer could increase compliance with recommended follow-up tests, according to research presented at a cancer conference. The new screening, called the S5 test, is based on a urine sample or a vagin... more

06 November 2019

Women's health experts say that more patients are requesting unproven tests and treatments, based on advice from online forums or social media influencers. IVF fertility specialist and gynaecologist Dr Raelia Lew said more women were relying on Dr Go... more

05 November 2019

An Australian-first study is investigating how ovarian cancer affects women’s body image and sexuality, with the aim of developing tools to improve their wellbeing and relationships. Researchers from the Royal Women’s Hospital want to recruit 130 Aus... more

04 November 2019

More than $28 million will be spent on new weapons in the state's fight against cancer. Premier Will Hodgman yesterday announced that the tenders to upgrade the state’s ageing oncology equipment had been awarded during the Walk4BrainCancer event in M... more

04 November 2019

Oral cancer rates “have more than doubled in a generation”, according to a new awareness campaign by the UK-based non-profit Oral Health Foundation. The hygiene advocacy group warned people to be aware of the causes of mouth cancer – primarily the se... more

04 November 2019

A simple blood test could detect breast cancer up to five years before any clinical signs of the disease. British researchers are developing the test which they say identifies the body’s immune response to substances produced by tumour cells. Details... more

04 November 2019

Men with higher levels of free testosterone and a growth hormone in their blood are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to new research. Factors such as ethnicity, age and family history are already known to increase the likel... more

01 November 2019

Labelling fast-food menu items with calorie counts only leads to a slight, short-term decrease in average calorie intake, a study has found. Researchers gathered data on almost 50 million menu purchases in the United States at 104 locations of a fast... more

31 October 2019

Adelaide lung and bowel cancer patients are among the first in the world to try a new anti-cancer drug that is shrinking tumours in cases where nothing else works. Oncologist and Adelaide University Professor Tim Price says the drug is an “exciting m... more

31 October 2019

South Australia based Ferronova has produced its first tiny cancer tracers for their journey into the human body in an attempt to find a new path to early detection of solid tumour cancers. Ferronova’s specialist polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticl... more

30 October 2019

More than 1500 Victorian women are likely to have breast cancer without knowing it due to screening black holes across the state. New data shows almost half of Victorian women aged 50-74 are not participating in regular free screening. The analysis b... more

30 October 2019

More Victorians say they intend to cut back on sugary drinks after being educated on their links to cancer. Cancer Council Victoria launched a public awareness campaign last October, which revealed the link between obesity and 13 types of cancer. Can... more

29 October 2019

Women with breast cancer will be able to claim Medicare rebates for MRI scans for the first time, under changes to take effect this week. From November 1, women with or suspected to have breast cancer will be able to claim Medicare for the scans. The... more

28 October 2019

Fewer reports of vaping illnesses are coming in, but US health officials say they are not sure what to make of it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 125 additional cases were reported in the last week, bringing the total to 1604 in ... more

28 October 2019

A routine test of bowel cancer patients for a hereditary condition could save the lives of up to 80 high-risk patients a year. Lynch Syndrome greatly increases the risk of developing aggressive colorectal cancer in particular, but also increases the ... more

28 October 2019

Patients suffering from stage three melanoma will have new treatment options after the Federal Government extended subsidies on several drugs used after surgery. From November 1, the drugs dabrafenib, sold in Australia as Tafinlar, and trametinib, ma... more

26 October 2019

Hundreds of Australians are expected to die from liver cancer because the nation is failing to meet its targets to eliminate hepatitis B. Despite setting a national plan and having effective treatments to combat the infectious disease, Australia is f... more

25 October 2019

Australia’s youngest cancer victims will receive a $22 million Federal Government boost today. CanTeen, which supports Australians aged 12-24 with their cancer diagnosis or those who have a family member with cancer, will receive the funding to conti... more

24 October 2019

Mexico’s Senate has passed changes to the health law aimed at reducing the country’s obesity crisis by requiring warning labels on processed foods with high levels of sugar, saturated fat, sodium and calories. Three United Nations agencies had urged ... more

24 October 2019

In an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report to be released today, it has been revealed that Queenslanders are smoking more than any other mainland state. More than 15 per cent of Queenslanders are daily smokers, compared with the national... more

23 October 2019

Eating high levels of dairy products may be linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer, according to new research. Men who ate higher amounts of cheese, butter, milk and yoghurt were more likely to develop the disease, a study by US researchers f... more

21 October 2019

Deaths from 10 different cancers are “significantly” higher in Adelaide than the national rate, new figures released yesterday show. Deaths from bladder, breast, colorectal, kidney, leukaemia, liver, lung, lymphoma, prostate and uterine cancer had hi... more

21 October 2019

Johnson & Johnson said it recalled one lot, about 33,000 bottles, of its Johnson’s baby powder because the US Food and Drug Administration found a small amount of asbestos in a single bottle, a discovery likely to fuel existing concerns about the... more

20 October 2019

Cancer patients desperate for medicinal cannabis are being turned away by GPs, as new figures reveal South Australia doctors are among the least likely in Australia to prescribe the drug. A TGA spokeswoman said cancer pain and symptom management, chr... more

20 October 2019

A 'secret' list of medicines approved for Federal Government subsidy – but that have never made it on to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme – includes drugs that dramatically improve the lives of cancer sufferers. Several drugs approved by the Pharma... more

19 October 2019

The Victorian government has rushed through a ban on advertisements for vaping in time for next weekend’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island. The ban comes after The Age revealed that cigarette makers Philip Morris and British America... more

19 October 2019

Vaping-related illnesses in the US are still rising, though at a slightly slower pace. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the latest jump – 180 cases – was the lowest increase since mid-September, but officials said there was no i... more

19 October 2019

A new system using artificial intelligence to assess MRI scans will make breast cancer readings 10 per cent more accurate and leave less to chance, University of Adelaide research reveals. Project researcher Gabriel Maicas said the previous system th... more

18 October 2019

A possible cancer cluster on the Bellarine Peninsula will be examined by a federal parliamentary inquiry. In December last year, media reported a potential cluster of cancers — particularly around Barwon Heads — noting historical use of an agricultur... more

17 October 2019

Tradies are being warned that exposure to the same invisible particles of crystalline silica that cause silicosis is also resulting in hundreds of cases of lung cancer each year in Australia. Hidden in bricks, tiles and concrete, the substance is put... more

13 October 2019

Dr Gino Pecoraro, in an article for Sunday Mail Brisbane, writes about the medical breakthrough that has been reported this week from Queensland researchers based at the Griffith University Institute for drug discovery. They report using a new gene e... more

13 October 2019

In an article for the Sunday Telegraph, Jane Hansen reports on the only hospital in the state dedicated to women’s health not having a mammogram machine. The Breast Centre at the Royal Hospital for Women has to borrow one from BreastScreen NSW but ca... more

12 October 2019

Twenty-six people have died from illnesses associated with e-cigarette use since March, US health authorities said yesterday, while about 1300 have suffered lung injuries linked to vaping. Officials have yet to identify the cause of the outbreak, whi... more

12 October 2019

Australia isn’t ready to implement tough food rules being advocated by the UK’s chief medical officer to curb obesity, experts say. Dame Sally Davies has called for an urgent end to the UK’s “mindless” snacking culture by calling on the government to... more

11 October 2019

Adelaide researcher, Associate Professor Daniel Thomas, plans to 'outsmart' cancer cells armed with a $1.25 million research grant. The grant, announced in Perth last night, will fund Prof Thomas’s ongoing research into acute myeloid leukaemia, with ... more

11 October 2019

A leading anti-smoking advocate has said negative stigmas around vaping and a lack of access to safer nicotine alternatives are halting a decline in Territory smoking rates. On the back of a tour to New Zealand and Melbourne, University of Ottawa pro... more

10 October 2019

A popular heartburn medication has been pulled from the shelves after it was found to contain a cancer-causing substance. Eight types of the heartburn drug ranitidine have been recalled across Australia, including common over-the-counter medication Z... more

09 October 2019

Australian health authorities are urging people to “think twice before vaping”, as US reports of serious lung illnesses relating to e-cigarettes soar past 1000. Australia’s chief medical officer Professor Brendan Murphy – along with his state and cou... more

09 October 2019

Researchers have used gene-editing technology to “cure” mice of cervical cancer in what they believe is a world first. The Griffith University scientists are working towards human trials of the gene therapy in the next five years and are also researc... more

08 October 2019

The Federal Government has promised to spend millions of dollars investigating the benefits of medicinal cannabis in cancer treatment. Health Minister Greg Hunt will today announce $3 million for research into the use of medicinal cannabis for the re... more

08 October 2019

Canberra cancer patients have been forced to travel as far as the Gold Coast to get radiation treatment while local wait times extend out more than six weeks, internal documents reveal. The documents show two life-saving linear accelerators - used to... more

08 October 2019

A tradie suffered first-degree burns after his high-visibility work wear magnified a case of sunburn. The burn along his back matched up with the reflective strip of his high-vis shirt. The case occurred two years ago, but is published in the Medical... more

08 October 2019

Nicotine-free e-cigarettes can cause more upper respiratory cell damage than tobacco cigarettes depending on the electronic device used, new research from South Australia shows. Royal Adelaide Hospital and University of Adelaide researchers have disc... more

08 October 2019

Anti-smoking groups have gone to war over a vaping conference in Melbourne amid allegations of intimidation of the event’s attendees and secret tobacco industry funding. National health bodies including Cancer Council denounced the conference, allegi... more

08 October 2019

The number of patients suffering from probable lung injury associated with e-cigarette use has surged to more than a thousand, US health authorities said yesterday, while the death toll from the outbreak now stands at 18. A report by clinicians in No... more

08 October 2019

Australian researchers have developed a proof-of concept drug that can keep cells alive and thriving in situations where they would otherwise have died. The world-first finding in mice, led by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) of Medical Res... more

08 October 2019

The US state of Massachusetts has upheld a ban on e-cigarettes amid a spate of deaths and injuries linked to vaping across the country. Eighteen deaths in 15 states have now been positively linked to vaping since March, from a total of 1080 illness, ... more

08 October 2019

Young adults who start their 20s in a healthy weight range, but become overweight by middle age are at greater risk of 13 types of cancer. New analysis from Cancer Council Victoria has found that gradual weight gain in early adulthood can bump up som... more

08 October 2019

A new type of drug that blocks one of cancer’s escape routes from chemotherapy could be used to treat aggressive breast cancers. Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London found the drug could boost the response to chemotherapy in cance... more

08 October 2019

Women who have survived breast cancer are being sought for an international trial of a new drug to stop hot flushes and night sweats. Up to 20 women will take part in the trial at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, one of seven sites across Australia invol... more

04 October 2019

Smokers could soon be forced to butt out along Southbank Promenade as Melbourne City Council presses to extend a Bourke Street smoking ban across the CBD. The Bourke Street Mall ban comes into effect today between Elizabeth Street and Russell Place, ... more

04 October 2019

In an opinion piece, Dr Sud Agarwal, CEO and co-founder of Australia's first medically backed medicinal cannabis company, Cannvalate, says we need to focus our minds on the problem with vaping. In the US, an outbreak of 800 illness cases and 12 vapin... more

04 October 2019

A heartburn medication popular with Victorians will be taken off shelves after fears it could be linked to cancer. The Therapeutic Goods Administration is expected to today update its advice on medications containing ranitidine, which is sold under b... more

02 October 2019

Smoking rates are at an all time low among Tasmanian teenagers, the latest Australian Secondary Students' Alcohol and Drug survey has revealed. The survey is repeated every three years and provides information on the use of tobacco, alcohol and over-... more

02 October 2019

Experts have urged caution over a series of reviews that claimed to find there is no need for humans to reduce their meat intake. While the World Health Organisation refers to red meat as "probably carcinogenic" and dietary guidelines around the worl... more

02 October 2019

A new study has found there is no reason for Australians to quit eating red meat. The research refutes claims that red meat could eventually cause cancer, diabetes or heart disease, with the authors declaring any link between red meat the negative he... more

02 October 2019

Experts say "women need to be breast aware", given that approximately one in six breast diagnoses come without a lump. While most people know to have a lump in their breast checked, other symptoms of breast cancer, such as discharge, pain and swellin... more

01 October 2019

A ban on advertising, promotion and online sales of e-cigarette products comes into force today and retailers will not be allowed to display such products at the point of sale. Penalties for businesses which fail to meet the regulations will be up to... more

01 October 2019

A new ultrasound technology that could pick up far more cases of cancer and cut the need for biopsies has been developed by scientists. A team at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh say that they have made a major breakthrough and can produce images ... more

01 October 2019

The risk of Australian women being diagnosed with breast cancer has increased to one in seven as new statistics reveal eight women die each day from the deadly disease. The National Breast Cancer Foundation has revealed the number of Australian women... more

30 September 2019

Cancer patients aren’t being warned that their treatment could leave them infertile, robbing them of the chance to freeze their eggs or sperm and the hope of having children. A major Australian study involving 878 survivors found that 54 per cent of ... more

30 September 2019

More than half a million patients, including those battling cancer and leukaemia, will have access to cheaper medicine from today. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce five new medicines will be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, in ... more

29 September 2019

Many of the hundreds of ecigarette users who have developed lung problems in recent months, some of them fatal, used black-market marijuana products, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed. Of 514 patients who gave information... more

29 September 2019

An Adelaide tattoo artist is helping breast-cancer patients across the world feel more like a woman after body-disfiguring treatment. Aleisha Gannon was the first in Australia to develop temporary nipple tattoos in 2018 as an interim solution to the ... more

28 September 2019

An unregistered Sydney naturopath who claimed he could cure cancer, and said patients who quit his treatment would commit suicide, has been permanently banned from practising. The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission found Aleksander Strande breache... more

28 September 2019

Women with breast implants or expanders are being urged to see a doctor after regulators announced a crackdown over cancer fears. The Therapeutic Goods Administration is taking action on all breast implants and breast tissue expanders sold in Austral... more

27 September 2019

In an article for The Age, Melissa Cunningham reports that fewer Australians will be able to get Medicare-funded colonoscopies under a contentious overhaul of the system aimed at tightening regulations around the diagnostic test used to detect bowel ... more

27 September 2019

World-leading cancer researchers suspect Tasmanian devils hold a clue to help work out how human cancer genes evade the immune system. In the study, scientists have discovered that some human cancers share a common feature with the disease that has d... more

27 September 2019

Men who need fertility treatment have an increased risk of prostate cancer, research says. Experts believe biological issues around infertility drive the increased chance of developing the disease, and can lead to prostate cancer earlier in life. The... more

26 September 2019

A urine test for pancreatic cancer could boost survival rates to 60 per cent, scientists believe. The test, developed by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, has reached the final stage of validation before being developed for use with pat... more

26 September 2019

A push by Melbourne researchers to develop new treatments to combat incurable brain cancers will be given an added boost today. The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research will receive a $1.4 million grant from the federal government to r... more

26 September 2019

Some women diagnosed with ovarian cancer could have their survival rates significantly increased after the Therapeutic Goods Administration approved a drug treatment for newly diagnosed sufferers. The drug olaparib is available to women who have expe... more

25 September 2019

American retail giant Walmart will stop selling e-cigarettes in stores as the country deals with a string of vaping-related deaths that have stirred regulators to take action. The retail giant’s decision comes after a mysterious spate of vaping relat... more

25 September 2019

The “revolving door” between government and the alcohol, tobacco and gambling industries has been revealed in a new study that tracks for the first time the influence of lobbyists on public health policy. The study, published today in the journal Pub... more

25 September 2019

The latest health spending data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, released today, shows patients spent $3.9 billion on out-of-pocket hospital expenses in 2017-18, up $560 million, or 17 per cent, over the financial year and quadrup... more

25 September 2019

A program now being run in the US, UK, Canada and four Australian states provides survivors of gynaecological cancers and their carers the opportunity to educate medical students. The program is called Survivors Teaching Students, and Ultimate Founda... more

24 September 2019

One in six Australian teenagers gulp down at least 5.2kg of sugar each year from sugary drinks alone, new research shows. Cancer Council Australia’s National Secondary Students’ Diet and Activity survey looked at the habits of more than 9000 students... more

23 September 2019

Flavoured e-cigarettes, even those without liquid nicotine, are dangerous and likely to kill the cells that line the airways, a new Australian study has discovered. Scientists from the University of Adelaide and the Royal Adelaide Hospital found that... more

22 September 2019

Walmart is getting out of the vaping business. The US retailer said it will stop selling electronic cigarettes at its stores when it sells out its current inventory. It said the move is due to “growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity” ... more

22 September 2019

An eastern suburbs Jewish school will test and search students for drugs and e-cigarettes. Moriah College in Queens Park will introduce drug testing after Year 10 students were caught using marijuana and e-cigarettes at a recent Zionist seminar. The ... more

22 September 2019

Young cancer patients will now be offered a free service to preserve their chances of having children. A free service to collect, freeze, transport and store reproductive tissue from people aged 13 to 30 around the country is being offered by a team ... more

21 September 2019

An eighth death in the US has been attributed to e-cigarettes, as health officials say the number of people with vaping-related breathing illnesses tops 500. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said 530 confirmed and probable cases had been... more

20 September 2019

Canada has reported its first hospitalisation for severe respiratory illness linked to vaping. The Middlesex-London Health Unit said that “a youth has been diagnosed with severe respiratory illness linked to the individual’s use of vaping products”. ... more

19 September 2019

Advanced radiotherapy technology could cut prostate cancer treatment time from two months to two weeks, safely delivering curative treatment for some patients, new research suggests. Study author Dr Douglas Brand said “The new results from our clinic... more

19 September 2019

Australia's top medical body has backed a statement from all state and territory health officials on the link between vaping and lung disease. Australian Medical Association president Dr Tony Bartone’s warning comes after the seventh vaping-related d... more

19 September 2019

E-cigarette maker Juul Labs’ sales have been halted in China, days after the start-up launched its products in the world’s biggest tobacco market. Juul’s vaporisers went on sale early last week online, but by the end of the week, they had been taken ... more

17 September 2019

Queensland researchers have launched the world’s largest genetic study of skin cancer and are seeking more than 20,000 Australians to take part. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute scientist David Whiteman said the genetic analysis formed part ... more

16 September 2019

School principals and health experts have expressed alarm about the increasing use of e-cigarettes by teenagers, as concerns mount about the health impacts of vaping. Head of high school at Moriah College Jan Hart said the use of e-cigarettes by scho... more

16 September 2019

Australian health authorities have called for a crackdown on vaping as evidence mounts the habit can lead to serious health problems and even death. Quit Victoria director Sarah White said vaping was now the subject of intense scrutiny in the US, wit... more

16 September 2019

Cancer research has received a $3 million funding boost from the Federal Government. The money, from the Medical Research Future Fund, will go towards South Australia Cancer Council’s “Beat Cancer Project”, an initiative to advance research with inte... more

16 September 2019

Diagnosing breast cancer is about to be revolutionised in Victoria with new 3D breast screening technology set to be rolled out.  The new technology will lead to quicker diagnosis and cut down on invasive procedures, according to Health Minister Jenn... more

16 September 2019

The most common blood cancer in South Australia is expected to more than double over the next 16 years, claiming the lives of more than 4600 people.  A new Leukaemia Foundation report predicts lymphoma rates will jump from 645 annual cases in SA this... more

16 September 2019

One in three potentially deadly endometrial cancers could be avoided, and losing weight, drinking coffee, having babies and breastfeeding just might help. Cancer Australia launches a new website today compiling the most recent research. It classifies... more

16 September 2019

More than 10,000 people won’t be able to have medical scans and tests next week as Australia faces a shortage of nuclear medicine that is vital for cancer diagnoses, experts warn. Australia’s only nuclear reactor, at Lucas Heights in Sydney’s south, ... more

13 September 2019

The Trump administration is preparing to ban the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes in a bid to stop an epidemic of nicotine vaping among young Americans. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said ‘‘We intend to clear the market of flavoured e-c... more

13 September 2019

British American Tobacco plans to cut 2300 jobs as cigarette sales decline in major markets and US President Donald Trump vows to tighten restrictions on new alternatives to smoking. Tobacco companies are facing the biggest disruption in decades as t... more

13 September 2019

Children's meals at fast food restaurants have not become any healthier since the introduction of the Government’s mandatory menu kilojoule labelling or obesity campaigns. New research shows 82 per cent of kids’ meals are not even healthy enough to m... more

13 September 2019

Young people wanting to preserve their fertility before starting cancer treatment now have a new advocate through the entire process. About 140 Victorian children and teenagers a year are expected to benefit from the creation of the state’s first pae... more

12 September 2019

Billionaire and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced a $160 million campaign to ban flavoured e-cigarettes in the US after a spike in vaping deaths. “This is an urgent health crisis, and tobacco companies are behind it,” said Bloombe... more

12 September 2019

A blood test which detects aggressive prostate cancer could prevent thousands of men having painful, unnecessary biopsies. The simple test, which diagnosed almost 93 per cent of men with the disease correctly in a trial, could be available within thr... more

12 September 2019

Australia is a world leader in cancer survival rates, beating other high-income nations with the best one-year survival rates in most cancers. A study in Lancet Oncology reveals patients diagnosed with oesophagus, stomach, colon, rectal, pancreatic, ... more

10 September 2019

An ASX-listed medical marijuana company says it is providing cannabis to nearly 2000 Australian patients with debilitating conditions, numbers it expects to more than double by end of the year. Chief executive Josh Fagan says "The patient numbers are... more

10 September 2019

An Adelaide City councillor says Hindley St visitors must be protected from the health effects of inhaling second-hand shisha smoke, asking council to work with SA Health to improve public health along the entertainment strip. The push comes as Cance... more

08 September 2019

In an opinion piece, Gino Pecoraro writes that the study published last week in The Lancet linking hormone replacement therapy to increased risk of breast cancer is "NOT new" and "further research is eagerly awaited". The real story, he says, should ... more

08 September 2019

Cases of severe lung illnesses related to vaping are surging in the US. Officials in Indiana said an adult had died from a lung illness possibly tied to vaping, as the number of suspected cases across 33 States rose to 450. The death marks the fourth... more

08 September 2019

420 shift workers will trial three diets to help researchers devise the world's first dietary guidelines for those working night shift. A partnership between UniSA and Victoria’s Monash University, the groundbreaking research will help the 1.5 millio... more

08 September 2019

Public health officials have urged Americans to stop using e-cigarettes as they try to investigate a rapid "epidemic" of lung illnesses that has claimed the lives of at least 5 vapers in recent days. The country’s top public health agency announced i... more

07 September 2019

Cancer treatment could be enhanced by gold-based molecules engineered by Australian researchers which lessens toxic side effects. The RMIT University study published in Chemistry - A European Journal found the molecules were up to 24 times more effec... more

07 September 2019

Young women who vape may harm their fertility and chances of getting pregnant, a study published in the Journal of Endocrine Society says. In tests, mice exposed to e-cigarette vapour were less fertile, taking longer to have their first litter becaus... more

07 September 2019

A $45 million investment has almost halved the number of South Australians overdue and waiting for colonoscopies, with public hospitals working with the private sector to perform extra procedures. State Government funding has resulted in numbers drop... more

06 September 2019

The Governor of the US state of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer has moved to make her state the first to ban flavoured electronic cigarettes, accusing companies of using candy flavours and deceptive advertising to “hook children on nicotine”. Health offici... more

06 September 2019

In his weekly article Health Matters, Sean Parnell writes about shortcomings in the health system revealed through an international survey. The survey found delays in diagnosis and managing ongoing side effects as the biggest cause of inefficiency. P... more

06 September 2019

Australian-led research has shown a 33 per cent improvement in survival rates of men with advanced hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. It found that men with the disease who were given the hormone drug enzalutamide with their standard treatment had a ... more

04 September 2019

Drugs taken by millions of women with breast cancer may not kill all malignant cells, a study suggests. Instead, hormone pills such as tamoxifen may send a small number of breast cancer cells into “sleep” mode, meaning they can come back to life up t... more

02 September 2019

Smokers are being encouraged to think about their reasons for smoking, such as nicotine addiction, habits and emotion or stress, in the latest campaign launched by Quit Tasmania. Quit Tasmania director Abby Smith said “By listening, Quit Tasmania fou... more

02 September 2019

Cancer experts have developed a new online tool to help men and their partners weigh up the significant pros and cons of undergoing prostate cancer screening. The prostate specific antigen test, or PSA test, screens for elevated levels of a protein i... more

02 September 2019

Blood cancer rates across Australia will more than double in the next 16 years, claiming 186,000 lives, a national report shows. The Federal Government is expected to establish a national taskforce and commission an action plan to tackle the growing ... more

01 September 2019

Authorities are investigating hundreds of cases of severe lung disease among vapers, US health officials said yesterday. A total of 215 possible cases of pulmonary illness associated with vaping from 25 states are being probed, the Centres for Diseas... more

01 September 2019

Cancer patients and those recovering from strokes will have cheaper access to some treatments from today.  The listing of Opdivo from today on the PBS will provide healthcare professionals with the option to prescribe it as a flat dosing schedule eve... more

31 August 2019

Cancer cells corrupt their healthy neighbours in order to support their own survival, scientists say. The discovery, published in Nature, was made using a new technique to study the tissue around a tumour - called the tumour micro environment - known... more

31 August 2019

Women taking hormone therapy for menopause increase their chance of breast cancer by 60 per cent, a landmark global study has found. The risk is twice as great for women taking the drugs for 10 years rather than five, according to research from Austr... more

30 August 2019

Three in 10 young people say alcohol or drugs are a problem for their family and peers, according to a report from Mission Australia. The National Health and Medical Research Council has been reviewing Australia’s alcohol guidelines and is due to rel... more

29 August 2019

Tobacco maker Philip Morris has announced it is looking into teaming up again with its former parent company, the Altria Group.  A merger could help the two companies confront declining cigarette sales and diversify in a consumer market shifting towa... more

29 August 2019

World-leading Victorian researchers will share in $440 million as they get closer to beating the quick death sentence faced by lung cancer patients.  Health Minister Greg Hunt will today announce Victoria is to receive more than $202 million in Natio... more

29 August 2019

At least 699 people died in 2018 from the aggressive cancer mesothelioma, according to a new report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The report, Mesothelioma in Australia 2018 revealed new diagnoses of the aggressive cancer... more

28 August 2019

Victorians will see fewer advertisements for tobacco under tighter laws introduced by the state government. The changes come in the wake of the government intervening to stop overseas-based Formula 1 teams displaying tobacco advertising on their cars... more

27 August 2019

Health Minister Natasha Fyles has “no plans” to increase the age people can legally buy cigarettes in the Northern Territory despite a proposal from the Australian Medical Association Northern Territory. “Smoking rates in the NT have been progressive... more

26 August 2019

Territorians under the age of 25 will be banned from buying cigarettes if a controversial proposal by Australian Medical Association NT president Dr Rob Parker is adopted. Dr Rob Parker said the NT needed more “innovative programs” to stop smoking. C... more

26 August 2019

A new blood test could detect ovarian cancer two years before women are currently diagnosed. The blood test looks for four proteins released into the bloodstream by the most common type of ovarian cancer. Study leader Robert Graham, from Queen’s Univ... more

25 August 2019

World-leading genomic cancer profiling and treatments will be available in South Australia for the first time at a new $80 million research institute to be housed in Adelaide’s medical precinct. The South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute wi... more

25 August 2019

New research adds to a growing body of evidence that diet could help cancer treatment.The study, published in the journal Nature, found restricting intake of an amino acid found in red meat and eggs significantly enhanced cancer treatment in mice, sl... more

25 August 2019

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has agreed to personally lobby Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on behalf of a former police officer who was refused access to a lifesaving cancer treatment. “(Minister Hunt) will write to Novartis to see if this ... more

24 August 2019

An expensive combination therapy for non-small cell lung cancer has been approved for subsidy, saving patients $15,000 every three months. The combination of high cost immunotherapy treatment Keytruda with chemotherapy has been shown to dramatically ... more

24 August 2019

An estimated 92 per cent of cancers caused by HPV could be prevented through vaccination, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday, adding that boosting immunisation coverage was a key priority. “A future without HPV cancers i... more

23 August 2019

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a “cluster” of lung illnesses that it believes may be linked to e-cigarette use after reports in 14 states.  The CDC said there was no evidence that an infectious disease was behind t... more

23 August 2019

A deceptively simple device made in Adelaide can be used to detect cancer cells in a urine sample, UniSA research shows. It is hoped the urine test will replace cystoscopy. Dr Melanie MacGregor, of the UniSA Future Industries Institute, said a precli... more

23 August 2019

Junk food companies have been accused of targeting children on their way to school as pressure mounts on the Victorian government to ban the ads on state owned property. Research by the Obesity Policy Coalition suggests that more than a quarter of th... more

21 August 2019

Cancer Council Queensland researchers have shown that the number of people beating cancer or living with cancer are expected to increase by 73 per cent in the next 22 years. Researchers have today released a mortality study offering new hope to cance... more

21 August 2019

The Heart Foundation has revealed new advice following a review of its dietary statement. The first changes since 2013 call for restrictions on red meat but lift the ban on full-fat milk products for healthy people. Heart Foundation chief medical adv... more

20 August 2019

In an opinion piece, Ashley Reid, CEO of Cancer Council Western Australia, discusses the obesity crisis that Australia is facing according to the World Health Organisation.  He writes that the 'junk food industry evolution is the biggest driver of th... more

20 August 2019

Australians could finally have access to information about how many "empty calories" are in the soft drinks and packaged foods they buy, after state and federal ministers ordered a review to consider mandatory "added sugar" labelling. State and feder... more

19 August 2019

Up to 50 people in six US States have come down with breathing illnesses that may be linked to e-cigarettes or vaping products. Dr Melodi Pirzada, a paediatric lung specialist at NYU Winthrop Hospital in New York, said she had seen two cases this sum... more

19 August 2019

New Queensland research, carried out over nine years using 1200 people, will help dermatologists determine the risk of developing melanoma – and it is a numbers game. University of Queensland Diamantina Institute researcher Associate Professor Rick S... more

15 August 2019

The federal government will push to cut Australia’s smoking rate to less than 10 per cent by 2025 as part of new efforts to boost preventative health outcomes. Health Minister Greg Hunt used an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednes... more

15 August 2019

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has sought more information from companies responsible for breast implants associated with an increased risk of cancer.  It comes as some surgeons warn of regulatory overreach, with the TGA threatening to ban or s... more

14 August 2019

A Melbourne family is driving and funding medical research needed to help their son, who has been diagnosed with a rare mitochondrial disease called ECHSI deficiency. The experimental treatment replaces faulty genes with a healthy, working version an... more

12 August 2019

An emotional Barnaby Joyce has been involved in a bizarre confrontation with medical cannabis campaigners in his local electorate. The former deputy Prime Minister was filmed telling campaigners that he “gets furious” at suggestions marijuana offers ... more

12 August 2019

A Labor MP has called on her own government to hurry up with a crackdown on misleading food labels that prevent West Australians from making informed decisions about their sugar intake. Margaret Quirk this week asked for a progress report from Health... more

12 August 2019

Obesity is far more likely to cause cancer than previously thought, scientists have warned. The risk of excess body weight leading to cancer is at least twice what was originally believed, according to a major study of the genes of 700,000 British pe... more

12 August 2019

A simple breathalyser test may soon be all it takes to diagnose diabetes, asthma and certain cancers.  Macquarie University researcher Noushin Nasiri has developed a device called the Nanotech Electronic Nose which can analyse a person’s breath and d... more

12 August 2019

New hi-tech equipment to track and try prevent cancer progression is available in South Australia after the opening of a state-ofthe-art imaging facility at the Centre for Cancer Biology. Co-director for the Centre Professor Angel Lopez said the new ... more

12 August 2019

News Ltd has reported on a new survey that reveals doctors are failing to diagnose many cancer cases, putting lives at risk. The survey also reveals nearly one in three cancer patients are initially wrongly diagnosed and one in eight wait six months ... more

08 August 2019

Australia will provide more than $1 million in legal funding to help Pacific nations introduce anti-smoking measures without fearing the interference of big Tobacco. The $1.065m funding is part of the $19m health package, to be announced at the Pacif... more

07 August 2019

Cancer patients in the ACT face the longest average wait time in the nation before starting radiotherapy treatment, new figures show. The ACT government has blamed increased patient demand, staff shortages and the lengthy process to replace old machi... more

07 August 2019

The author of legislation to ban the sale of tobacco products to those aged under 21 says he is hopeful it will win the support of the parliament. Legislative Council member Ivan Dean’s Public Health Amendment (Prevention of Sale of Smoking Products ... more

07 August 2019

Australian researchers have identified 45 new genes linked to the development of the most common form of skin cancers. The Queensland study into basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, more than doubles the genetic information available on the non-m... more

06 August 2019

South Australian researchers are part of a national team trying to attack dormant blood cancer cells hiding in bone marrow, potentially revolutionising diagnosis and treatment for thousands of patients. “If we can target and eliminate the dormant cel... more

05 August 2019

A new cancer treatment that supercharges the immune system will now be available to young Australians fighting blood cancer. The cancer-killing chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy will be provided by two Melbourne hospitals free of charge after ... more

05 August 2019

Early signs of breast cancer went undetected in more than 100 Queensland women due to failings by the state-run screening provider, court documents reveal. The claims are outlined in a $1.2 million negligence lawsuit brought by a former senior execut... more

05 August 2019

Women who test positive for changes that can lead to cervical cancer are facing a six month wait for treatment because public clinics can't cope with higher detection rates under a new test. The first study of the effect of the new test, published in... more

05 August 2019

A smart blood test detects the spread of breast cancer almost a year earlier than scans, research shows. It analyses DNA in the blood to show with high accuracy whether cancer will recur after treatment. Researchers from the Institute of Cancer Resea... more

02 August 2019

Diet is a key part of managing diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, but new research adds to the evidence it could help cancer treatment too. The study, published yesterday in the journal Nature, found restricting intake of an amino acid found... more

02 August 2019

A major “don’t eat me” signal that cancer cells appear to use to stop the immune system from attacking them has been discovered by US researchers. Normally, immune cells detect cancer cells and engulf them, but researchers have previously discovered ... more

02 August 2019

In a discovery that may open up new ways of treating acute myeloid leukaemia, Australian researchers have identified a “Benjamin Button” mechanism that allows blood cancer cells to reverse their ageing and trick the immune system to not dispose them.... more

01 August 2019

A diet full of Vitamin A can reduce your risk of skin cancer. New research published in the JAMA Dermatology Journal has found people who eat vitamin A-rich foods such as lean meat, leafy greens and pasta have a reduced risk of developing one of the ... more

01 August 2019

In an opinion piece, Michael Wadsley says silica is being called the new asbestos. The piece focuses on the risks associated with exposure to crystalline silica dusts and the gap in regulation of silica dust emissions. He calls on the government to p... more

31 July 2019

Screening Australians at high risk of lung cancer, the nation’s biggest cancer killer, has the potential to prevent thousands of deaths, particularly among former smokers. However, experts say more research is needed to ensure future Australian lung ... more

31 July 2019

The gap between rich and poor extends to bowel cancer risk, new data from the Cancer Council indicates. The analysis of bowel cancer cases shows 37 per cent of the state’s lowest socio-economic areas have a higher than average rate of bowel cancer. I... more

31 July 2019

Curtin University researchers have called for tighter limits on diesel exhaust levels in under-ground mines, saying current allowable limits can significantly increase the risk of lung cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2012 c... more

30 July 2019

Women are overweight because they are eating two biscuits too many every day, a top medical expert has warned. Professor Dame Sally Davies urged people to be “honest” instead of pretending others are not overweight and advised that women need to cut ... more

30 July 2019

As Dry July draws to a close, organisers are urging people who gave up alcohol for the month not to overdo celebrations with a “wet” August. Cancer Council South Australia community education officer Nat von Bertouch urged South Australians not to fa... more

29 July 2019

A breakthrough drug is providing hope for babies at risk of dying from an aggressive form of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia – and ultimately all cancer patients. A team from the Children’s Cancer Institute has proven a form of the blood cancer that ki... more

29 July 2019

Australian researchers are developing a hormone tablet to prevent ovarian cancer by using the way pregnancy, breastfeeding and the contraceptive pill all dramatically reduce the risk of the deadly disease. Three Australian researchers have been award... more

29 July 2019

Patients dying of cancer have been denied crucial pain medication after a crackdown on prescribing opioids backfired. Doctors frequently prescribing opioids were issued warning letters last year amid concern patients with chronic pain were abusing th... more

29 July 2019

Electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products are not helping fight cancer, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says, urging smokers and governments not to trust claims from cigarette firms about their latest products. The seventh WHO Report on t... more

29 July 2019

Smokers are being encouraged to quit for good, as a new SA-made campaign launches. Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade said the State Government had for the first time developed, created and produced the campaign advertisements in South Austra... more

29 July 2019

Four medicines that treat cancer and inflammatory disease have been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme at a cost of $56 million. The medicines to be extended or listed from Thursday treat brain tumours, leukaemia, and inflammatory disease of... more

29 July 2019

Australians living with an aggressive form of brain cancer will benefit from a subsidy for expensive treatment. Together with new treatments for leukaemia and inflammatory disease of the large blood vessels, the drug Avastin will be available to pati... more

29 July 2019

A new supercomputer that can crunch data 10 times faster than anything else in Australia will come online in November. The federal government will today announce $70 million for the supercomputer, called Gadi, which will help researchers tackle bigge... more

26 July 2019

In an opinion piece, Penny Egan, CEO Cancer Council Tasmania, writes about the importance of behaviour change in reducing cancer risk. The piece focuses on why investment from governments and charities like Cancer Council Tasmania, into preventative ... more

23 July 2019

A blueprint to reverse the childhood obesity crisis has been laid out by leading health groups in an effort to pressure the Victorian Government into action. Including tougher restrictions on unhealthy food and drink advertising to children, an overh... more

23 July 2019

Australia’s peak medical body plans to address patient concerns over out-of-pocket medical costs by educating consumers about the healthcare system. Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone said the association’s informed financial conse... more

22 July 2019

The treatment of prostate cancer is now following the successful path of breast cancer by offering conservative surgery to cut out tumours without removing the prostate. Victorian men with prostate cancer now have a surgical option to remove tumours ... more

22 July 2019

Health Minister Greg Hunt’s promised medical fee transparency website has been rejected, with leading physicians warning they will not participate in a ‘‘meaningless’’ political exercise. As the minister’s advisory group prepares to meet on Friday, o... more

22 July 2019

A new media campaign will launch today to encourage people to use the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. A recent study conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that NSW bowel screening participation rates are the secon... more

22 July 2019

A daily coffee will not give you cancer, but it’s unlikely to protect you from cancer either, a Queensland study has found. Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute analysed data from more than 300,000 people, finding that drinkin... more

22 July 2019

Junior biotech Imugene has acquired a cancer-fighting virus it hopes increases its appeal to big pharma. The Australian-listed immuno-oncology company announced this week it had acquired Vaxinia, which has the global rights to license oncolytic virus... more

19 July 2019

The Hodgman Government has no plans to raise the state’s smoking age to 21, despite new data showing four out of five Tasmanians support an age increase. Figures released this week by polling website You Gov Galaxy showed 78 per cent of the 600 Tasma... more

19 July 2019

The potential legalisation of liquid nicotine in Australia has been labelled “controversial” by a coroner investigating the death of a Victorian toddler, who died after drinking a lethal amount of the potent substance. Coroner Philip Byrne yesterday ... more

19 July 2019

A drug that promises to save women with a deadly breast cancer gene from their fate and avoid radical surgery will be trialled in Adelaide. The world-first clinical trial will use a drug – currently used to treat osteoporosis – on women who carry a B... more

16 July 2019

Current and former heavy smokers could soon be offered regular screening for lung cancer. Australian researchers are leading an international trial to test whether a CT scan is an efficient and cost-effective way to detect early cancers, given lung c... more

15 July 2019

Fruit juice and fizzy drinks significantly raise the risk of cancer, a major study shows today. As little as 100ml of pure juice a day increased the odds of the disease by 12 per cent.  And the same quantity of sweetened soft drink, such as cordial o... more

15 July 2019

A revolutionary urine test has been developed that can accurately predict which men do and don’t need risky prostate cancer surgery. The urine test could replace the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test currently used to identify men at risk of... more

15 July 2019

Women fighting cancer will have their eggs, embryos and ovarian tissue frozen for free before they undergo chemotherapy. Leading obstetricians from Westmead, Randwick’s Royal Hospital for Women and Royal Prince Alfred agreed on Monday to give cancer ... more

15 July 2019

On Thursday, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) proposed banning, suspending and restricting textured breast implants after an exhaustive review confirmed their link to large cell lymphoma (ALCL). It recommended banning nine Allergan ‘‘Natrel... more

15 July 2019

A combination of two drugs is more effective at fighting breast cancer than one treatment alone, a study has found. The breast cancer drug Palbociclib is boosted when combined with lung cancer medication crizotinib, researchers said. The “one-two pun... more

12 July 2019

An Australian ban on a range of textured breast implants has been recommended after a review of apparent links to rare forms of cancer. The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s proposed regulatory action – which could include cancelling, suspending or ... more

12 July 2019

Drinking sugary drinks has been linked to a higher risk of certain kinds of cancer. French researchers assessed associations between heightened consumption of sugary drinks and the risks of overall cancer, as well as several cancer types, including b... more

11 July 2019

A “misleading” website mimicking Australia's official breast screening service is directing women to a dangerous and unproven therapy. The breastscreeningaustralia.com site uses similar colours and images to the official BreastScreen Australia site a... more

10 July 2019

The UK government plans to eliminate smoking from Britain by 2030, leaked documents seen by the daily mail reportedly show.  Black market cigarettes will also be targeted by ministers and quit leaflets will be placed inside legal cigarette packets. T... more

10 July 2019

The same shock tactics used in Australia’s successful antismoking campaign to highlight cancer risks are needed to elevate the public health scourge of obesity, Queensland’s top doctor warns. The Cancer Council Queensland supports a campaign to educa... more

10 July 2019

Insurance companies have been accused of illegally denying insurance to people carrying cancer causing genes even when they eliminate their disease risk by removing body parts. In a study published in the European Journal of Human Genetics, Australia... more

09 July 2019

A coroner may back a push to make liquid nicotine legal in Australia to ensure there is more regulation around the product. Phillip Byrne called for more public awareness on the dangers of liquid nicotine and said legalising it could give authorities... more

09 July 2019

An Adelaide clinic is selling a breast cancer scan that uses deregistered technology that according to experts could leave women believing they’re clear, when in fact they have a tumour. Thermography is effectively a heat map of the body. There is no... more

08 July 2019

A high-precision radiation therapy for patients with secondary brain tumours has become available in Adelaide. The image-guided radiation system will be used as a non-invasive form of intracranial radiation to deliver precisely targeted radiation in ... more

08 July 2019

Women should only have to visit their doctor every decade for smear tests, a British study has suggested. A new cervical screening test is so sensitive those over 40 may only need it every decade. Women are asked for a smear test every three years fr... more

08 July 2019

The federal government has committed $5.6 million in funding towards six medical research projects focused on improving the health profile of ageing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It will include a $1.2 million grant to NSW Cancer Inst... more

08 July 2019

Randwick Council workers will stop using weed killer Roundup following concerns its main ingredient can cause cancer. Councillors voted to accept a staff recommendation and replace the widely-used product, which contains the herbicide glyphosate, wit... more

08 July 2019

A common cold virus could provide hope for bladder cancer patients after it was found to destroy their tumours. The CVA21 virus causes sneezing, runny noses and fever when it strikes. But scientists have found it may be a lifeline for those with the ... more

08 July 2019

Children as young as 12 are taking up vaping, lured by lolly flavours and in the mistaken belief it is safe. Record numbers of teens and university students are also using e-cigarettes, in a development the Cancer Council has warned could undo decade... more

08 July 2019

Depictions of tobacco have surged nearly fourfold in the past year in the most popular TV shows among young people – and Netflix’s Stranger Things season 3 was the worst offender, anti-smoking group Truth Initiative says. Netflix said all new shows i... more

05 July 2019

Health Minister Greg Hunt claims under-fire neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has agreed to make public his cancer surgery fees on the federal government’s new medical transparency website. In an interview yesterday on Sky News, Mr Hunt said Dr Teo had commit... more

05 July 2019

A US judge will reconsider a jury’s $80 million damage award to a California cancer victim who used Monsanto’s Roundup weed-killer. US District Judge Vince Chhabria said at a hearing this week that he would reduce but not entirely eliminate punitive ... more

04 July 2019

A world-first Australian study has found that as little as five cigarettes a day doubles the risk of smokers dying from a heart attack and stroke. For the first time, Australian National University researchers established that smokers have triple the... more

04 July 2019

Smoking is killing 17 Australians a day from stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular conditions, wiping out almost double the population of Port Douglas every year, warn the researchers of a world-first study. Tobacco smokers have triple the r... more

03 July 2019

A study has revealed cigarette smoke that settles on clothing, hair or car interiors can lead to cancer in non-smokers. The findings have sparked Cancer Council Queensland to warn parents, who think they are keeping their children safe by smoking out... more

03 July 2019

Private Healthcare Australia research shows about 44 per cent of patients incur a gap payment when they are treated in a private hospital, while 2 per cent end up with an out-of-pocket in excess of $10,000. Two main issues exist with out-of-pocket ex... more

02 July 2019

NSW researchers are engineering “mini-hearts” — which are made of patients’ own cells and beat like a real heart — as part of a world-first trial aimed at reducing the toxic side effects of drugs that can cause heart failure. Lead scientist Dr Carmin... more

01 July 2019

Cancer patients are waiting up to five years to access life-saving medicines, as spending on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Subsidy scheme plummets. There are more than 30 new medicines that are reimbursed in most other developed countries, but not yet s... more

01 July 2019

Cancer will be diagnosed in an estimated 145,000 Australians this year and will kill about 136 people a day and while survival rates have increased, the incidence of cancer is also on the rise. Research has shown a third to a quarter of all cases are... more

01 July 2019

Researchers believe ‘night owls’ may be at higher risk of breast cancer. A new study published in The BMJ, finds women who considered themselves “morning people” were at a slightly lower risk (one less woman per 100) of developing breast cancer as op... more

01 July 2019

A paper-thin, flexible metal sticker placed on the chest can spot the signs of lethal heart attacks and strokes before they occur.The prototype device dubbed an "electronic tattoo" houses an intricate network of in-built sensors to track signs of abn... more

01 July 2019

More than $36 million in federal funding for health and hospital services has been granted to several projects across South Australia. The new listings include Oratane for severe cystic acne, Phenelzine for people with depression, and Pemetrexed, a c... more

28 June 2019

Being an early riser cuts the risk of breast cancer, research suggests. A major study examining the genes of 400,000 women found a marked difference in the chances of developing breast cancer between morning people and those who prefer evenings. The ... more

28 June 2019

Routine human papillomavirus vaccinations in Australia have led to a dramatic drop in infections that lead to cancer, global research published in the Lancet Public Health Journal shows. Rates of HPV infections in Australian women have fallen 92 per ... more

28 June 2019

Doing more exercise in middle age extends your life no matter how active you were before. A study conducted by University of Cambridge researchers tracked nearly 15,000 people aged 40 to 79 over eight years to establish how this affected their health... more

27 June 2019

San Francisco yesterday became the first major US city to ban the sale and manufacture of electronic cigarettes, as concerns grow over a sharp rise in vaping among youths. The city’s council unanimously approved an ordinance suspending the sale in sh... more

27 June 2019

A prostate cancer breakthrough could detect the disease without a biopsy and tell how aggressive it is. A study shows a urine test could spot the tumours and tell how likely they are to spread five years earlier than current methods. The test assesse... more

26 June 2019

Queensland has been leading the debate on food labelling at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) health meetings, says Health Minister Steven Miles, who is calling on the Federal Government to release the report into the Health Star Ratings t... more

26 June 2019

Australia’s largest alcohol retailer BWS has formed an ‘‘unlikely partnership’’ with the Dry July Foundation, which challenges people to go alcohol-free for a month to raise money for cancer patients, in a move that has drawn criticism. Michael Thorn... more

25 June 2019

An audit of brain cancer treatment in Australia will examine whether health professionals have departed from evidence-based practice and need to be given new standards and guidelines. Cancer Australia has commissioned the audit to identify the latest... more

25 June 2019

A cancer patient who had the wrong side of his bowel removed will need a third surgery to repair the damage as the Northern Beaches Hospital launches an investigation into the critical error. Surgeons at the private-public hospital removed the wrong ... more

24 June 2019

After a large community push, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee has recommended that Avastin should be made available to patients with glioblastoma via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. While Avastin does not cure patients, advocates s... more

24 June 2019

An analysis by the Obesity Policy Coalition has found that many school lunch box snacks promoted as ‘healthy’ in some way would carry as little as one star, if they used the star rating system. Jane Martin from the OPC said “They are very carefully d... more

24 June 2019

A new study funded by St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne suggests that alcohol causes the most overall harm to the Australian community, surpassing ice and heroin. Lead researcher Yvonne Bonomo said “almost 6000 Australians die from alcohol-related h... more

21 June 2019

Doctors and patients with ‘neglected’ cancers are pushing to gain greater attention, research and treatments typically bestowed on more prominent forms of the disease. GI Cancer Institute chair Professor Tim Price said ‘the gathering would try to acc... more

20 June 2019

Australian researches have discovered why some patients become resistant to one of the most popular types of chemotherapy. At least half of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy are treated with a platinum-based drug, such as ciplastin, which works ... more

20 June 2019

Bottles of juice are serving up a high amount of sugar but not much of the healthy parts of fruit, according to an analysis of ready-to-drink products sold across Victoria. Cancer Council Victoria’s LiveLighter campaign manager, Alison McAleese, says... more

20 June 2019

A study has found that eating two servings of yoghurt a week could lower men’s risk of bowel cancer. Men who eat this amount are one-fifth less likely to develop polyps in the bowel. A Harvard Medical School study of 32,000 men tracked their diet, an... more

20 June 2019

Experts have warned that women are drinking in ignorance of breast cancer risks. Only one in five women attending breast clinics and screening appointments were aware that alcohol increased their risk of cancer. Research led by experts at the Univers... more

18 June 2019

A Queensland-led discovery has found new genetic causes for an increased risk of breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancers, refining knowledge about the high-profile BRCA genes that can potentially spare patients from unnecessary preventative ... more

17 June 2019

In an opinion piece, Colin Mendelsohn comments on the Northern Territory Government’s five-year Tobacco Plan that was released earlier this month. He claims that the plan is a clear demonstration that the "Government has lost its way" as the document... more

17 June 2019

According to Bowel Cancer Australia, age should not be a barrier to the Australian Government’s free bowel screening program. Two new global studies show bowel cancer rates are rising significantly in the under 50s, with one in 10 diagnosed. Bowel Ca... more

12 June 2019

In an editorial for the Sydney Morning Herald, the issue of out of pocket medical expenses is discussed in the wake of the Charlie Teo controversy. The piece argues that medical professionals should endorse clearer ethical guidelines including tellin... more

11 June 2019

Light treatments have undergone 500 controlled studies, with many showing it works as a way of treating cancer and soft tissue injuries. Clinical trials that use light to kill skin cancers are set to begin in Australia this year, and a robot has been... more

11 June 2019

Canberra smokers who litter their cigarette butts in public places could soon face a $500 fine for the act, under new laws the ACT government has proposed. City Services Minister Chris Steel on Thursday introduced a bill to extensively overhaul the t... more

11 June 2019

An Australian surgeon has likened the treatment of neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo to the frenzy surrounding Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton who experienced an intense trial-by-media in 1980 over the killing of her daughter at Uluru. Paediatric urologist Pro... more

11 June 2019

Health Minister Greg Hunt has sounded a warning to medical specialists over ‘‘very excessive’’ fees after brain surgeon Charlie Teo defended charging large medical bills for risky procedures. The high-profile Sydney doctor has accused the Royal Austr... more

11 June 2019

In an opinion piece for the Sun Herald, Helen Pitt writes about the problem with Australia’s health system, which has become so “profit-driven that it needs crowdfunding to not only keep patients alive but just to get them to the operating table”. Sh... more

11 June 2019

Medical leaders have hit back after an attack by renowned brain surgeon Charlie Teo claiming the medical establishment is “the enemy”, trying to push him out of the profession. The president of the Australian Medical Association, Tony Bartone, urged ... more

11 June 2019

Jill Margo writes a piece about the early detection of ovarian cancer, highlighting the pioneering work of UNSW vice-chancellor Ian Jacobs who has been researching a screening method for this type of cancer since the mid-1980s. The diagnosis of ovari... more

11 June 2019

A paradigm shift in cervical screening tests is resulting in earlier detection of potentially cancer-causing infections, researchers say. A test for the human papillomavirus (HPV) replaced Pap smear testing in December 2017, under the national cervic... more

11 June 2019

The Sunday Mail and the University of Adelaide are encouraging men to “man up” about men’s health this week and be aware of the risk groups and common warning signs for early signs of chronic illness. Dr James Richards, of The Men’s Health Centre, in... more

11 June 2019

The wait-time for follow-up colonoscopies in bowel cancer detection has been labelled the “Achilles heel of the screening process”, according to the head of Bowel Cancer Australia. The organisation is calling on all levels of government to commit to ... more

11 June 2019

Anne Rutherford from Claremont, Tasmania says her bowel cancer scare when she was 45 was just another example of why screening needs to begin at a younger age. The country’s second most deadly cancer is on the rise in people under 50, a new report re... more

11 June 2019

An environmental expert has attacked “hysteria” and “misinformation” that weed killer Roundup causes cancer, saying scientific evidence shows it’s “our safest herbicide”. University of Sydney Emeritus Professor Ivan Kennedy, who had conducted pestici... more

11 June 2019

One of South Australia’s most senior health executives has apologised “unreservedly” to an Adelaide man who has been given a progrognosis of one to two years following a missed cancer diagnosis. Claus Burg, 70, was given the all clear in July last ye... more

05 June 2019

A landmark study led by the Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate (ANZUP) Cancer Trials Group has shown that 80% of men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer who received the non-steroidal anti-androgen medicine enzalutamide ... more

05 June 2019

Australia’s peak surgeon body would back moves to reprimand specialists charging exorbitant fees that risk financially crippling patients and families. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) has echoed public concerns over patients crowdfu... more

05 June 2019

Penny Egan, CEO of Cancer Council Tasmania, writes about the importance of regular screening and early detection of cancer in saving lives. In light of Cancer Council’s national campaign promoting bowel cancer screening, she urges 50-74 year olds to ... more

05 June 2019

Taking vitamin D supplements reduces the risk of dying from cancer by 13 per cent, an overview of research suggests. A series of studies pointed to the benefits of having enough vitamin D, either through supplements, sunshine or foods such as oily fi... more

05 June 2019

Melbourne researchers have teamed with the CSIRO to fast-track the development of a wonder drug that could target common cancers. Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre scientists uncovered a key way that cancer hijacks the body’s innate defence system that s... more

05 June 2019

Australians using online food delivery services are ordering meals that contain an entire day’s energy intake on a plate. Cancer Councils’ LiveLighter campaign surveyed 2000 people and found when they order food online, two in three pick unhealthy op... more

05 June 2019

The coffee industry scored a win in California on Monday with the passage of a rule clarifying that the popular beverage doesn’t require a cancer warning. The safety of coffee has been in dispute in California since a state court judge ruled last nor... more

04 June 2019

A new blood test could help predict whether women with breast cancer will respond to treatment before it begins. Scientists at London’s Institute of Cancer Research said at a conference in Chicago the ‘‘liquid biopsy’’ could detect genetic changes in... more

04 June 2019

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, Brendan Murphy, will investigate whether doctors who charge unnecessarily high fees that leave patients and their families in financial debt, should be punished. Professor Murphy will determine whether there is a th... more

04 June 2019

A Melbourne gardener has launched legal action against a global pharmaceutical giant in the first Australian case to link cancer with popular weedkiller Roundup. Michael Ogalirolo, 54, was diagnosed in 2011 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, after more than ... more

04 June 2019

In an opinion piece, Alison Lai, chief executive of the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council of Tasmania, writes about the lack of funding committed to tackling drug and alcohol issues by the recently elected Coalition Government. With waiting li... more

03 June 2019

Increased doses of radiation therapy are enabling women with early-stage breast cancer to finish their treatment faster, with fewer trips to hospital. Growing numbers of NSW patients are being offered hypofractionated radiotherapy, which uses more in... more

03 June 2019

A new drug, ribociclib, offers women close to dying from the most common form of breast cancer the prospect of years more life, experts claim. Results of the trial, unveiled yesterday at the world’s biggest cancer conference in Chicago, reveal a dail... more

03 June 2019

Children are being paid by a western suburbs council to try to catch out businesses illegally selling cigarettes to minors. Tobacco sellers caught by the Wyndham council operation — and there have been 10 in the past year — are fined $645. Councillor... more

03 June 2019

Premier Will Hodgman has not ruled out raising Tasmania’s smoking age to 21 after new research revealed some Hobart suburbs’ smoking rates were among the nation’s worst. The research from Victoria University health policy think tank the Mitchell Inst... more

03 June 2019

Government funded events in the Northern Territory can still apply for exemptions to strict smoking laws, Health Minister Natasha Fyles says. That contradicts information given by her office on Thursday, which said all events which received governmen... more

03 June 2019

In a piece for the Sun Herald, Henry Woo, who last week sent out two tweets describing his concern about patients and their families turning to crowdfunding to cover the costs of surgical treatment, talks about his “eye-opening” experience of speakin... more

03 June 2019

In an explainer for the Sunday Age, Kate Aubusson writes about why we have out-of-pocket specialist fees, who decides what patients pay and what is an appropriate fee. The situation, she says, is complicated by Australia’s healthcare system, where Me... more

03 June 2019

A new do-it-yourself option for collecting samples to screen for cervical cancer is now available and experts are urging women to speak to their GP about it. Women who are overdue for a screening test, or who have never had a test, are being urged to... more

03 June 2019

Nine out of 10 Australians wrongly believe eating junk food is the biggest risk factor for bowel cancer, Australia’s second biggest cancer killer, when the biggest risk factor is being aged over 50. A survey by the bowel screening program has found o... more

03 June 2019

A landmark Australian-led clinical trial has revealed that a hormone therapy drug can greatly improve the survival rate in men with advanced hormone sensitive prostate cancer. The findings have shown that men with this sort of cancer who receive enza... more

03 June 2019

A radical plan to provide free genetic testing for all Australians aged 18 to 25 could prevent thousands of cancer cases a year, it has been claimed. A new study has found a population-wide genetic screening program in Australia would save the health... more

03 June 2019

The Victorian government is reviewing the use of the weed killer glyphosate following three landmark US court rulings against the maker of Roundup over cancer cases. The review is the first by an Australian state or territory government in the wake o... more

03 June 2019

Four Australian women have died of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) linked to textured breast implants, and the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 97 nationally, the latest tally by an expert coalition of ... more

03 June 2019

Poor access to healthcare in China is driving the trend for them to visit Australia for their healthcare needs. Wellness travel organiser Garry Burns said wellness travel was the fastest-growing sector in China. They arrive and undergo a range of tes... more

03 June 2019

Genetic tests for hereditary illnesses such as breast and ovarian cancer have revealed that one person in 10 is mistaken about the identity of their father, according to an National Health Service chief. Ian Cumming, head of Health Education England,... more

31 May 2019

Statistics from the ABS and various health bodies show that about 72 per cent of men and 26 per cent of women smoked in 1945 – but the latest data from Queensland Health shows that one in seven Queenslanders aged 14 and over light up every day. With ... more

31 May 2019

Some of Hobart suburbs’ smoking rates are as high as national smoking rates were in the 1970s. Bridgewater and Gagebrook hold the country’s worst smoking rate at 40 per cent — about the same as the national rate was during the 1970s when three in fou... more

31 May 2019

Adelaide's Elizabeth and Salisbury have the same smoking rates as Australia in 1988, prompting concerns the northern suburbs are stuck in a “tobacco time warp”. Health policy think tank the Mitchell Institute has found that 31 per cent of adults in t... more

31 May 2019

Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest’s push to raise the age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21 is set to gain momentum today with the launch of a national campaign to gain public support for the move. Mr Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation will launch t... more

31 May 2019

In an opinion piece, Associate Professor Peter Sivey from RMIT University argues that the Liberal Party should implement Labor’s new cancer funding plan, which provided a model to address spiraling out-of-pocket fees in the health system. The Coaliti... more

31 May 2019

In a his weekly health column, Sean Parnell writes about the health risks posed by weight redistribution after menopause in women. Australian National University PhD scholar Ananthan Ambikairajah says “This change in distribution of body weight happe... more

31 May 2019

Cancer Council Australia has called for government intervention in response to new data showing that the proportion of Australian secondary school students regularly using roll-your-own tobacco has increased from 24 per cent to 29 per cent in the thr... more

30 May 2019

In an opinion piece, Michael Fawsitt writes that for all the success we’ve achieved in reducing smoking rates in Australia, an alarming number of Australia’s (18,800) are still dying prematurely from tobacco-related diseases each year. He says that t... more

30 May 2019

Night shifts do not increase the risk of breast cancer, a study of 100,000 women over a decade has found. The research, published yesterday in the British Journal of Cancer, challenges the World Health Organisation’s decision to classify night-shift ... more

30 May 2019

Elderly people who are terminally ill with mesothelioma will be able to remain in the community at James Hardie’s expense, rather than being forced into a nursing home by the construction giant, under a landmark court ruling. Yesterday, the NSW Dust ... more

30 May 2019

Less than one third of eligible products display the five star rating, with three-quarters of these scoring three or more stars, a George Institute for Global Health study shows. The research, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Pu... more

30 May 2019

Cancer Council Victoria’s annual telephone survey has found the number of Victorians who smoke is at the lowest rate since records began 30 years ago record. One in 10 Victorian adults are daily smokers, down from 13.5 per cent in 2015. The decrease ... more

29 May 2019

A promising treatment known as ‘focal therapy’ is emerging for a small group of men with prostate cancer. About 15 per cent of them could have their tumour cleared with minimal threat to potency or continence. An Australian study has shown this treat... more

29 May 2019

In an piece of the Hobart Mercury, CEO of Cancer Council Tasmania Penny Egan writes about the stigma associated with lung cancer and smoking in the lead up to this Friday’s World No Tobacco Day. She says there is also data related to the number of pe... more

29 May 2019

Researchers from Standford University have tested the risks posed by e-cigarette vapour on the human heart. They used lab dishes to grow cells that normally line healthy blood vessels, and found that exposing the cells to flavourings from e-cigarette... more

29 May 2019

Brain surgeon Charlie Teo has defended the practice of accepting six-figure sums raised for cancer patients through crowdfunding to pay for his services. The controversy over Dr Teo’s practices prompted the Australian Medical Association and Royal Au... more

29 May 2019

A study, published in The Lancet, has found the incidence of colon cancer in people aged 20-29 had increased by 9.3 per cent per year between 2004 and 2014, while the rate of rectal cancer had increased by 7.1 per cent per year from 1993 to 2014. Mea... more

28 May 2019

A prominent Sydney cancer specialist has questioned the “really disturbing” trend of people fundraising to pay controversial brain surgeon Charlie Teo to attempt to save a life. Professor Henry Woo from the University of Sydney and Chris O’Brien Life... more

28 May 2019

More people are being diagnosed with cancer but survival rates are getting significantly better, the latest Cancer Institute NSW report shows. As our ageing population grows, so do the absolute numbers of cancer diagnoses and deaths across the state,... more

27 May 2019

A study published in the journal BMJ Open has been the first of its kind to analyse the hidden experience of men who resist the recommended treatment for prostate cancer. Researchers spent hours interviewing 11 Australian, well educated men aged 59-7... more

27 May 2019

Australia’s first planned proton therapy unit in Adelaide – The Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research –  has taken several strides forward.  The National Partnership Agreement between Federal and State government for $68 million to ... more

27 May 2019

A new study by Google and several medical centres has found that machines are as good as, or better than, doctors at detecting tiny lung cancers on CT scans. The technology is a work in progress and is not ready for widespread use, but the report, wh... more

27 May 2019

A tax-payer multi-million dollar anti-smoking campaign remains firmly on the agenda of the national anti-cancer lobby in the wake of the Coalition's election success. Of the two major parties, Labor had made the strongest pre-election pledge on curbi... more

22 May 2019

A head and neck cancer vaccine, developed by celebrated Queensland scientist Ian Frazer, will be tested in 12 patients with incurable tumours caused by the human papillomavirus.In a two-pronged attack against the disease, the vaccine will be combined... more

21 May 2019

Australian commercial pilots are at no greater risk of developing invasive melanoma than the population generally. The QIMR Berghofer Medical Research examined medical records of about 20,000 Australian licensed pilots between 2011 and 2016 to ascert... more

21 May 2019

A senior Liberal strategist and the national doctors’ group have advised Scott Morrison to adopt Labor’s health reforms which promised extra medicare rebates for cancer patients. Strategists also say the Coalition should consider Labor’s plan to prov... more

20 May 2019

A 27-year study, published by the Lancet, has revealed that poor diet causes up to 11 million adult deaths a year, mostly due to diet-related cardiovascular disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Looking at 15 different foods and nutrients, the study r... more

20 May 2019

Growth in life expectancy has slowed down in Australia due to preventable barriers such as obesity rates, according to a new report published today in the Medical Journal of Australia. Researchers from the University of Melbourne found while the coun... more

20 May 2019

In a Fairfax Media feature, Tim Elliot writes about the politics involved in the introduction of heat-not-burn cigarette products, which leading tobacco company Phillip Morris released as a part of their new mission to “switch its customers to smoke-... more

17 May 2019

Both major parties have promised to set up a parliamentary inquiry into the high incidence of cancer deaths on the Bellarine Peninsula, after concerns were raised about the widespread use of organochlorine pesticides in the area until they were banne... more

16 May 2019

A new drug being developed by Australian scientists has been able to reduce the size of previously untouchable giloma brain cancer cells. Researchers from Monash University, Alfred Health and Melbourne University today announced that their experiment... more

16 May 2019

Overweight and obese people can reduce their risk of dying of cancer before retirement by up to 30 per cent if they lose their excess kilograms, a study by QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute has shown. By reducing body mass index by about five... more

16 May 2019

In an opinion piece, Stacey Lee writes about the increasing need to implement a sugar tax in Australia, or “at the very least a tax on sugary drinks”. While the plan is controversial, she says that the need is dire, with Australia being ranked the “f... more

16 May 2019

In an opinion piece, Chris Munday, head of the national diagnostic imaging provider ‘Oscan’, writes that the Labor party needs to tweak its Medicare rebate rules of diagnostic scans if its $2.3 billion cancer care policy is to reach all Australians. ... more

15 May 2019

Anti-smoking messages could be placed inside cigarette packets to further bombard smokers with healthy messages, under a push by Cancer Council Victoria. The health group wants inserts inside cigarette packs to provide advice on how to quit smoking, ... more

15 May 2019

On Wednesday, philanthropic organisation, the Minderoo Foundation, will donate $5 million to the Zero Childhood Cancer program. The donation will enable the program to double the number of children enrolled in its trial: a precision or ‘‘personalised... more

15 May 2019

A new survey by LiveLighter reveals that less than half of Australian adults consider flavoured water a sugary drink, and a third fail to identify flavoured milk, fruit juice, sports drinks and fruit drinks as containing sugar. Cancer Council Lifesty... more

15 May 2019

Research by WA’s LiveLighter campaign reveals a large gap between our perception of how healthy we are versus reality. Only one in 10 people surveyed said they ate the recommended five servings of vegetables a day and just 41 per cent did the recomme... more

15 May 2019

Scott Morrison will inject $81.5 million into health services for West Australians. The Prime Minister said he would boost funding for cancer services, chronic heart conditions and mental health. $19 million would be allocated for genomic cancer test... more

13 May 2019

A new technique devised by two specialists from Melbourne has the potential to restore potency after prostate surgery. It uses microsurgery to reconfigure the electrical wiring required for erectile function. In the process, it empowers the penis usi... more

13 May 2019

To coincide with Mother’s Day yesterday, the Prime Minister pitched a suite of female-focused investments to mark the official launch of the Coalition’s re-election campaign. Included in the funding will be $10 million to pay for compression garments... more

13 May 2019

A University of Sydney study has found the food additive E171 – found in more than 900 products including chewing gum and mayonnaise – may have a “substantial and harmful” influence on human health. Consumption of food containing E171 has an impact o... more

13 May 2019

Children with cancer will have access to cutting-edge clinical trials in Melbourne under a $9.6 million commitment announced by the Coalition today. “Mini-tumours” will be grown in a lab to replicate patients’ original tumours and develop personalise... more

13 May 2019

SA Genomics will be one of two Australian research epicentres trialing the use of genomic medicines in blood cancer for the first time following a $1.8 million commitment from the Leukaemia Foundation and Tour De Cure. Adelaide scientists will aim to... more

10 May 2019

New research by a Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital doctor has revealed that Queenslanders do not use sunscreen or fail to apply it correctly, despite living in the melanoma capital of the country. The study of 80 Queenslanders found that 49.3 per ... more

08 May 2019

Men with prostate cancer are three times more likely to die from it if they have a particular genetic mutation, which up to one in five patients carry. Most men with prostate cancer do not die from it but scientists sought to find those with advanced... more

07 May 2019

A study by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine study, published in the journal CANCER, has revealed that people with higher fitness levels have a lower chance of developing lung and bowel cancer. The study also found people who developed lung or bow... more

07 May 2019

In a piece for The Australian, Anton van den Hengel, founding director of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, writes about the possibilities of artificial intelligence to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. New technology deve... more

06 May 2019

Three years after law was changed to permit medicinal cannabis, thousands of people are still considered criminals for using it. The fraught patient access scheme is the subject of a new documentary called High As Mike, which follows the story of Mik... more

06 May 2019

Olivia Newton-John has pleaded with authorities to fix the shambolic state of legal medicinal cannabis and its availability in Australia. Ms Newton-John, who was diagnosed with cancer in 1992 and last year learnt it had spread, said she is a regular ... more

06 May 2019

A new study will deliver a world-first model of care to reduce cardiovascular disease in breast cancer survivors, Flinders University says. Professor Bogda Koczwara, of the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, is leading the two-year study. “Whi... more

06 May 2019

New research published in the Journal of Physiology has revealed that high intensity interval training may be able to stop bowel cancer in its tracks. Researchers asked a group of colorectal cancer survivors to complete either a single HIIT session o... more

06 May 2019

New research by medical software MedicalDirector has found 54 per cent of Australians use Google at least weekly to look up medical questions and symptoms, and about 70 per cent said they had used Google to address their health needs instead of visit... more

06 May 2019

In a piece for the Australian Financial Review, Jill Margo writes about the appropriate prescription of exercise as medicine in the management of chronic disease. The new thinking, she says, is that it shouldn’t be “blindly administered” and needs to... more

03 May 2019

Australia appears unlikely to follow the US in allowing the sale of nicotine vaping products, with both sides of politics rejecting the idea. The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday said it would permit cigarette company Philip Morris to sell ... more

03 May 2019

A Sydney-based company, Solar D Skincare, has become the first in the world to develop vitamin D-promoting SPF technology into its skincare product. With most taking the advice to slip, slop, slap to protect from UV rays, studies show that almost 30 ... more

03 May 2019

The genesis of the next generation of anti-cancer drugs could be hiding underneath the famous Busselton Jetty, according to WA’s chief scientist Peter Klinken. Speaking ahead of a talk at the popular tourist spot today, Klinken said he believed there... more

03 May 2019

Food manufacturers could be forced to alter recipes to cut the amount of fat, sugar and salt in products under a Shorten Labor government as part of plans to address the nation’s obesity epidemic. Speaking at the National Press Club in a debate with ... more

02 May 2019

In a feature piece for the Australian Financial Review, Jill Margo writes about the difficulty of navigating Australia’s public/private health system as a cancer patient, where expenses remain unpredictable. Even with Labor’s $2.3 billion cancer plan... more

02 May 2019

The Coalition has promised cheaper medicines for 1.4 million Australians – including cancer patients. Under the $308 million plan, the annual threshold to get access to free or further discounted medicines through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme w... more

02 May 2019

In a piece for the Hobart Mercury, founder of Melanoma Tasmania Di Mason writes about the misconception that the warmth of the sun – i.e infrared rays - on our skin causes skin damage. She warns that the damage that results in skin cancer is caused b... more

02 May 2019

Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King will today unveil Labor’s four-year $115 million national preventive health strategy to tackle obesity and other conditions. The strategy includes a suite of initiatives including: the provision of expert ... more

01 May 2019

A quick urine test could offer women a less invasive alternative to a smear test, research suggests. British scientists have found that urine tests accurately screen for HPV (human papilloma virus), which causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. I... more

30 April 2019

Scientists from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute have discovered why some women with a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer fail to respond to a frontline chemotherapy drug, in a study they believe will lead to more effective tr... more

30 April 2019

A single blast of radiotherapy could save prostate cancer patients weeks of treatments, new research suggests. The findings, presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology conference in Milan, suggest patients can be spared daily tri... more

30 April 2019

Heavier and taller children are more likely to develop kidney cancer as adults, research from Denmark suggests. Led by experts from the Danish Centre for Clinical Research and Prevention at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, data from 301,422 peo... more

29 April 2019

More than 80 Queenslanders are being hospitalised with serious skin cancers each day as melanoma cases surge across the state. With the Sunshine State showing no sign of losing its unenviable title as the nation’s melanoma capital, health authorities... more

29 April 2019

British scientists have discovered 17 genes that radically increase the chance of carriers developing prostate cancer. The findings will hopefully eventually lead to the creation of a quick DNA test to identify those at risk. Until now, experts at th... more

29 April 2019

The Obesity Policy Coalition have called for food manufacturers to face harsh fines and bans on advertising if they flout rules about marketing of junk food to children. The group of anti-obesity advocates is calling on both political parties to comm... more

29 April 2019

In a news limited feature, cancer is discussed as one of the physical effects of regular, long-term alcohol consumption. Several cancers have been linked to alcohol, including mouth, stomach, bowel and breast cancers. “It’s considered to be a likely ... more

26 April 2019

E-cigarettes may be contaminated with bacteria and fungi linked to lung disease, research published in Environmental Health Perspectives suggests. Scientists who tested 75 single-use cartridges and refill liquids found signs of harmful bugs in just o... more

26 April 2019

Griffith University researchers are hopeful they have developed a drug to extend life in patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer. Medicinal chemist Sally Ann Poulsen says the compound her team has developed is designed to work ... more

23 April 2019

In an opinion piece Terry Slevin writes that disease prevention should be a priority during the ‘health election’. The piece focuses on the need for investment in prevention, rather than diagnosis and treatment, especially for obesity and alcohol con... more

23 April 2019

According to new research, exercising for just 30 minutes each day can mitigate many of the risks associated with sitting too much. The study, published yesterday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, sought to understand whether it w... more

21 April 2019

Junk food giants such as McDonald’s, KFC and Oporto will be restricted from advertising on publicly owned sites amid a fat-fighting crackdown being waged by the State Government. All ads featuring high fat, salt and sugar products, as well as alcohol... more

21 April 2019

Including an added sugar rating to the nutrition panel on food items could save thousands of lives, according to health experts. Added sugar is not included on such panels in Australia, despite many calls from obesity experts, and a new US study clai... more

20 April 2019

The Morrison government is set to unveil a $100 million plan to help Australians with cancer and rare diseases access cutting-edge treatment no matter where they live. The government would use $100 million from its Medical Research Future Fund to del... more

19 April 2019

While older smokers may have become jaded to graphic warnings on cigarette packets, new data shows the deterrents are still working on younger people. James Cook University researchers analysed previous studies involving 16,000 people from around the... more

19 April 2019

Researchers have now found that a protein — called leukaemia inhibitory factor — plays a key role in the development of pancreatic tumours and could be a useful target for drugs. The study, published in the journal Nature, suggests the protein is pre... more

18 April 2019

Lymphoedema, swelling of the arms as a result of surgery that removes lymph nodes, has been ignored by both sides of politics this election. The Breast Cancer Network of Australia says it must be addressed as government subsidies for aids and physiot... more

18 April 2019

Queensland researchers have identified five distinct types of bowel cancer that are closely related to a patient’s age, in a breakthrough that they hope will lead to more targeted treatments. The three-year study by QIMR Berghofer Medical Research In... more

18 April 2019

Even moderate amounts of ham, bacon and red meat are linked to bowel cancer, experts warn. People who stick to guidelines from Britain’s National Health Service on red and processed meat consumption still increase their risk of bowel cancer by a fift... more

17 April 2019

Australians with leukaemia and other blood cancers will get better access to lifesaving clinical trials under a $20 million Labor plan. Promising a “right to trial”, Bill Shorten will today pledge to ensure more cancer patients can use cutting-edge t... more

17 April 2019

A Tasmanian Menzies Institute researcher is set to embark on a ground-breaking new prostate cancer study as part of her Cancer Council Tasmania Research Fellowship. Liesel FitzGerald is aiming to collect genetic information from blood and tumour samp... more

16 April 2019

The Leukaemia Foundation will provide transport and accommodation to South Australian children and young adults needing revolutionary blood cancer treatment in Melbourne. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt yesterday said CAR-T therapy would be subsidi... more

16 April 2019

Australians are paying more for healthcare than most other developed nations, forking out $34 billion a year on out-of-pocket health costs, an analysis of official data reveals. The data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that ... more

16 April 2019

Bill Shorten will promise to fund $200 million worth of free blood tests for cancer patients and older Australians as he moves to reignite the bitter clash over pathology bulk billing that erupted during the 2016 Labor Medicare scare campaign. Labor ... more

15 April 2019

A cancer treatment for sick children and young adults will be made available across Australia’s public hospitals, saving patients previously forced to go overseas up to $500,000. CAR T-cell therapy, marketed as Kymriah, is a onetime treatment which i... more

15 April 2019

In a piece for the Hobart Mercury, Graeme Lynch writes about a new push by the Hobart City Council’s City Planning Committee to campaign for more smoke-free areas in the city. The planned changes would see the entirety of the CBD, along with Franklin... more

15 April 2019

Raising awareness about Australia’s second biggest cancer killer, bowel cancer, will be the focus of a $10 million Labor pledge to increase national screening test rates. The commitment will fund a national awareness campaign, led by South Australian... more

15 April 2019

Kate Aubusson and Melissa Cunningham explain that out-of-pocket costs for cancer patients are determined by a number of factors, including specialist consultations, treatments, private health insurance, tests and scans, location and miscellaneous fee... more

15 April 2019

Australia’s successful slip, slop, slap campaign will get a reboot for a new audience under a pledge by Bill Shorten announced on Saturday. The Labor Leader will, if elected, invest $8.6 million to work with the Cancer Council Australia to relaunch a... more

15 April 2019

In a piece for the Weekend West, Cathy O’Leary writes about the growing movement against veganism. Some dietitians argue that while the trend towards eating more plant-based foods should be encouraged, this does not need to be at the exclusion of mea... more

15 April 2019

Public health experts and Woolworths oppose a change to the health star ratings that would signal olive oil was not as healthy as canola and sunflower oils. The health star ratings, the government-backed system that assigns food a health score out of... more

11 April 2019

The federal government has proposed a $19m package towards improving the health and well-being of every Australian man. The National Men’s Health Strategy will set out a national approach to improving health outcomes for Australian males, particularl... more

10 April 2019

South Australian prostate cancer patients can now access a world-first diagnostic scan that can lead to more targeted treatment of the disease. The breakthrough comes after SAHMRI won a licence to make a new tracer that searches the entire body for e... more

10 April 2019

Port Adelaide football club’s Aboriginal programs are partnering with Cancer Council South Australia to promote a smoke-free message to young Aboriginal people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer prevention and programs manager Peter Thomas... more

10 April 2019

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will today announce $63.4 million to reboot the landmark National Tobacco Campaign – first launched in 1997 – and provide more support to lung cancer patients. The advertising will likely include vivid images and footag... more

10 April 2019

In a piece for the AFR, Andrew Tillett and Ben Potter say that health experts are warning against Bill Shorten’s significant $2.3 billion cancer plan, which could risk neglecting patients suffering from other diseases, including heart disease, dement... more

10 April 2019

Using an inhaler to take medicine instead of getting a needle could become the norm in the future if Australian research into dry powder drugs is successful. QUT pharmaceutical scientist Nazrul Islam is experimenting with using a powder made of nanop... more

10 April 2019

The rate of liver cancer deaths and diagnoses has increased substantially in the past three decades, while outcomes for those diagnosed with the disease have worsened. Researchers say there needs to be a renewed focus on early diagnosis of liver canc... more

09 April 2019

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has promised a $500 million fund to shrink treatment waiting lists for cancer patients in state-run hospitals if he is elected prime minister. The announcement is the latest plank in the opposition’s $2.3 billion cancer... more

09 April 2019

The private health insurance sector has warned of potential cost shifting and compliance issues in Labor’s $2.3 billion cancer package, highlighting past experiences that show some specialists fail to comply with bulk billing pledges. Rachel David, h... more

09 April 2019

After the announcement of Labor’s $2.3 billion cancer treatment plan, oncologists have warned yesterday they could not guarantee they would bulk-bill their services. Australians receive treatment in public hospitals free of charge under the National ... more

09 April 2019

The federal government has committed $30 million to fight endometriosis and ovarian cancer as part of a new National Women’s Health Strategy geared towards prevention, early detection, treatments and, ultimately, cures. Health Minister Greg Hunt said... more

08 April 2019

Cancer drug developer Prescient Therapeutics says it is set to be the first Australian company to conduct a new “basket” approach to clinical trials — a method that fuelled an $US8 billion ($11bn) deal in the US. The new approach means that rather th... more

07 April 2019

If elected, Bill Shorten has vowed to invest $37.7 million to support younger Australians who receive a cancer diagnosis. The bulk of the money — more than $24 million — will go to CanTeen, which supports young Australians aged 12 to 24 with their ca... more

07 April 2019

In an opinion piece David Penberthy writes about the new push by the Obesity Policy Coalition and Deakin University’s Institute for Health Transformation to police school canteens to only offer healthy food. They are seeking $100 million from the fed... more

07 April 2019

The Park Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy study looked at how effective immunotherapy was on patients with melanoma. They found the treatment was five times more effective for people who consumed fibre-rich meals, while a diet high in sugar and pro... more

07 April 2019

Many breast cancer survivors also suffer heart muscle damage or even heart failure as a result of cancer treatment. Now researchers from Heart Research Australia are working on a technique that will increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and redu... more

06 April 2019

The opposition dismisses fears that doctors will raise their fees with impunity, as a result of the 2.3 billion cancer plan unveiled in opposition leader Bill Shorten’s budget reply. A new Medicare item will be created to offset 3 million consultatio... more

05 April 2019

Labor has pledged $2.3 billion to reduce the cost of cancer treatment by offering millions of free scans and specialist consultations - “the biggest cancer care package in Australian history”. Opposition leader Bill Shotrens revealed last night that ... more

05 April 2019

The Australian breakthrough HPV vaccine has led to a major drop in cervical disease in the UK. Since 2008, all British schoolgirls have been offered the human papillomavirus vaccine at the age of 12 or 13. A study of 138,000 women in Scotland shows t... more

05 April 2019

A Cancer Council study shows high school students’ alcohol and tobacco consumption is falling, while their use of tranquillisers without a medical reason has slowly climbed. 20 per cent of students aged 12 to 17 admitted to recreationally using sleep... more

05 April 2019

Nearly one in six deaths in Australia and New Zealand can be attributed to poor diet, a study presented by The Lancet medical journal has revealed. Cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancers caused by unhealthy eating killed more than 24,000... more

04 April 2019

A study by the University of Liverpool has found that many people don’t apply sunscreen to their eye area even when they covered the rest of their face. About 14 per cent of participants completely missed their eye area with sunscreen, while nearly 2... more

04 April 2019

Death rates from prostate cancer have either stabilised or declined in most countries since the turn of the century. A new international survey by the American Cancer Society revealed that: “in the most recent five years of data examined, prostate ca... more

03 April 2019

The tax collected on tobacco has boosted government funds by almost $5 billion in a year after the government increased the excise tax on cigarettes last year. Federal budget forecasts of the amount of tax collected on tobacco will rise from $12.85bn... more

03 April 2019

The government has moved to make peace with the doctors’ lobby by bringing forward the end of a freeze on Medicare rebates. Beginning on July 1, the indexation of rebates for the remaining 119 general practitioner item numbers on the Medical Benefits... more

03 April 2019

Children born using IVF may be at higher risk of cancer, researchers from the University of Minnesota have found. Writing in JAMA Pediatrics, Scientists studied 275,700 children conceived via IVF and compared them with 2.3 million children conceived ... more

03 April 2019

Women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer will have access to more specialist nurses to help them navigate the health system, thanks to funding in the Budget. The Government will spend $45 million over the next four years on 41 new McGrat... more

03 April 2019

The government last night announced a number of investments to help in cancer research, prevention and patient support as part of the 2019 Federal Budget. This including funding of an effective new treatment for lymphoblastic leukaemia from May 1, wh... more

02 April 2019

Thousands of Australians living with cancer will get cheaper lifesaving drugs as part of today’s Budget. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced $81.5 million will be spent cutting the cost of one drug from $155,000 a year to just $40 for each script. Ab... more

02 April 2019

Up to 100 parents of children at Essendon North Primary School have written to Education Minister James Merlino telling him they would be keeping their kids at home all week over asbestos fears. Children had been allowed to keep playing on the school... more

02 April 2019

A new obesity “scorecard” released today reveals a haphazard approach throughout states and their schools in regards to canteen fare. In the lead-up to the federal election, Deakin University’s Institute for Health Transformation, in partnership with... more

01 April 2019

Minors will have limited access to shisha devices and e-cigarettes, under new South Australian laws. The use of e-cigarettes in non-smoking areas and online sales have been banned under the legislation which took effect from yesterday. SA’s Director ... more

01 April 2019

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy could be harming their daughters’ fertility in years to come, research published in FASEB science journal suggests. Women have been warned about the risks of smoking while pregnant for years, with offspring at risk ... more

01 April 2019

Hundreds of consumers have been posting negative online reviews of sunscreen products for not working, but experts say it is because people aren’t applying enough of the product. Associate professor Dr Stephen Shumack, principal at Central Sydney Der... more

01 April 2019

The 2017-18 National Health Survey has found that WA had lower rates of obesity and smoking compared with the rest of the country. The survey also found that West Australians were more likely to exercise compared with the nation as a whole, with six ... more

01 April 2019

A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health suggests long periods spent sitting contributed to 70,000 deaths in 2016 in the UK, and for the first time has put a figure on its cost to the National Health Service — £700 mill... more

29 March 2019

The Telethon Kids Institute is working with the Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Research Foundation and the fundraising group Sock it to Sarcoma, in the hope of finding a treatment to help children battling the deadly disease sarcoma. Researchers are... more

29 March 2019

A University of NSW study of 200,000 women predicts being overweight and drinking alcohol will cause 30,000 cancer cases in the next 10 years. More than one in two women drink alcohol regularly and three in five are overweight or obese. “We found tha... more

29 March 2019

Fed-up doctors and nurses are fronting a hard-hitting campaign to highlight how people with lung cancer are suffering because of discrimination against smokers. Lung Cancer Australia says the campaign name, Free from Stigma, intentionally has a tagli... more

29 March 2019

The Federal Government will spend $32 million on improving the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, enabling patients to save up to $1500 on MRI and PET scans. To be announced in next week’s Federal Budget, the subsidised MRI scans ... more

28 March 2019

Health Department data released to The Advertiser shows about 3600 patients awaiting a colonoscopy are considered “overdue” for the procedure. This is down from 4100 people in August last year but the figure still falls short of the State Government’... more

28 March 2019

Three Aboriginal children whose father died from mesothelioma in the NSW Central West have won a battle for compensation against the state government. The family alleged that negligence by Housing Commission contractors caused Mr Ingram to be exposed... more

28 March 2019

In a piece for the Herald Sun, Justin Smith – who lost his own mother to ovarian cancer – writes about the difficultly of detecting the disease early and the lack of knowledge among women about early symptoms. He claims there is a lack of funding ded... more

28 March 2019

Today, a virtual Centre for Child and Adolescent Brain Cancer Research – the first of its kind in Australia – will be launched in Brisbane, bringing together the best minds in the field in Queensland to improve treatments and outcomes. The new resear... more

26 March 2019

Melbourne scientists are trying to determine if combining exercise with the hormone treatment 'androgen deprivation therapy' (ADT) can improve heart structure and function, so men can overcome prostate cancer without affecting their cardiovascular he... more

26 March 2019

Australia’s brightest medical researchers will share in a $65 million investment by the Morrison Government, in a new push to find cures for cancer, children’s illnesses and diseases with low survival rates. The research grants will be the first call... more

26 March 2019

A snapshot of cancer released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found the rate of cancer per 100,000 people diagnosed has fallen 5 per cent in the past 10 years. Cancer remains the leading cause of death in Australia, accounting f... more

25 March 2019

The inquest into the underdosing of 10 cancer patients during chemotherapy in South Australia in 2014 and early 2015 was unable to determine with certainty the degree to which once-daily chemotherapy doses, instead of the recommended twice-daily, con... more

25 March 2019

A bid to provide consumers with greater transparency over medical gap fees has had a mixed response from the specialist groups needed to support the initiative. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt this month announced a government plan for a new fees w... more

25 March 2019

In the Saturday Age, Liam Mannix writes a piece about the inconsistent funding and supportive care services dedicated towards different types of cancer. He focuses on the personal experience of 36-year old Rebecca Davis, who witnessed the difference ... more

25 March 2019

A Facebook survey to reveal how much Tasmanians know about bowel cancer is one of three cancer research projects that will be funded by almost $30,000 raised at Cancer Council Tasmania’s Gala Ball last year. The second project will investigate a link... more

25 March 2019

Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre will become a global hub for a radical new cancer treatment under a half-billion dollar boost to health funding for Victoria in the federal Budget. A new centre at Peter Mac will offer the cancer-killing CAR-... more

25 March 2019

A monkey left infertile after undergoing chemotherapy as a juvenile has fathered an infant because scientists at the University of Pittsburgh froze its testicular tissue before treatment, then re-grew it after the animal reached adulthood. It is the ... more

25 March 2019

Consumer and public health groups are renewing their push to make the government’s Health Star Ratings mandatory to boost public confidence in the labelling system, but the food industry would resist such a change. The Cancer Council calls for a mand... more

25 March 2019

Cancer Council Australia has called for better information for workers using the herbicide glyphosate as the spotlight sharpens on the popular weedkiller following a successful US court action against Roundup. Cancer Council chief executive Sanchia A... more

25 March 2019

The search to find a better drug for leukaemia and other cancers has been accelerated with support from global pharmaceutical company GSK. UniSA research on the potential leukaemia drug has won the latest GSK Discovery Fast Track Challenge. The resea... more

22 March 2019

Yesterday the NT Government released its NT Cancer Care Strategy 2019-2022, which aims to improve cancer care services across the Territory. Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the 2018 Budget allocated $35.3 million over five years for cancer care se... more

22 March 2019

The Morrison Government yesterday announced $25 million funding to roll out clinical trials closer to people living in outer Melbourne, and regional and remote Victoria. Health Minister Greg Hunt said his government would provide the funding to suppo... more

22 March 2019

People who have survived melanoma cancer have a greater risk of developing another cancer, research from the University of the Sunshine Coast and Cancer Council Queensland reveals. The research, published today in the Journal of Investigative Dermato... more

22 March 2019

Breast cancer groups – Breast Cancer Network, the McGrath Foundation, Pink Hope and Breast Cancer WA - want mammograms offered to women in their 40s, claiming some are dying because they are not being offered the free checks. While the Commonwealth’s... more

21 March 2019

A Melbourne-developed drug Venetoclax has successfully treated leukaemia for more than half the patients treated with it, offering a lifeline to older patients otherwise left with no option other than palliative care. Results published today in the J... more

21 March 2019

Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show cancer is responsible for three out of 10 deaths in Australia and numbers are rising because of the ageing and growing population. Survival rates, however, have improved markedly, with ... more

21 March 2019

Major herbicide companies have defended the weed killer glyphosate following a successful US court action against the product, saying it had been used for decades and that many studies had confirmed the product was safe. On Tuesday a US jury found in... more

21 March 2019

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, Cancer in Australia 2019, released today found the ACT still has the highest rates of breast cancer in the country but the lowest number of deaths and cases of cancers overall. According to the r... more

21 March 2019

People who drink at least two cups of hot tea a day see their risk of gullet cancer almost double, research published in the International Journal of Cancer has found. Those who drink their tea less than two minutes after it is ready have a 51 per ce... more

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