The WA Cancer Plan 2020-2025 is a blueprint for action over the next five years to provide the best possible cancer services for Western Australians.
The Plan includes:
- Establish a central system to capture, manage and share data across WA hospitals
- Planned improvements to the delivery of cancer care throughout the State
- Development of genomic testing for Western Australians
A recent study published in The Lancet Oncology found Western Australia’s cancer survival rates were among the best in the world. WA beat New South Wales and Victoria to record the highest five-year survival rates for ovarian, colon, pancreatic and stomach cancer. Australia was found to have outperformed all countries in survival rates for five of the seven tracked cancers – oesophageal, stomach, colon, rectal and pancreatic.
The number of Western Australian cancer patients who live five years after diagnosis is up from 52% (30 years ago) to 71% in 2017. Despite this progress, cancer remains a significant burden for Western Australians especially for Aboriginal people and those living in rural and remote locations. There are more than 158,000 cancer related hospital admissions throughout WA each year, making up 14.4% of the State’s total hospitalisations.
Read the WA Cancer Plan 2020-2025