Cancer Council celebrates 60 years with Mandurah visit

The community-funded organisation was established in 1958 by a group of committed individuals who saw the need to coordinate cancer detection and treatment, stimulate cancer research and provide support to those affected and their families.

Cancer Council WA chief executive Ashley Reid acknowledged the generosity and unwavering support of the WA community as a significant contributor to the organisations success.

“We’ve come a long way since our humble beginnings in 1958 and while many other cancer groups have since formed in WA, we have endured as Western Australia’s leading independent cancer organisation,” he said.

Sixty years ago, the chance of surviving a cancer diagnosis was around 30 to 40 per cent. Thirty years ago it was just 47 per cent. 

“Today, survival rates for the most common cancers, such as breast cancer, are more than 90 per cent, and the overall five-year survival rate for those diagnosed with cancer is 68 per cent,” Mr Reid said.

“Although we’re making great advancements, there’s still much to be done in the areas of cancer prevention to ensure all West Australians are aware that one in three cancers can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle.”

The organisation is also proud to extend their support to regional West Australians affected by cancer.

In 2017 alone, 7779 occasions of support were provided to people impacted by cancer and their families outside the metropolitan area.

This included 1075 instances in the Peel region.

Throughout the year, Cancer Council WA will host free cancer myths Q&A sessions across WA - the event in Mandurah took place on July 25.

Cancer Council WA has contributed over $47 million for 966 cancer research projects to enable researchers to better understand cancer and discover more effective ways of detecting and treating it.