Perspective
Open access CC BY 4.0
Volume 224 - Published ahead of Issue 11
Maximising Cancer Prevention and Early Detection in the Australian Cancer Plan: Where Are We Now and What Should Come Next?
Authors: Erin L. Symonds, Billie Bonevski, Richard Edwards, Nathan J. Harrison, Sana Ishaque, Nicole M. Rankin, Sibel Saya, Renee J. Smith, Carolyn Ee
Correspondence: erin.symonds@flinders.edu.au
Med J Aust 2026 || doi: 10.5694/mja2.70323
Published online: 31 October 2026
Published online: 31 October 2026
Abstract
Cancer accounts for three in 10 deaths in Australia, yet many cases are preventable or can be detected at an early stage. Maximising cancer prevention and early detection is one of the six strategic objectives of the 10-year Australian Cancer Plan. This perspective article reviews the current progress and challenges of reducing the cancer burden, along with future opportunities. It explores how to address modifiable risk factors, particularly tobacco smoking, alcohol use and sun exposure and the advances in screening programs for bowel, breast, cervical and lung cancers. It highlights the potential for risk-stratified and genomics-informed screening, emphasising the need to support participation through equitable and culturally safe approaches.
An Australian Narrative Review of Adoptive Cellular Therapies in Malignancy: Expanding Indications, Referral Pathways and Safety Beyond Specialist Centres
Sarah Childs, David Ma, Anthony Rodrigues, Jennifer Massey, Rasha Cosman, Venessa Chin, Laila Girgis, James Lynam, Peter Lau, Barbara Withers, Anthony M. Joshua, Ben Tran, Jayesh Desai, Simon J. Harrison, John Moore, Jia Liu
Peritoneal Tuberculosis and Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia: A Case of Hickam's Dictum
Zayn Al-Timimi, Gem Chew, Martin Browne, Christiaan Mostert
From Ambition to Action: Closing Policy, Equity and Implementation Gaps in the Australian Cancer Plan's ‘Enhanced Consumer Experience’
Carla Thamm, Elise Button, Oluwaseyifunmi A. Agbejule, Reegan Knowles, Karen van Gorp, Mark B. Pinkham, Meinir Krishnasamy, Alexandra L. McCarthy, Raymond J. Chan
Sovereignty and Survival: Understanding Lung Cancer Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Australia, a Case–Control Study
Alice R. T. Bergin, Luc te Marvelde, Roger L. Milne, Benjamin J. Solomon, Kris Ivanova, Peter Savas, Stephen J. Luen, Jay Hamann, Andrea Casey, Nicole Watt, Sue M. Evans, Gail Garvey, Sherene Loi
The Changing Indications for Adult Liver Transplantation in Australia: A Narrative Review
Fadak Mohammadi, Alan J. Wigg, Ken Liu, Simone I. Strasser
Uneven Ground: Survival Differences Among Victorian Lung Cancer Patients by Location of Residence (2011–2023): A Retrospective Cohort Study
Evangeline Samuel, Eldho Paul, Mike Lloyd, Sanuki Tissera, Craig Underhill, Sagun Parakh, Phillip Parente, Inger Olesen, Javier Torres, Katharine See, Gavin M. Wright, David Langton, Thomas John, Matthew Conron, James Bartlett, Nicola Atkin, Nikolajs Zeps, Susan V. Harden, Wasek Faisal, John R. Zalcberg, Rob G. Stirling