The Australian health care system is failing to adequately prevent, diagnose and treat cancer among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, a situation which is being confirmed by a growing body of research evidence. Survival, particularly in the first year after diagnosis, is significantly lower for Indigenous Australians with cancer compared to non-Indigenous patients. Advanced cancer at diagnosis, reduced access to/uptake of treatment, higher rates of co-morbidities amongst Indigenous patients, and language barriers are some of the factors that may lead to poorer cancer outcomes. However, these factors only partly explain the disparity. This differential remains after taking into account stage at diagnosis, cancer treatment and presence of co-morbidities.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Indigenous people, accounting for a greater number of deaths each year than diabetes and kidney disease. Despite this, cancer has not been a focus of the health and research agenda for Indigenous people until recently.  Indigenous Australians have a different pattern of incidence of some cancer types than other Australians, some of which are largely preventable.

Health-risk factors, especially smoking, and inadequate health system performance largely contribute to the patterns of cancer incidence and mortality for Indigenous Australians. Further complicating the picture is the fact that, still today, many Indigenous cancer patients are not identified as such in the state/territory cancer registries. These are the key sources of data on cancer patterns; this means that the burden of cancer among Indigenous Australians continues to be underestimated.

The need to improve cancer-related health services and achieve better outcomes for Indigenous Australians with cancer is apparent. There are many questions that need to be asked and we need to find solutions. Our group has recently been funded to establish a Centre for Research Excellence in Discovering Indigenous Strategies to improve Cancer Outcomes Via Engagement, Research Translation and Training (DISCOVER-TT). This presentation will outline DISCOVER-TT’s research program and opportunities for engagement.