A new report estimates 9,300 deaths from blood cancer in Australia could be prevented over the next 16 years if the survival rate of patients in regional areas improved to that of patients in capital cities. The number represents five per cent of deaths from blood cancer expected to occur by 2035.
The Leukaemia Foundation's State of The Nation report on blood cancers, including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, states current survival rates for blood cancer "tell a story of consistent regional disadvantage".
The report said reasons for the discrepancy were "complex", but could include a reduced availability of specialists and greater travel times for treatment in regional areas.
One "concerning" difference was that blood cancer patients in the regions were 32 per cent more likely than those in metropolitan areas to have been seen by a heamatologist more than a month after they presented to a GP. The maximum recommended wait time for some blood cancers is one day.
Regional patients were 25 per cent more likely to not know where to go if they had questions, and 18 per cent more likely to report wishing they had received psychological support during treatment.
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