The Cancer Council Queensland has released an atlas of cancer, which shows that the number of deaths from cancer is very high in the bush.
The Cancer Council Queensland has released an atlas of cancer, which shows that the number of deaths from cancer is very high in the bush. The report examined survival rates between 1998 and 2007 and revealed that some 1,200 cancer deaths could have been prevented had the quality of care in the bush been equal to that found elsewhere in Queensland.
"An analysis of all deaths, not just those within five years of diagnosis, may find that many more patients die of cancer each year because they live outside southeast Queensland," Cancer Council Queensland CEO Jeff Dunn told the Courier Mail.
The problem is that people are forced to travel miles to get care for their condition after diagnosis. Radiation treatment funded by the public is available in Brisbane and Townsville, which means patients from other regions need to travel here.
Cancer Council Queensland spokeswoman Anne Savage said the government must take action to reduce the number of deaths in the region.
Source-Medindia