First Nations Australians dying younger from blood cancer as new research maps gaps in care

World Cancer Day this year will land with extra weight for many First Nations families, with new research showing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are dying from blood cancer at much higher rates, and at younger ages, than non‑Indigenous Australians. World Cancer Day is marked globally on 4 February, with this year’s theme “United by Unique” focusing on people‑centred care.

Commissioned by the Leukaemia Foundation and led by the University of Queensland’s First Nations Cancer and Wellbeing Research team, the project drew on the lived experience of First Nations blood cancer patients, carers, health professionals and community organisations across the country. Researchers descrlook at how blood cancer care is working – or not working – for mob.

Leukaemia Foundation notes that blood cancer is one of Australia’s most rapidly rising cancers, even as some other cancer rates level out. National data bacincidence and mortality show that leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma are among Australia’s more common cancers and major causes of cancer‑related death, with incidence and deaths both increasing over recent decades.

Within that picture, the gap for First Nations people is stark. The Leukaemia Foundation points to earlier work finding that First Nations people diagnosed with blood cancer can be up to five times more likely to die from the disease than non‑Indigenous Australians, building on research from the Northern Territory that showed poorer survival and later stage at diagnosis for Indigenous cancer patients.

New analysis released for World Cancer Day befings report that the five‑year survival rate for Indigenous Australians diagnosed with blood cancer is 11 percentage points lower than for non‑Indigenous patients. Indigenous Australians are twice as likely to be diagnosed under the age of 35 and three times more likely to die from the disease before turning The number of Indigenous children under 15 diagnosed with blood cancer is also three times higher than for non‑Indigenous children. ons with patients and families uncovered a consistent pattern behind those numbers. Awareness of blood cancer symptoms is low, and un is hard without clear, culturally grounded explanations. Most First Nations blood cancer patients live in regional or rural Australia and often travel hundreds or thousands of kilometres for specialist carsis, interrupted treatment and intense financial stress. Carers shoulder major emotional, practical and economic burdens with little formal support.

The research also highlights how often patients receive information that is unclear, not tailored and sometimes culturally inappropriate – incls and patchy access to Aboriginal Liaison Officers – while health professionals report being under‑resourced and under‑prepared to meet the cultural, social and informational needs of First Nations patients.

Kamilaroi researcher Professor Gail Garvey from the University of Queensland said First Nations perspectives have whort, and that mob face “major inequities at every step of the cancer journey”. International work echoes these concerns: a recent review of cancer outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people found persistent dis cancer‑related illness and mortality when compared with non‑Indigenous Australians. Research from Aotearoa New Zealand likewise reports higher blood cancer incidence, mortality and poorer survival for Māori compared with New Zealand Europeans.

Cancer is now one of the leading causes of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, accounting for nearly a quarter of all deaths between 2015 and 2019. Census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that in 2021 about 12,927 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people – 1.6 per cent of the Indigenous population – reported cancer (including remission) as a long‑term health condition. These figures underline that survivorship, not just diagnosis, needs attention.

According to Bill Stavreski, Leukaemia Foundation’s Head of Research, the new research provides a “roadmap for action”, with recommendations that go beyond medical treatment alone. Key steps include educating First Nations communities about blood cancer symptoms, strengthening cultural safety, improving access to information and support, and expanding culturally tailored blood cancer services delivered closer to home.