Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to draw attention to a discussion paper, supported by AstraZeneca, which shines a light on the incredibly challenging reality faced by the estimated 10,500 Australians who are living with metastatic breast cancer. While the survival rate for Australians living with metastatic breast cancer has improved over the past five years, there is still a long way to go. With metastatic breast cancer, there is no end date for treatment and care. Metastatic breast cancer is currently an incurable, invasive cancer that is spread from the breast to other parts of the body. It often comes with never-ending treatment, poor survival rates and a sense of invisibility. Five years from diagnosis with metastatic breast cancer, only a third of patients are still alive. The psychological and financial pressures of living with an incurable cancer are significant and unrelenting. And it's clear that these patients need greater support to help them get through their disease.

The report that examines their plight is entitled Out from the shadows. It's so named because, in compiling the report based on local and international evidence, the overarching theme was that metastatic breast cancer patients experience and indeed feel an acute sense of invisibility in the health system as well as in society more broadly. This is a conversation that is happening among oncologists, breast care nurses, academia, patient advocacy groups, the department of health and state based cancer councils. Of course, among them is the most important group of all: the metastatic breast cancer patients themselves. Representatives from all of these groups form part of a webinar that was organised to launch the report, which is a fantastic outcome already, given it proves the clear appetite for constructive change in this space.

The report identifies three key priorities: greater visibility in the healthcare system, the presence of a louder voice specific to their cancer type and increased psychosocial support. The esteemed oncologist Professor Fran Boyle, who wrote the foreword to the report, said:

It is time now to make urgent changes—counting them in cancer registries so we see them, providing platforms so their challenging stories can be heard, building quality information to guide them, and creating support and care that meets their specific needs.

She also went on to say:

Specific support and care, tailored to the stage of their cancer, and access to psychosocial services is also imperative to meet their evolving needs.

It's time to accelerate the momentum we've seen over the past few months for metastatic breast cancer patients so that these patients and their families can come out of the shadows for us all to see, hear and support.

Better psychosocial support is absolutely paramount to this. Currently, Australians with metastatic breast cancer can access just 10 NBS funded mental health sessions per year. This is clearly inadequate. This number needs to be urgently revisited to ensure Australians get the access they need for this important care. There is also insufficient resourcing in the mental health sector, and additional training is needed for mental health experts to support Australians with metastatic cancer.

Cassie, a 36-year-old from Newcastle in New South Wales, has shared her experience, stating:

… when I tell people about my diagnosis, I often struggle with their lack of understanding about the differences between early and metastatic breast cancer. Colleagues and friends often ask me when I'll be in remission or if the disease will stop. But remission is like a mythical unicorn in our world, and I'm constantly haunted by the thought of cancer. Recognising the unique challenges and experiences of people like me with metastatic breast cancer as a separate group could bring huge benefits. We are more than our diagnosis; many of us continue to work and contribute to society, despite the physical and emotional toll of our condition. It's about creating a more hopeful and informed future, not only for ourselves, but for the generations to come.

I'd like to close with a quote from Emma, a 36-year-old mother in Victoria. Emma says:

I'm hopeful for a future with better support and more help for those of us with metastatic breast cancer. A future where we're equipped with the right information to tackle each day as it comes, living our lives to the fullest.

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