Biloela Rotary

Through the Australian Cancer Atlas, residents of the town of Biloela in Queensland discovered their town is experiencing 20% above the national average for bowel cancer-related deaths.

In response to this information, the Queensland Rotary Bowel scan Committee launched the #GetYourBumIntoGearBiloela Week campaign. The initiative, which involved the entire community, including local authorities, healthcare professionals, businesses, sports groups, and volunteers, raised awareness of bowel cancer symptoms and encouraged participation in National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

The MPN Alliance Australia

This patient-led advocacy group collaborated with Cancer Council Queensland and QUT to include Myeloproliferative Neoplasm (MPN) data in the Australian Cancer Atlas.

This allowed researchers and epidemiologists to delve deeper into MPN incidence, leading to the recent release of a paper in the journal ‘Pathology’ titled “Spatial Disparities in the Reported Incidence and Survival of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms in Australia”. The paper highlights the disparities observed in both incidence rates and survival outcomes across different regions of Australia. Advocates have used the pare to call for improved MPN diagnosis and care guidelines.

Ipswich residents petition parliament

Residents of Ipswich in Queensland have used data from the Australian Cancer Atlas to call attention to higher-than-average lung, kidney and liver cancer rates in the city’s suburbs. In 2021, a petition with 530 signatures was brought before Queensland Parliament, calling for the installation of Air Monitoring Network Stations in Ipswich.