A new report has exposed the wide-ranging financial, emotional, and social burdens faced by women diagnosed with early breast cancer, especially those living in regional areas including Sunraysia and the Mallee.
It reveals nearly 9 in 10 patients (88%) face significant out-of-pocket expenses, with 1 in 5 delaying or skipping treatment due to cost pressures.
Those costs are compounded as patients miss an average of one-and-a-half years of full-time work, significantly reducing their earning capacity.
The CEO of regional support organisation, Can Assist, Nici Andronicus, says those challenges are proving even greater for women living outside the major cities.
The report, Beyond the Diagnosis: The Hidden Costs of Early Breast Cancer, sponsored by Novartis, launched at an event hosted by the Parliamentary Friends of Cancer Care and Cure, Senator Deborah O’Neill and Senator Wendy Askew, highlights that more than 21,000 Australian women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
