David Rowley

With an election due in the next few weeks both major parties have been staking out cancer funding as one of the major battlegrounds for voters’ hearts and minds. On Tuesday, 2 April Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenburg delivered the Federal Budget with plans for investment in cancer imaging, PBS listings for oncology drugs and funding for cancer research. Two days later Opposition Leader Bill Shorten delivered his response, including what he dubbed “Labor’s $2.3 billion Medicare cancer plan”.

Overuse of chemotherapy in patients with advanced cancer is one of five areas of low value practice highlighted  in a new ‘Choosing Wisely’ list of procedures to avoid. Developed as part of the RACP’s Evolve series, the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA) recommends: Avoid cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with advanced cancer who are unlikely to benefit from chemotherapy (ECOG performance status 3 or 4) and continue to focus on symptom relief and palliative care.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients who believe exposure to the herbicide glyphosate caused their disease are unlikely to win huge US-style legal damages claims, Australian lawyers say. Aside from doubtful scientific evidence linking glyphosate with haematological cancers, the Australian legal system does not provide for the enormous punitive damages seen in US cases against the chemical giant Monasnto, according to Christine Covington and Chris Pagent from Corrs Chamber Westgarth.