Cancer Council Victoria

13 11 20 is the number to call for all Victorians affected by cancer Our cancer information and support line is a free and confidential service, available for anyone with a cancer related question - for patients and their loved ones. A cancer diagnosis has a massive effect on every aspect of your life and can be very overwhelming. With the support of Cancer Council Victoria, no one has to face cancer alone.

Getting a cancer diagnosis is difficult, and not something you should have to carry alone. Through peer support programs such as Cancer Council’s Cancer Connect, people affected by cancer are finding support and connection by speaking to someone who has ‘been there before’. We spoke to a volunteer, Kathy, and someone who accessed support, Claire, about their experiences with Cancer Connect and how it helps them.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is helping accelerate clinical trial recruitments, seeing patients selected more quickly and effectively. A study by the Victorian Cancer Registry (VCR) found AI helped identify more eligible patients for three clinical cancer trials at Monash Hospital. The AI software extracted key clinical data from patients’ pathology reports, increasing the number of referrals to clinical trials by about 50 per cent, when compared to traditional hospital-based methods.

Getting your head around the legal implications of a cancer diagnosis can create additional stress and concern during an already difficult time. It’s estimated that 60% of people affected by cancer face distress from legal and financial challenges, in addition to their health concerns. Our referral services may be able to help if you or someone in your family has cancer or is caring for someone with cancer, and you need assistance with legal or financial issues. Call 13 11 20 to find out more.

“When we’re unwell, we all want the best clinical outcome we can get, but you can't separate that outcome from the experience you have. And what I mean by that is a good experience contributes enormously to a good outcome.” – Peter. Looking back on his journey with cancer, Peter can reflect on the experience with positivity.

Cancer Council Victoria joins with Quit and VicHealth this World No Tobacco Day (May 31) to draw attention to the ongoing harmful tactics used by the tobacco and nicotine industries. The World Health Organisation’s theme for World No Tobacco Day 2025 (WNTD) is “Unmasking the Appeal”. The theme serves as a reminder of harm caused by tobacco, non-therapeutic vaping and novel products such as nicotine pouches globally.

Back L to R - Madison La Pira, Weiqian (Jill) Zhu, Thi Thu Huyen (Cindy) Nguyen and Alice Doan Front L to R - Silvia Jacoup and Priyanka Sharma Cancer Council Victoria are hosting a new group of Masters students in 2025, enabling them to gain vital experience and exposure to research during their final year of study.

Cancer Education Programs are group based supportive care workshops for people with cancer, their carers, families and friends. These workshops provide information, practical strategies and the opportunity for participants to connect with others affected by cancer. Two programs are offered to support people as they move through their cancer experience – Managing Cancer and Cancer Wellness workshops.

Ron and his daughter, Cassie Cancer Council Victoria embarked on a photo shoot featuring Aboriginal Victorians in 2025 to ensure greater representation in our health messaging and marketing materials and continue telling authentic stories of lived experience with cancer. Through this we met Ron, Taungurung and Djarra man, and his daughter Cassie, who both openly shared their stories of cancer with us.

Bendigo father of two, Tim, has been conscious of his health for a long time. Losing his father to bowel cancer when he was a child, and having his paternal grandfather, aunt and uncle diagnosed with the disease, he knew it was important to check his own bowel cancer risk. In 2014, Tim had genetic testing done to see if he had Lynch syndrome. Lynch syndrome is an inherited cancer predisposition syndrome that increases a person's risk of developing certain cancers, including bowel cancer.