RESIDENTS in the Moyne Shire are not being spared the impacts of cancer.
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Results of a new study show that 104 people were diagnosed with cancer in Moyne Shire during 2015 while 38 lost their battle against the disease. The data comes from Cancer Council Victoria which also shows the most common cancers being prostate, breast, bowel, melanoma and lung. These accounted for 57 per cent of all new cancers and half of all cancer deaths.
Cancer Council Victoria chief executive officer Todd Harper said despite drastic improvements in cancer survivor rates, cancer still accounted for around a third of all premature deaths in Victoria. The five-year survival rate has jumped from 47 per cent in 1985 to 67 per cent in 2014, but Mr Harper said there was still work to do.
“Although the upward trend in survival is incredibly encouraging, there are still many cancers with high mortality that we need to focus on,” Mr Harper said.
“What we are seeing now is that survival rates vary drastically between cancer types. If we are to lift overall cancer survival rates, investment in dedicated research into ‘forgotten’ cancers, like brain and pancreatic cancer needs to happen.”
Mr Harper said there was an opportunity to save thousands of lives taken by bowel cancer each year, with people over 50 encouraged to take part in bowel screening. Each May, the Port Fairy Rotary Club and McLean’s Pharmacy work together to offer bowel testing.
Moyne Shire Council is active in community illness prevention and is developing its public health and wellbeing plan for 2017-21.
Moyne Shire councillor Jordan Lockett said he was passionate about helping ratepayers keep good health.
“As a council, I believe we play an important role,” Cr Lockett said.
“One thing we can really make an impact with is educating people about what they should be doing to get themselves checked out. We need to keep pushing the importance of a healthy lifestyle and eating well.”