Relief for cancer sufferers

BALLINA councillor Alan Brown believes a positive attitude is vital to overcoming cancer.

Just two months after the 72-year-old underwent major surgery for bowel cancer, he is back riding his bike and keeping up with his council commitments.

Cr Brown's recovery may also be assisted by the Federal Government's announcement this week that it will be funding a number of new rebates to ease the financial burden for cancer sufferers.

Australian cancer patients will also have better access to treatments and diagnostic tools.

Medicare will now cover 80 per cent of the cost of Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans for the 5000 new patients diagnosed with rectal cancer in Australia each year.

Funding of $6.8 million has been also provided to let cancer patients using another type of medical imaging, known as Positron Emission Tomography, to claim Medicare benefits.

The Federal Government has also announced the bowel cancer drug bevacizumab, or Avastin, will be available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, at a cost of $310 million over the next four years.

Before Avastin was listed on the scheme it cost the average patient up to $40,000. Now it will cost $33 per treatment.

Cr Brown said that while his oncologist had not yet decided on his ongoing treatment after his surgery, he was relieved to hear the Government was responding to the needs of cancer patients.

“The financial impact of having cancer does hang over your head, so any advancement in financial assistance from the Government would be welcome to lighten that burden,” he said.

Cr Brown said he regarded himself as a survivor after a bout of throat cancer in 2006.

“I want to encourage others. It's an experience I have had. I could certainly have done without it, but by the same token I have learnt a lot from it.”

Funding of $6 million will be also provided over three years for the training of new medical physicists, responsible for the maintenance and calibration of linear accelerators used in radiotherapy treatment.