GROWING IMPACT OF BLOOD CANCER ON WOMEN Increasing incidence rates, mortality and disease burden forecast over coming decade
With
Chris Tanti, CEO
Leukaemia Foundation
SEGMENT
Filmed in Melbourne | December 2025
According to the Leukaemia Foundation, blood cancer is one of the most urgent and under-recognised women’s health issues in Australia, with three times more Australian women diagnosed with blood cancer than ovarian and cervical cancer combined (Source: AIHW, Cancer Data in Australia, 2024).
Blood cancer has also emerged as the second most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women overall – behind only breast cancer – and the leading cancer amongst girls and women under the age of 30 (Source: AIHW, Cancer Data in Australia, 2024).
Women face longer, more intensive treatment regimens than many other cancers, often requiring lengthy hospital stays or relocation to a capital city to access specialist care. Treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy can also cause irreversible infertility.
The financial and emotional burden of blood cancer on women is equally severe:
- Women with blood cancer are more likely to be out of work than those with other leading cancers.
- 42% of patients are forced to take more than three months off work, 30% leave their jobs entirely, and half have not been able to return to work.
- Patients face average out-of-pocket costs of $5,000–$11,000, compared to $2,500 for other cancers
- 70% of people with blood cancer experience emotional challenges after diagnosis.
Women also make up 72% of Australia’s primary carers, yet with a debilitating diagnosis like blood cancer, their ability to care for others is significantly diminished, impacting families and communities nationwide.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Leukaemia Foundation CEO, Chris Tanti about the toll, blood cancer takes on women’s lives beyond the physical fight for survival, as well as the alarming forecasts on the expected increase over the next decade. Mr Tanti talks about the need to increased levels of medical research into blood cancer to balance against other leading cancers, to investigate prevention, early detection, and diagnosis.
About Leukaemia Foundation
For the past 50 years, the Leukaemia Foundation has been caring for and supporting Australians affected by blood cancer by providing accommodation while they are undergoing treatment, assistance with transport to appointments, education and information about their blood cancer, as well as other practical, financial, emotional and mental health support.
Source: Adapted from Leukaemia Foundation media release September 2025
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Interventional radiologists offer alternative to hysterectomy
In Australia in the last five years, an estimated 6066 women per year have undergone hysterectomies to treat fibroid-related diseases, while just 145 women each year have undergone a uterine artery embolisation, or UAE.
The procedure can effectively treat the majority of bleeding uterine fibroids. Each year, thousands of Australian women undergo invasive and life-altering hysterectomies to treat debilitating pain and blood loss caused by uterine fibroids. But there’s another option: a minimally invasive, pin-hole procedure that treats the symptoms, yet leaves the uterus intact.
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Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Synopsis, including modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors
Talking to the Australian Health Journal, Professor Russo states there is a particular concern in joint operations, such as hip or knee replacements, as infections in these areas can have severe consequences, including the removal of the infected joint, prolonged treatment, and significant costs for both hospitals and patients. Despite the substantial impact of surgical site infections, Australia lacks a national surveillance program for these infections, making it challenging to obtain accurate data. However, an estimate suggests that around 45,000 surgical site infections occur annually in Australia, resulting in approximately 900 deaths.
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Care workforce challenges
In a wide ranging report looking at the carer needs across Australia, PwC Australia published Reimagine Care Workforce Solutions in October 2022.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Kerryn Dillon, Director Ageing and Reablement and Health Workforce at PwC Australia about the community care sectors of aged care, disability care and childcare the report covers.
