IMPERATIVE NEED TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH OVARIAN CANCER. ANZGOG Chair gives stark assessment on late diagnosis, limited treatment options and significantly low survival rates
With
Professor Clare Scott, Chair
Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG) &
Clinician Scientist
WEHI The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research &
Medical Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, The Royal Women’s Hospital and The Royal Melbourne Hospital
Australian Health Journal Talk
Filmed Online | April 2025
Professor Clare Scott, a pioneering clinician scientist at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, also serves as a medical oncologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Royal Women’s Hospital.
Her comprehensive training in medical oncology has fuelled her specialisation in gynaecological cancer, combining rigorous research with clinical trials to improve patient outcomes. With over a decade of involvement in ANZGOG, Australia’s foremost gynaecologic cancer research organisation, she is deeply committed to advancing research and saving lives.
ANZGOG’s values—excellence, impact, equity, collaboration, and openness—reflect the organisation’s dedication to transformative cancer research. Its strategic plan is designed around four comprehensive goals, aiming to initiate innovative, practice-changing gynaecological cancer research. This not only expands the reach of impactful studies but also ensures that research directly benefits the community, ultimately improving the lives of countless women affected by these cancers.
Ovarian cancer, a complex and diverse group of diseases, poses significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment. While high-grade serous ovarian cancer is often highlighted, other rare types also demand critical attention. With projections indicating over 1,800 Australian women will be diagnosed by 2025, and a startling survival rate of just under 50%, Professor Scott talks of the need to rally together to confront this pressing public health issue. Tragically, two-thirds of cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, diminishing survival prospects further. As of now, around 5,300 Australian women live with ovarian cancer, facing ongoing challenges that necessitate urgent action and support.
In this Australian Health Journal Talk, Professor Scott talks in detail about the following –
- The incidence of ovarian cancer in Australian women and mortality statistics around advanced stage diagnosis
- The symptoms and why they get dismissed or misdiagnosed
- The challenges in access to screening, treatment and funding for research
She also delivers a message to the medical community and the Australian Government.
Source: Generative AI on transcript
-
Mission to raise awareness of sarcoma and need for clinical trial funding
Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, remains the deadliest cancer for children and young adults, accounting for nearly one third (30%) of cancer-related deaths among those aged 15–24 and one tenth (10%) of those aged 0–14. Further, still severely under-diagnosed, sarcoma only accounts for one sixth (15%) of all cancer diagnoses in the 15 – 24 age group, and less than a tenth (8%) among children under 10.
-
New clinical research entity first to operate across both Australia and New Zealand
Over the past 30 years, 18,000 clinical trials that have been registered in Australia, with the sector contributing $1.4 billion to Australia’s economy annually. Trials are a critical aspect of evidence-based medicine, and are essential for testing how new treatments, tests and vaccines will work. In New Zealand they contribute $146 million to the New Zealand economy.
To capitalise on this unique position and growth, a coordinated multi-site clinical research operation was missing, until now.
-
Confronting picture of growing women’s health crisis in uterine cancers
Uterine cancers have become Australia’s fastest-growing women’s cancer, with incidence doubling over the past 25 years and projected to continue to surge. Without immediate action, more than 44,000 women are expected to be diagnosed by 2035, and 8,900 will lose their lives to the disease.
Released November 2025, Australia’s first State of the Nation: Uterine Cancers in Australia 2025 report by the Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG), reveals a confronting picture of a growing women’s health crisis that has gone largely unseen and one that now requires immediate, coordinated national action.
