The federal government has committed $30 million to fight endometriosis and ovarian cancer as part of a new National Women's Health Strategy geared towards prevention, early detection, treatments and, ultimately, cures.
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Health Minister Greg Hunt said the two conditions - which affect hundreds of thousands of Australian women - were the focal point of the 10-year strategy to be released on Tuesday.
Mr Hunt announced $9 million to fund research into accurate detection and treatment of endometriosis, as well as addressing the lack of understanding among clinicians that has resulted in delays in diagnosis and poor clinical care for patients.
The funding will be guided by the National Action Plan for Endometriosis launched by Mr Hunt last July, including the development of diagnostic testing - that could mean patients avoid invasive laparoscopic surgery - as well as understanding the causes of the disease.
An estimated 700,000 Australian women have endometriosis, in which uterine tissue grows outside the uterus, causing inflammation and debilitating pain.
Mr Hunt said the research could pave the way for successful treatments.
The government's Stem Cell Therapies Mission - which funds advanced research into stem cell treatments - could play an important role in determining whether the therapies could treat endometriosis, as emerging research suggests.
Another $1.06 million will go towards a "one-stop-shop" digital health platform for endometriosis research and support - developed by the Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide - that will tap into patient feedback and promote research collaboration.
The not-for-profit organisation EndoActive will receive an additional $160,000 to share its free endometriosis awareness videos to medical professionals and patients.
The funding for the National Women's Health Strategy 2020-2030 - already allocated and not an election promise - also includes $20 million towards ovarian cancer prevention, detection and treatments.
"Early detection and finding a cure for ovarian cancer is a priority," Mr Hunt said.
Ovarian cancer has one of the worst survival rates of any cancer. An estimated 57 of 100 women die within five years of their diagnosis. In the next five years, nearly 8000 Australian women will be diagnosed and more than 4000 will die from ovarian cancer.
The cancer is notoriously difficult to detect early, often remaining hidden until its very advanced stages.
It is a personal passion of Mr Hunt, whose friend died of ovarian cancer last year. "It was an agonising parting," he said.
Mr Hunt said Australia was on the cusp of world-leading discoveries in ovarian cancer, through advancements in genomic sequencing, immuno-therapies and highly targeted radiation therapy.
"This is a moment in medical history where Australia can be a global leader," he said.
Nine million dollars in funding from 2019-20 to 2022-2023 will focus on working towards better early detection tools, including genetic sequencing, as well as identifying ovarian cancer biomarkers that could be treatment targets.
The funding under the Medical Research Future Fund Emerging Priorities and Consumer Driven Research Initiative will also support clinical trials to identify which women would respond to radiation therapy, why some women respond to traditional treatments and help women manage treatment side effects.
The government also recently provided $2.96 million to Ovarian Cancer Australia's Traceback Screening program, which will identify and then offer to test women at risk of having the BRCA 1 and 2 genes, which increase a person's risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
The government's pledge of $32.6 million to subsidise MRIs for breast cancer patients, announced last week, is also part of the strategy.
- The Sydney Morning Herald
