RARE CANCERS: HOW FAR HAVE WE COME AND WHERE SHOULD WE BE HEADING? EXTENDING EVIDENCE-BASED CARE TO PEOPLE WITH RARE CANCERS

Abstract

Approximately one third of Australians who die of cancer do so from one classified as being 'rare'. While there have been significant recent improvements seen for many patients with common cancer types, this has not been observed for the majority of patients with a rare cancer diagnosis. At the same time, the proportion of patients who are being diagnosed with a cancer that is classified as being rare is increasing, in part due to the realisation that even common cancers may in fact fall into the rare category once they are classified according to specific molecular changes. Strategies undertaken previously for some rare cancer types, for example pediatric and haematologic malignancies or sa..