According to the recent article ‘Australian cancer patients have highest survival rate in world‘, Australians are ranking number one when it comes to the survival rates of cancer patients.

It is believed that for every 100 new cases of cancer that there are only 33 deaths in Australia. This is compared to North America at 62 deaths and West Europe at 38 deaths.

Patients who have breast cancer, prostate cancer or melanoma cancer have an 80 percent survival rate in Australia and it is believed that having cancer is no longer a death sentence. Improvements in medicine and technology such as PET scans and the latest radiotherapy machines having given every Australian patient with cancer a better chance than ever before.

Although there is a higher survival rate, Australian cancer patients and their families are still struggling with the medical debt from using such long term treatments and rehabilitation services. It is therefore important to not only look at the numbers of how many cancer patients have survived but also take into consideration the quality of life after their battle with cancer.