About the Cancer Institute NSW
The Cancer Institute NSW is Australia's first statewide, government-supported cancer control agency.
More news & opinion articlesWho we are and what we do
We were established five years ago by the NSW Government and supported unanimously by the NSW Parliament under the Cancer Institute (NSW) Act 2003.
We are committed to curing cancer in NSW through promoting the best cancer research, prevention, early-detection, treatment and education initiatives.
Our goal is to substantially improve cancer control and cure in NSW by:
- reducing the incidence of cancer in the community
- increasing the survival rate of cancer patients
- improving quality of life for cancer patients and their carers
- operating as a source of expertise on cancer control for the government’s health service providers, medical researchers and the general community.
The cancer problem
Our vision is to control and cure cancer in NSW
Cancer touches us all. The current lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancer in NSW is one in two for men and one in three for women.
Cancer is now the largest single cause of disease in Australia, surpassing cardiovascular disease. In 2006, more than 35,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in NSW. Based on current trends, there is projected to be over 30 per cent more cases of cancer in the next 10 years than there were in the last.
A cure for cancer has never been more relevant or more important to the people of NSW than it is today.
How we control and cure cancer in NSW
In 2006, the Cancer Institute NSW released the NSW Cancer Plan 2007–2010: a blueprint to assist all people who are working to help lift the cancer burden in NSW. From the Cancer Plan, our priorities of cancer control in NSW are:
- preventing cancer
- detecting cancer early
- improving cancer services
- accelerating improvement through cancer research
- providing relevant cancer data and information.