History of the Cancer Council WA

In 2008 Cancer Council Western Australia celebrated a significant and important milestone – its 50th anniversary.

Established in the 1950s by a committed group of individuals who saw the need to coordinate cancer detection, treatment and stimulate cancer research, Cancer Council’s contribution to reducing the burden of cancer in our community over the past five decades cannot be underestimated.

While many other cancer groups have since formed in WA, the Cancer Council has endured as Western Australia’s premier cancer charity and cancer control organisation.

In its efforts to help those diagnosed with cancer and to support researchers looking for the answers to cancer, the Cancer Council has always enjoyed the generous and unwavering support of the Western Australian community.

When the Cancer Council came into being in 1958 the chances of surviving a cancer diagnosis was around 30 to 40 per cent. Fifty years on, survival rates for the most common cancers such as breast, prostate and melanoma are now more than 90 per cent, and the overall five-year survival rate is around 60 per cent.

But this does not mean the hard work is over. There are many pieces of the cancer puzzle still to be found and thousands of Western Australians who need information, support and care while they fight their own battle against the disease.

While we continue this work, we will always need and ask for the invaluable support and assistance of the Western Australian community.

As we pause to reflect on our achievements of the past 50 years, it's also the time to look forward, forward to a future full of hope in which we can continue to challenge cancer together.

For more information please see 50 years of challenging cancer - timeline.