An Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Program for Rare and Less Common Cancers

An Australian roll-out of Garvan’s Genomic Cancer Medicine Program (GCMP) would provide ALL Australians with rare and neglected cancers access to a clinical trial, in their home states. The GGCMP also uses genomic technologies to identify cancers at an earlier, curable stage in families with a genetic predisposition to rare cancers.
In Australia this year, an estimated 52,000 people will be diagnosed with a rare or less common cancer and 25,000 of those people will die from their disease.
We estimate that an Australian GCMP would cost $88 million over five years. A Federal Government investment of an estimated $50 million over five years, matched by leveraged funding from industry and philanthropy, will allow us to capitalise on collaboration with existing centres of excellence in six states to deliver clinical trials to almost 5,000 Australians affected by rare cancers.