Cancer Council Victoria is a
not-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
organisation which aims to reduce the impact of
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
. It is an independent body that advises various groups, including government, on cancer-related issues.
Cancer Council Victoria also conducts and funds
cancer research
Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure.
Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...
, acts as an
advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
for cancer patients and their families, and runs cancer
prevention
Prevention may refer to:
Health and medicine
* Preventive healthcare, measures to prevent diseases or injuries rather than curing them or treating their symptoms
General safety
* Crime prevention, the attempt to reduce deter crime and crimi ...
,
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
and support programs.
Formerly known as The Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, in 2002 the organisation
rebranded
Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...
itself as The Cancer Council Victoria. In 2008, 'The' was dropped from the name, giving the organisation its current name of 'Cancer Council Victoria'.
Its logo is the
daffodil
''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as '' Sternbergia'', ''Is ...
, used to symbolise
hope
Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.
As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...
.
History
The Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria was established by the
Victorian Government
The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...
in 1936 through the Anti-Cancer Council Act. This act specified that the newly established council should remain independent of the government.
Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop and
Sir Peter MacCallum have been notable Chairs of the Cancer Council Executive Committee.
Ivy Brookes was vice-president of the organisation for 30 years.
Cancer Council Victoria has a long history of
anti-smoking advocacy, dating back to the early 1960s, even pre-dating the landmark
1964 US General Surgeon's Report on links between tobacco and cancer.
Significant contributions to cancer control
Cancer Council Victoria has contributed to cancer control in a number of areas.
Of particular note:
*Cancer Council Victoria awarded the Carden Fellowship to Professor
Donald Metcalf
Donald Metcalf AC FRS FAA (26 February 1929 – 15 December 2014) was an Australian medical researcher who spent most of his career at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. In 1954 he received the Carden ...
AC in 1954. Working as the Carden Fellow, Professor Metcalf went on to discover and develop
colony-stimulating factors
Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) are secreted glycoproteins that bind to receptor proteins on the surfaces of hemopoietic stem cells, thereby activating intracellular signaling pathways that can cause the cells to proliferate and differentiate ...
, which have since been used in the treatment of millions of cancer patients around the world.
*Cancer Council Victoria pioneered the comprehensive information and support system now used throughout Australia, Canada, and
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
.
*Cancer Council Victoria partnered with
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...
to develop specialised post-graduate training for nurses to provide tailored care for breast cancer patients.
*The iconic
Slip-Slop-Slap
''Slip-Slop-Slap'' (originally ''Slip! Slop! Slap!'') is a mnemonic slogan for reducing unhealthy sun exposure by ''slipping'' on a shirt or rash guard, ''slopping'' on sunblock, and ''slapping'' on a sun hat. It was prominent in Australia an ...
skin cancer
Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. There are three main types of skin cancers: basal-cell skin cancer (BCC) ...
prevention campaign was developed at Cancer Council Victoria, and was launched in 1981. Reports have found the Slip-Slop-Slap campaign is one of the most cost-effective and successful public health initiatives in Australia.
Quit Victoriais a joint initiative of Cancer Council Victoria,
VicHealth
The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation is a statutory authority in the Australian state of Victoria, originally funded by hypothecated taxation raised by the ''Victorian Tobacco Act 1987''. It was the first health promotion body in the wo ...
, th
Victorian Department of Healthand the
National Heart Foundation of Australia
The National Heart Foundation of Australia (known as the Heart Foundation) is a charity established in 1959. Its activities have been funding cardiovascular research, supporting health professionals in their practice, developing health promotion ...
. Quit encourages
smoking cessation
Smoking cessation, usually called quitting smoking or stopping smoking, is the process of discontinuing tobacco smoking. Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, which is addictive and can cause dependence. As a result, nicotine withdrawal often make ...
and campaigns have proven effective in encouraging people to try to quit.
*The Victorian Cancer Registry is a part of Cancer Council Victoria, and since 1982 has kept statistical records of cancer in Victoria for use in
epidemiological
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...
research and in policy development. The registry provides regular reports for the general public and more comprehensive
data
In the pursuit of knowledge, data (; ) is a collection of discrete values that convey information, describing quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted ...
is available for researchers who require it.
Research
In 2009, Cancer Council Victoria spent $22.4 million on research programs. In 2010, $20.1 million was spent on research.
[http://www.cancervic.org.au/downloads/annual_reviews/Annual-Review-2010.pdf#pagemode=bookmarks , Cancer Council Victoria Annual Review 2010] Much of this research is conducted at Cancer Council Victoria itself, through the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...
Centre, and the
Tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
Control Unit.
Cancer Council Victoria funds clinical research into cancers of the
bone
A bone is a Stiffness, rigid Organ (biology), organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red blood cell, red and white blood cells, store minerals, provid ...
,
bowel
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
,
brain
A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...
,
breast
The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues.
In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secret ...
,
liver
The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...
,
lung
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...
,
prostate
The prostate is both an Male accessory gland, accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found only in some mammals. It differs between species anatomically, ...
,
stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...
and any other form of the disease.
In 2010 Cancer Council Victoria research was recognised by the
SCImago Research Group as some of Australia's best. SCImago measured the rate at which an institute's research is the result of international collaboration and the rate at which it is published in high-quality journals – in both measures Cancer Council Victoria was in Australia's top five. In a measure of the rate at which Cancer Council Victoria's research is cited by other research institutes, the organisation was ranked number one in Australia, scoring 2.51 times the international average.
Support and prevention
In 2009, Cancer Council Victoria spent $22.4 million on education, prevention and support initiatives.
In 2010 this amount had risen to $27 million.
Cancer Council Victoria has offered an information service to Victorians since 1940. Today, Cancer Council Victoria runs th
Cancer Information and Support Service which offers
multi-lingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...
telephone support through th
Cancer Council Helpline online support throug
cancerconnections.com.au one-on-one peer support throug
Cancer Connect and a variety of other initiatives.
Cancer Council Victoria Support Service Website
retrieved 21 April 2011
Cancer Council Victoria also facilitates or assists partner organisations in a variety of preventive programs and campaigns, such as:
Quit Victoria
SunSmart
PapScreen Victoria
Get Behind Bowel Screening
Cut Your Cancer Risk
The Parents Jury
The Obesity Policy Coalition
The Alcohol Policy Coalition
Fundraising
Cancer Council Victoria works within Cancer Council Australia
Cancer Council Australia is a national, nonprofit organisation which aims to promote cancer-control policies and to reduce the illness caused by cancer in Australia. It advises various groups, including the government, on cancer-related issues, ...
and alongside other states and territories to run a variety of fundraising events, such as:
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea
Relay For Life
Call To Arms
Girls Night In
Structure
Cancer Council Victoria is one of eight Cancer Council's from around Australia which make up Cancer Council Australia
Cancer Council Australia is a national, nonprofit organisation which aims to promote cancer-control policies and to reduce the illness caused by cancer in Australia. It advises various groups, including the government, on cancer-related issues, ...
. Each individual Cancer Council operates in their individual states and territories:
* Cancer Council ACT
* Cancer Council New South Wales
* Cancer Northern Territory
* Cancer Council Queensland
* Cancer Council South Australia
* Cancer Council Tasmania
*Cancer Council Victoria
*Cancer Council Western Australia
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...
See also
*Australian Melanoma Research Foundation
The Australian Melanoma Research Foundation participates in various activities to raise funds and raise awareness of melanoma.
References
Cancer organisations based in Australia
Health charities in Australia
Medical and health organisations ...
External links
Official website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cancer Council Australia
Cancer organisations based in Australia
Health charities in Australia
Medical and health organisations based in Victoria (Australia)