Cancer Council Victoria is a not-for-profit 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 ...

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 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 crim ...

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 ...

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'', ''Ism ...

, used to symbolise hope.

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, 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, bor ...

. *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 a ...

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 Victoria
is 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 Health
and 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 m ...

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 Value_(semiotics), values that convey information, describing quantity, qualitative property, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of sy ...

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 evide ...

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 rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

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 ve ...

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 sec ...

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

, lung,

prostate The prostate is both an 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, chemically, and phys ...

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 VictoriaSunSmartPapScreen VictoriaGet Behind Bowel ScreeningCut Your Cancer RiskThe Parents JuryThe Obesity Policy CoalitionThe Alcohol Policy Coalition

Fundraising

Cancer Council Victoria works within Cancer Council Australia and alongside other states and territories to run a variety of fundraising events, such as:
Australia's Biggest Morning TeaRelay For LifeCall To ArmsGirls Night In

Structure

Cancer Council Victoria is one of eight Cancer Council's from around Australia which make up Cancer Council Australia. 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

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)