Melbourne philanthropic Foundation partners with Cancer Council Victoria to tackle the fastest growing cancer in Victoria, liver cancer.
Liver cancer is the sixth most common and fastest growing cause of cancer-related death in Victoria, with more than half of all liver cancer cases attributed to hepatitis B and C.
For many Australians born overseas, a major cause of liver cancer is contracting hepatitis B during infancy or early childhood. This is driven by a lack of access to hepatitis vaccinations in their country of birth.
With 667 Victorians diagnosed with liver cancer, and 436 losing their life to liver cancer in 2023*, work to reduce the growing burden of liver cancer is an important priority for Cancer Council Victoria.
The ERDI Foundation is pleased to support and empower Cancer Council Victoria in its mission to reduce liver cancer in multicultural communities.
Established in 2014 to honour the life-long work of Holocaust survivors Eva and Les Erdi, the ERDI Foundation has strong roots in Melbourne’s multicultural community.
“This partnership reflects the ERDI Foundation’s commitment to funding strategic initiatives designed to address intergenerational disadvantage across migrant communities in Australia who are inequitably affected by liver cancer,” said Simone Szalmuk-Singer, CEO of ERDI Foundation.
Thanks to the ERDI Foundation’s generous commitment of $100,000 per year over three years, the project will focus on piloting a localised elimination strategy in one to two high-risk Local Government Areas (LGA’s).
Liver cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of cancers in Victoria. That means too many Victorians are dying from a cancer that can be prevented through testing and treatment for hepatitis. This project aims to reduce the impact of liver cancer within the community by addressing the barriers to early detection and treatment of hepatitis, ensuring more people are accessing the care they need to prevent liver cancer.
Project lead and Senior Manager, Liver Cancer Program, Charissa Feng, is delighted by the partnership. “This funding will allow us to focus on LGA’s that have a large multicultural population with a high prevalence of hepatitis B.”
“We aim to work with these priority communities to increase hepatitis B testing rates and enhance awareness and access to care services,” continued Charissa. “We want to work with the community to co-design care and patient navigation solutions with grassroots organisations so we can build their capacity to support patients through regular hepatitis B monitoring.”
Cancer Council Victoria's CEO, Todd Harper AM, expressed his gratitude to the ERDI Foundation for supporting this important project. "We have an opportunity to make a real difference in the community, not only to raise awareness but also to reduce the impact of liver cancer and save lives. We truly appreciate the commitment from the ERDI Foundation to make this happen.”
*Cancer in Victoria 2023, Victorian Cancer Registry Annual Report.
