Together with global advertising group J. Walter Thompson, RCA has created this video highlighting the disparity between treatments available for people with Rare and Less Common (RLC) cancers and those with common cancers.
Cancer does not discriminate against race, age or religion, and RCA insists that rare cancer patients should be afforded the same level of access to affordable treatment options as common cancer patients.
Rare and less common cancers make up 30% of all cancer diagnosis, yet they account for 50% of all deaths. Each year 52,000 Aussies are diagnosed with a RLC cancer and sadly 25,000 Australians die within five years.
The video, filmed at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse cancer hospital, features a series of RLC patients at various stages of their cancer treatment and journey to raise awareness and educate Australians on the ongoing hurdles patients living with a rare cancer face. The new footage provides insight into the lives of five Australians whose lives have been affected by RLC cancers, including a six-year-old diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, Australian Paralympic gold medallist Kelly Cartwright OAM who was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma as a teenager, a 43 year old mum living with rare cancer NSCLC Ros 1, a 17-year-old diagnosed with Rhabdomyoscarcoma, and a gentleman in his 80s living with merkel cell carcinoma.
It really shouldn't matter what cancer you get. Cancer is cancer.