The Daffodil Centre: Combining our strengths to get to the answers on cancer faster
In March 2021, Cancer Council NSW announced an exciting joint venture with the University of Sydney: The Daffodil Centre, combining the strengths of the two institutions to build a world-leading research centre on cancer control and policy.
Enhancing cancer research
The Daffodil Centre, which was officially opened by the NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research, the Hon Brad Hazzard MP, provides timely and relevant evidence to state, national and international policy-makers to inform decisions in cancer control, playing a key role in enhancing cancer research.
Director of the Daffodil Centre, Professor Karen Canfell says that the research opportunities presented by the centre will help reduce the impact of cancer in Australia.
“The Daffodil Centre partnership represents a milestone in Australian cancer research. By bringing together researchers from both partner organisations, we have enhanced the research capacity and expertise of both institutions and broadened our impact. This means our research can be more efficiently and more widely translated into life-saving cancer control policies and programs.
“Combining the university’s biomedical, public health and behavioural research expertise with our well-established capability in epidemiology and our connection to community as the state’s largest cancer charity also enables us to address existing inequities and to pivot rapidly in response to urgent and emergent public health issues.”
Ultimately, this partnership will help to accelerate our progress towards a cancer free future.
Our research impact
“Research by the Centre is already supporting national and international policy-makers to by providing evidence to inform best-practice decision-making in cancer control. In 2020/21, researchers at the Daffodil Centre have:
- Provided evidence to Cancer Australia’s lung cancer screening enquiry. The team were commissioned to estimate the expected number of lung cancer cases in Australia that could be attributed to risk factors other than smoking to help determine the best approach for assessing eligibility criteria for a potential screening program.
- Investigated how breast cancer screening and other health services can be personalised for women aged 40-74. Funded by the Australian Government, the project will develop a road-map for optimising breast screening and surveillance in Australia.
- Shown cervical screening by self-collection would be an effective approach to further reduce cervical cancer incidence in Australia. This evidence directly informed the Medical Services Advisory Board recommendation that all women eligible for screening have the option to use self-collection if they prefer.
- Led an international consortium of researchers investigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer control. Locally, our researchers have looked at the impact of the pandemic on the three national cancer screening programs and potential recovery strategies.
Looking ahead
To ensure the health system and budget have the capacity to meet the rising demand for cancer treatment and care, decision makers need an accurate picture of how many cancer patients there are likely to be in the years ahead. Researchers at the Daffodil Centre are undertaking a major 5-year project that will predict the number of patients over the next five years with bowel, breast and lung cancer, multiple myeloma, melanoma and cancers related to certain genetic biomarkers.
Find out more on the Daffodil Centre website.