Research roadmap for blood cancer

Published October 2024

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Executive summary

Blood cancers are one of the most common cancers globally and are expected to become the most prevalent and deadly form of cancer in Australia by 2035.

Incidence has risen by 47% over the past decade, far outpacing population growth, and is expected to double in the next decade.

The cause of this increase is unknown, but understanding it is critical to developing new treatment and management options. Blood cancers are typically non-hereditary, non-screenable, and spontaneous cancers, with more than 100 subtypes, making detection and treatment challenging.

Past research has delivered dramatic gains in survival for some specific blood cancers. For those difficult-to-treat blood cancers with high mortality rates, new research is the only way to improve outcomes.

Immediate action is needed

Right now, we are losing the race. To reverse or slow the rise of blood cancer incidence, and to minimise deaths and impacts, Australia must increase its investment in research—both fundamental and applied—and the workforce that drives it.

Current funding is not sufficient to meet the existing challenge of high-mortality blood cancers, nor to avert the rising incidence.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a coordinated and strategic approach and to pioneer new treatments for blood cancer, building on the foundation of our existing research strengths and clinical trial capability.

The quest: zero preventable deaths by 2035

We propose a national quest, supported by government, industry and philanthropic stakeholders, to fast-track research efforts, leverage existing infrastructure and strengths, and build new opportunities and capacity. The quest will address the overarching issues applicable to all healthcare and cancer research and is a shared responsibility of all health researchers to emphasise areas where we can make the greatest differences.

This national quest has the following three priorities:

• Investment in research: Increasing funding for blood cancer research—including fundamental research—with dedicated funding streams to tackle areas of particular need, including difficult-to-target and high-mortality cancers.
• Translation of research into practice: Improving national coordination of research, incentivising multidisciplinary teamwork, enabling strategic international collaboration and partnerships, and supporting large-scale clinical trials.
• Build the research workforce: Bridging the gap between research and clinical care by empowering researchers and clinician–researchers with the skills, resources, and support they need to conduct research, advance health and medical knowledge, and improve patient care and outcomes.

Three blood cancer missions

To support the quest for zero preventable deaths by 2035 and deliver this Research Roadmap, three missions have been identified that address areas of high unmet need. Each mission offers a new focus for blood cancer research. The Australian Government must lead the investment of $125 million into blood cancer research, spread across the three national missions.

1. Blood cancers with poor outcomes: We need to explore better options to manage cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), poor prognosis multiple myeloma, recurrent aggressive lymphomas, and currently intractable rare blood cancers.
2. Causality and potential for prevention and early detection: This mission should focus on including early detection in populations and the small subset of individuals known to be of high risk of developing a blood cancer—from environmental influences, prior cancer therapy and heritable factors.
3. Personalised medicine: The third mission should focus on integrating advanced genomics, and targeted and cellular therapies in models of care, aiming to change the natural history of blood cancers.

Read the full report (PDF 700KB)