Individual Abstract within a Delegate Designed Symposium Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2023

Ensuring equity: monitoring health outcomes for Queensland First Nations women with cervical and endometrial cancer (#2)

Tamara Butler 1 , Andrea Garrett 2 , Danica Cossio 3 , Karen Sanday 4 , Victoria Donoghue 3 , Nathan Dunn 3 , Kathryn Middleton 5 , Rhett Morton 2 , Shaun McGrath 5 , Anna Kuchel 2 , Marcelo Nascimento 6
  1. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  2. Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  3. Cancer Alliance Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  4. Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, Brisbane, Queensland , Australia
  5. Mater Hospital Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  6. Gold Coast University Hospital, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Aims:  To review the prevalence of endometrial and cervical cancer in Queensland First Nations women. 

Methods: The source of population data for this study is the Queensland Oncology Repository (QOR), which is a comprehensive clinical cancer database that links diagnostic information from the Queensland Cancer Register (QCR), with treatment data (radiation therapy, surgery, and intravenous systemic therapy), admissions data for both public and private hospitals, and patient outcome data.  Clinical data including FIGO stage and biomarkers was extracted from the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer (QCGC) database and linked to QOR.   

Results: Incidence rates of both endometrial and cervical cancer in First Nations women were more than double those observed among Queensland non-First Nations women (endometrial: 37.9 per 100,000 c.f. 18.1 per 100,000; cervical 19.4 / 100,000 c.f. 8.4/100,000). Similar differences were present when examining mortality, with rates 2.5-3.5 times higher among the First Nations population (endometrial: 8.5 / 100,000 c.f. 3.1 / 100,000; cervical 6.9 / 100,000 c.f. 1.9 / 100,000).  

Differentials in cervical cancer mortality may be linked to later presentation at diagnosis, with the proportion of First Nations women presenting with stage IV disease at diagnosis being around 50% higher than in non-First Nations women (10% vs 6.8%). 


Conclusion: Extensive interrogation of Queensland cancer data has allowed for the discovery and monitoring of key specific cancer indicators relevant to First Nations women.  A targeted approach allows the use of additional curated data within these subpopulations to identify disparities across the cancer care continuum and priority areas for ensuring equity in health outcomes for First Nations women.