Qld: Talks on cancer data hopeful of breakthrough

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2008
Qld: Talks on cancer data hopeful of breakthrough

BRISBANE, April 20 AAP - Senior government bureaucrats will meet today with representatives
of the Cancer Council over a possible breakthrough over access to data from the Queensland
Cancer Registry.

State Health Minister Stephen Robertson yesterday said he had legal advice showing
researchers could get data from the registry without Queensland Health approval.

The announcement came after the Cancer Council on Friday launched legal action in the
Supreme Court against Queensland Health in a bid to obtain routine access to cancer statistics
from the Queensland Cancer Registry.

Such access was vital for independent study of the disease, it said.

Cancer Council chief executive officer Professor Jeff Dunn said the data could not
be used to breach patient confidentiality, as Queensland Health feared.

At present, the council has to obtain information on a case-by-case basis through Queensland
Health.

"One thing we are particularly interested in are the geographic differentials and patterns,"

Prof Dunn told ABC Radio.

"We know that in Queensland, people who live outside the Brisbane area do less well
than people who live in Brisbane, so why is that the case?" he said.

"Now, the sort of data we are looking for will help us answer that question."

AAP rad/cdh

KEYWORD: CANCER DAYLEAD

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