Ask people what cancer costs, and most people’s minds go directly to treatment. A new Victorian study suggests the real answer is more everyday than that.
The McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, part of Cancer Council Victoria, surveyed 207 people with cancer or caring for someone with cancer. Every person with cancer reported out-of-pocket costs, despite high Medicare coverage. The most commonly reported cost was travel to appointments (46%), ahead of treatment and surgery (41%), with hospital parking not far behind (40%).
And most people were caught off guard; more than half said costs were higher than expected or that they had no idea what to expect.
Deciding without the numbers
The researchers describe a gap in “informed financial consent”. People make big decisions under pressure before the costs are clear, and some said they’d have chosen differently had they known. Most coped by drawing down savings (69%), and about one in six worked through treatment or returned earlier than they wanted to or would have otherwise.
Costs also shaped care. Interviewees described people delaying or skipping appointments, going without supportive care, and choosing treatments based on cost or travel. One carer said the prospect of a long trip to the city was the deciding factor in stopping her partner’s treatment.
Hospital social workers described patients who felt unable to start treatment at all because stopping work, leaving caring duties, or lacking stable housing made turning up impossible.
Help exists, but is it equitable?
Financial support for cancer patients was patchy. One social worker said some cancer types have funds to draw on while others have nothing, and charity-funded accommodation was described as invaluable in keeping people in treatment, though not everyone qualifies.
Nurses described patients being told about promising treatments not yet on the PBS, facing thousands of dollars per cycle, with no assistance.
What this means for melanoma patients
Importantly, the authors say their findings are indicative rather than representative.
Melanoma made up about one in eight of the people with cancer surveyed, far too few to draw any melanoma-specific conclusions, and only 5% were living with advanced cancer, even though interviewees said the burden falls hardest there.
But the pressures line up with what we know about the significant financial challenge of being treated for advanced melanoma in Australia.
- Advanced disease is intensive. While a study of 8,577 people diagnosed with melanoma in NSW found mean excess health-system costs in the first year ranged from just shy of $2,800 for in situ disease to over $70,000 for distant metastases, those are costs to the system. What patients pay for travel, accommodation, and lost income is harder to see.
- Who’s least visible. The Victorian sample leaned metropolitan and advantaged, again, with regional communities underrepresented. AIHW data shows melanoma death rates are higher in regional Australia and the most disadvantaged areas, ie the people most at risk may be the hardest for research to reach.
Where the Neil Evans Melanoma Foundation (NEMF) comes in
One social worker said that when she can secure accommodation near the hospital, patients feel they’ve “won the lottery.” That’s the kind of practical help NEMF’s Patient Fund exists to provide.
Neil’s final wish was to give people with melanoma every chance to beat their cancer, without financial barriers. NEMF raises funds to help Australians with advanced melanoma access treatments and clinical trials, and to cover transport, accommodation, and other costs.
Better systems, with clear cost conversations and financial support built into care from day one, are worth fighting for. Until then, no one should have to weigh their cancer treatment against their mortgage or rent.
How much would you give to support a loved one with melanoma?
Full Report: Counting the Cost of Cancer: Legal and Financial Impacts on Victorians Report (2026)
