New treatments are changing lives. Dee's story shows why every week matters.
This story was featured in The Weekend Australian on 17 October 2026, Read the full article (a subscription may be required).
News
For Dee, a mother of two living with advanced pancreatic cancer, access to a new targeted treatment has been life-changing. Her story highlights both the promise of emerging treatments and the urgent need to ensure Australians can access them sooner.
'The first time I felt there was hope'
Dee was diagnosed after months of pain she kept putting down to something else. After undergoing major surgery and intense chemotherapy, Dee learned her pancreatic cancer had spread to her lungs and there were very limited treatment options remaining. Genetic testing on her tumour showed she was eligible for a clinical trial looking at a new targeted treatment.
"When I was accepted I actually didn't believe it. That was the first time I felt there was hope."
Eighteen months later, Dee's cancer remains stable. A year after being told she had only months to live, she climbed to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko.
The new drugs coming through are giving people like me quality of life again. We're working again. We're contributing members of society. We're living every single day.
- Dee
But Dee's access to treatment depends on the clinical trial, and what happens when it ends remains uncertain.
Dee's story
When pancreatic cancer came, so did the village
Trial places for people with pancreatic cancer are limited, and Dee spent months waitlisted before she found one. Read her own account of joining a clinical trial of a new targeted treatment, what it has meant for her, and the people who supported her along the way.
New treatments are emerging. Access needs to keep up.
After decades of limited progress, promising new treatments for pancreatic cancer are beginning to emerge. Speaking to The Australian, Pankind CEO Michelle Stewart highlighted the progress being made, and the challenge of ensuring people can benefit from it.
After a medicine is approved as safe to use in Australia, it can take nearly two years to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). For people impacted by pancreatic cancer, time is something many simply don't have.
We're starting to see all the hard work that's been happening for many years actually turning into options and treatments for better patient outcomes.
The challenge now is to make sure people are able to access them in a timely manner. There's nothing worse than seeing this promise but not being able to access it.
- Michelle Stewart, Pankind CEO
Every week matters
We're asking people and families across Australia to share their stories with their federal MPs and ask them to support faster access to new treatments.
The Australian Government's 2024 Health Technology Assessment Review has already recommended changes that could help make new treatments available sooner. We're asking for these recommendations to be implemented, so there is a faster, more flexible pathway for new medicines to reach those who need them, sooner.
Dee's story shows why every week matters, and coverage in The Australian is helping take the conversation about faster access beyond the pancreatic cancer community.
Add your voice
Whether you're living with pancreatic cancer, caring for someone, or remembering someone you love, your story can help your MP understand why every week matters.
Source: "Pancreatic cancer almost stole Dee's life … a new drug has changed everything", Steve Robson, The Weekend Australian, 17 October 2026, page 5.
