Where does your State rank on patient support?

The assistance available to patients and their families who must travel long distances and stay away from home to access life-saving cancer treatment varies dramatically across the nation, according to an analysis by patient advocates.

The Leukaemia Foundation has released a National Scorecard on how sufficiently jurisdictions meet the financial needs of people travelling for cancer treatment, based on ATO estimates of real accommodation and private vehicle costs, with only one state meeting the benchmark of at least 70 per cent.

"For people in regional, rural and remote communities, travel is not optional, it is often the only way to access specialist cancer care," Leukaemia Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Chris Tanti, said.