Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

Measuring the impact of community support groups in cancer patients and their families in a multi-cultural setting: a costing analysis  (141290)

Shivani Sivapalan 1 , Ramya Walsan 2 , Ashfaq Chauhan 2 , Virginia Mumford 2 , Reema Harrison 2
  1. Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia
  2. Australian Institute of Health Innovation, North Ryde, NSW, Australia

Introduction

​​Cancer survivors from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds experience poorer health outcomes. Community-led support groups play a critical role in improving health outcomes for this demographic. Sister Cancer Support Group (SCSG) based in Wollongong, Australia, is one such organisation providing culturally sensitive supportive care to CALD women affected by cancer. 

 

Aim

The study aims to identify costs involved in running SCSG programs and to measure the impact of these services using a costing analysis, on women from multicultural backgrounds who are affected by cancer.

 

Methods

A mixed methods study design was conducted including a preliminary literature review and logic model. Data was extracted from interviews and annual reports, followed by sensitivity analysis using basic counting principles and a 5% discount rate to rebase costs to the current financial year (2025/2026). 

 

Results/Outcomes

22 volunteers and consumers were interviewed, who were predominantly female (95.5%) with high linguistic diversity (9 home languages including Arabic, Turkish, Albanian, Burmese, French, Italian, Macedonian, Malay and Serbo-Croatian). Most volunteers (90.0%) and consumers (81.8%) engaged with SCSG for at least two years and all expressed minimal travel burden. All consumers recommended SCSG, reporting improvements in health literacy, physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing, and community connection. Our costing analysis shows that on a fully costed model, SCSG costs $130,040.81 to run annually. However, given the strong volunteer nature of the program, excluding volunteer time costs reduces program costs to $35,180.50 annually. 

 

Conclusions

SCSG represents a low-cost, community-based intervention that delivers multidimensional benefits for CALD cancer patients. The findings demonstrate positive impacts across health literacy, psychosocial wellbeing and physical health, supported by consistent consumer and volunteer engagement. These results highlight the value of culturally tailored services in addressing inequities in cancer care and support sustainable funding of similar models.

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