Aim
People from refugee backgrounds often experience poorer cancer outcomes than the general population, including lower screening participation, later diagnosis and limited engagement with cancer care. Cancer Support for People of Refugee Background is a collaborative initiative involving Bendigo Community Health Services (BCHS), Loddon Mallee Integrated Cancer Service (LMICS) and Bendigo Regional Cancer Centre (BRCC), funded by the Victorian Department of Health. Using co-design principles with local Karen and Afghan communities, the project aimed to improve equitable access to culturally safe cancer education, screening, treatment and supportive care while strengthening health service capability.
Methods
Between 2023 and 2025, BCHS acted as the backbone organisation, coordinating the partnership with LMICS, BRCC and Karen and Afghan communities. Interventions were informed by a needs analysis involving 128 community members, health-service engagement and evidence review. Activities included building bicultural workforce capacity; co-designing in-language education and culturally appropriate resources; providing cancer-specific training for interpreters and health service staff; strengthening navigation and referral pathways; and working with cancer and screening services to improve access. Documentation and evaluation findings were retrospectively analysed using a community capacity-building framework spanning individual, civic participation, organisational, inter-organisational and community levels.
Results
Thirty-nine in-language sessions reached 412 participants, while five professional-development sessions reached 52 health service staff. Among staff respondents, 98% reported increased knowledge and 92% intended to apply their learning. The partnership produced culturally appropriate resources, strengthened referral and navigation pathways, and improved coordination between community and cancer services. To embed these changes, LMICS funded a dedicated Refugee Cancer Support role within BRCC in 2025.
Conclusion
Improving cancer equity requires more than culturally responsive service delivery; it requires backbone leadership capable of building capacity across multiple levels. This combination provides a practical and transferable model for achieving sustainable improvements in culturally safe cancer care across regional cancer systems