The burden of cancer is higher in the Australian Indigenous population (AIHW 2014). Survival also significantly decreases as remoteness increases. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia have high rates of certain lifestyle risk factors including tobacco smoking, higher alcohol consumption, poor diet and low levels of physical activity (Cancer Australia 2015). The high prevalence of these risk factors is believed to be a significant contributing factor to the patterns of cancer incidence and mortality rates in this population group (Robotin et al. 2008).

In caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people diagnosed with cancer, the current gap in survivorship is a significant issue. The following approaches are recommended to improve survivorship outcomes (Cancer Australia 2015):

• Raise awareness of risk factors and deliver key cancer messages.
• Develop evidence-based information and resources for community and health professionals.
• Provide training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and develop training resources.
• Increase understanding of barriers to care and support.
• Encourage and fund research.
• Improve knowledge within the community to act on cancer risk and symptoms.
• Improve the capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers to provide cancer care and support to their communities.
• Improve system responsiveness to cultural needs.
• Improve our understanding of care gaps through data monitoring and targeted priority research.