Count Us In. From Australia to the world: Leading the push for global metastatic breast cancer visibility

Today, three of the world's leading breast cancer organisations, Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), Breast Cancer Now (UK), and Rethink Breast Cancer (Canada), together with people living with metastatic (secondary) breast cancer (MBC) across the globe, have united in a joint pledge to shape the future of MBC visibility and care.

Breast cancer remains the most diagnosed cancer among women globally, with over 2.3 million new cases each year. A 40% increase in breast cancer diagnoses is projected by 2050, alongside a growing population of people living longer with access to more effective treatments for MBC.

While MBC is incurable, treatment advances mean that people can live for many years — yet most countries do not know how many people are living with the disease. For too long, governments have written off people with MBC simply because it is not curable, but incurable shouldn't mean invisible.

For the first time, health leaders, decision-makers, and lived experience advocates across the Commonwealth have come together to call for urgent action to tackle this global health challenge, with support from members of the World Health Organisation Global Breast Cancer Initiative.

The groundbreaking 'Advancing Global Visibility for Metastatic Breast Cancer' Advocacy Pledge, launched today at Australia House — the Australian High Commission in London — spotlights the power of international collaboration and calls on governments in all countries to ensure that everyone living with MBC is counted, recognised and supported. This event represents support from the highest levels of government in Australia and demonstrates the global momentum for change.

For decades, people with MBC have been hidden in plain sight — excluded from health data, overlooked in services, and left out of important decisions that shape their care. Historical approaches to cancer data collection focused on counting the dead, but not enough to count the living.

Without accurate MBC data — the foundational building blocks for health service planning — governments cannot prioritise specialist care, allocate resources, or measure progress toward better outcomes. Data drives decisions, and without it, we cannot plan for the treatment and support that people with MBC desperately need.

Coming together as a global force, Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), Breast Cancer Now (UK), and Rethink Breast Cancer (Canada) are determined to change that reality and ensure that everyone living with metastatic breast cancer is visible in health systems across the Commonwealth and the globe.

Vicki Durston, BCNA's Director of Policy Advocacy and Support Services, described the Pledge as a transformative step forward in the push for global MBC data as the foundation for better outcomes and equity for everyone living with the disease.

"This is a turning point. For too long, governments have written off people with metastatic breast cancer simply because it is not curable—but incurable shouldn't mean invisible. Thanks to decades of consumer-led advocacy, we are finally breaking through the data silence that kept this community overlooked and underserved. Today, we pledge to no longer accept gaps in data or care. We are counting every life, recognising every story, and reshaping the system for those living with metastatic breast cancer."

The Australia House event will highlight Australia's global leadership in cancer data innovation and consumer-led advocacy, showcasing recent world-first breakthroughs in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria to accurately count those living with MBC. Collectively, these states have identified over 16,000 people with the disease, exceeding previous national estimates of just over 10,000 people — confirming that this community had been significantly undercounted.

Australian Lisa Rankin who lives with metastatic breast cancer: "As someone living with metastatic breast cancer, I am incredibly excited it is now possible to recognise those living with the disease. Until now we have been hidden in plain sight and vastly underestimated in numbers."

Claire Myerson, Person living with metastatic breast cancer (UK): "For too long when it comes to secondary breast cancer, we've done a wonderful job of counting the dead, but not enough to count the living. People with secondary breast cancer do not have time to wait - we need action on data collection now."

Australia's Minister for Health and Ageing, and Disability, the Hon Mark Butler MP: "The groundbreaking work by New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland shows what's possible when state and federal governments work together to ensure people with metastatic breast cancer are counted. The Albanese Government stands with BCNA and their Commonwealth (UK and Canada) partners as they pledge ongoing commitment to raise the visibility of metastatic breast cancer and drive global momentum for change."

About the Advocacy Pledge The Advancing Global Visibility for Metastatic Breast Cancer Advocacy Pledge is a joint commitment from BCNA (Australia), Breast Cancer Now (UK), and Rethink Breast Cancer (Canada) to demand that everyone with metastatic breast cancer is counted, recognised, and supported. The Pledge calls for systematic collection and reporting of MBC data, investment in data infrastructure and workforce, and the inclusion of people with lived experience in all decisions about cancer care and research.

The pledge represents a promise to push for data that counts every person living with metastatic breast cancer, to call for policies that support and reflect the reality of living with metastatic disease, and to challenge outdated narratives that have kept this community overlooked and underserved.

Read the pledge