Living with incurable but treatable cancer

A guide for people affected by advanced and metastatic cancer

Improvements in treatment mean some incurable cancers can be managed and kept stable for a long time. Many people now live with advanced or metastatic cancer as a long-term illness that is managed with ongoing treatment and support. Cancer may still be part of your life, but it does not have to be the main focus.

For information on treatment options, managing side effects, emotional wellbeing, practical support and ways to maintain quality of life, visit our Living with incurable but treatable cancer information on the Cancer Connect website.

Coping with a cancer diagnosis

Find more helpful information about managing the emotional impact of cancer, talking to kids about cancer, cancer and your finances, cancer and work and support options.

Supporting someone with cancer

If you know someone with cancer, how can you provide the support they need? Read our practical tips and information for carers, family, friends, workplaces and school communities.

Advanced cancer

Advanced cancer is when cancer has spread from its original site or has come back. It may also be called secondary, metastatic or progressive cancer. Find helpful information on living with advanced cancer, managing side effects, and more.

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Living with Incurable but Treatable Cancer

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This information was last updated in September 2026. See who reviewed this content.

Professor Bogda Koczwara AM, Director, Australian Research Centre for Cancer Survivorship, (a UNSW partnership with Cancer Council NSW); Dr Andrea Smith, Senior Research Fellow, The Daffodil Centre, Sydney, NSW; Dr Ashley Bigaran, Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre, Austin Health, VIC; Jill Carland, Consumer, MBC Action Australia; Jenny Gilchrist, Nurse Practitioner – Breast Oncology, Macquarie University Hospital, NSW; Prof Nicolas Hart, NHMRC Investigator Fellow (Cancer Survivorship) and Program Director (Clinical Exercise Physiology), INSIGHT Research Institute, UTS, NSW; Prof Michael Jefford, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Director, Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Helana Kelly, Manager, Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Braxton Laine, Consumer; Dr Toni Lindsay, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Psychosocial Services Manager, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse; Romy Pham, Senior Advisor, 13 11 20, NSW; Prof Jane Phillips, Head of the School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology and Emerita Professor at IMPACCT (Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation), University of Technology Sydney (UTS), NSW; Dr Kathy Pope, Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC; Marco Salvador, Consumer; Peter Spolc, Consumer; Dr Monica Tang, Medical Oncologist and Staff Specialist in Cancer Survivorship, Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, NSW; Dr Elysia Thornton-Benko, Specialist GP/ Primary Care and Cancer Survivorship Physician, NSW; Janelle Ward, Oncology Social Worker, Wollongong Hospital, NSW; Jayne Watson, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC.
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