Living with MBC

Preventative care

Even while living with MBC, it’s important to keep up with general health care – not just cancer treatment. Regular check-ups with your GP can help you stay on top of:

• Vaccinations, such as influenza, COVID and shingles. You may be eligible for free vaccinations. Check with your oncologist about which vaccines are safe during your treatment and the best time to have them.
• Screening and check-up for other cancers. Check with your GP if you should be participating in bowel cancer, cervical cancer, or lung cancer screening. You should also ask about having your skin checked for melanoma.
• Breast imaging (e.g. mammograms). If you still have breast tissue, follow-up imaging is by your care team (not part of BreastScreen).
• Heart and metabolic health, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes checks, as advised by your GP. Certain cancer medications can affect your heart. Your care team will advise you on monitoring.
• Mental health support, including mental health care plans.

Ask your GP about a Chronic Condition Management Plan. This allows you access to five Medicare-subsidised allied health sessions per calendar year. These sessions include dietitians, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, and podiatrists.

This kind of routine care can easily get overlooked. Looking after your overall health matters, especially as many people are now living longer with MBC.

Practical life management

Managing work and taking leave

Your employment rights will vary based on your employment type (e.g. permanent, casual, contractual). In general:

• you can’t be discriminated against because of cancer.
• employers should make reasonable adjustments (e.g. duties, hours, equipment) where needed
• you’re entitled to paid personal leave (sick/carer’s leave) if you’re a permanent employee.
• you may qualify for unpaid leave
• you can request flexible working arrangements
• you don’t have to tell your employer details about your diagnosis but it may help you access leave entitlements and reasonable adjustments.

Options to consider:

• Working reduced hours, working from home, or a temporary job redesign to match your energy and side-effects
• Taking leave:
  • personal/sick
  • annual
  • long-service
  • unpaid
• Workcover through your employer, or eligibility for government income payments such as the Disability Support Pension.

Helpful links:

• Fair Work Ombudsman: 13 13 94 provides information on leave and flexible work
• LiveWorkCancer: Specialised cancer and work support
• Inclusive Employment Australia: Employment service program to help you prepare for, find and keep a job if you have disability, injury or health conditions
• Services Australia: for information on Centrelink payments

Financial support and insurance advice

It’s normal to feel anxious about your financial situation given the uncertainty associated with living with MBC. Help exists and you can talk about financial wellbeing and security with your support networks and your care team.

What to consider

Get advice - Cancer Council offers a range of legal, workplace and financial services. Availability varies by location, and some services are free to anyone affected by cancer, while others are means tested. They can also help to connect you with other volunteer legal, workplace and financial services. Call Cancer Council Information and Support Service on 13 11 20 to find out more.

Review your income protection cover (through super or privately) - Check with your fund or insurer what you’re covered for, including:

• what percentage of your income is covered
• whether payments are capped
• how long the cover lasts (e.g. a set number of years, or until age 65)
• any waiting period before payments begin
• eligibility rules (e.g. whether you need to use sick leave first, or be off work for a minimum period)
• whether you can return to work gradually (such as reduced hours).

Plan with your future in mind - You may want to talk with your oncologist about your prognosis and what that could mean for financial planning now and later. You may be eligible to access your superannuation and/or Disability Support Pension.

Medicare safety net

If you have a lot of out‑of‑hospital medical costs, the Medicare Safety Net ensures a higher rebate. You will be eligible for this once you reach certain dollar amounts.

Some examples of out‑of‑hospital costs that can count towards the Medicare Safety Net (as long as the service has a Medicare item number on the government’s Medicare Benefits Schedule):

• GP appointments (including many telehealth consults).
• Specialist visits (e.g. medical oncology, dermatology) not done during a hospital admission.
• Tests and scans done outside hospital, where Medicare benefits apply, such as:
  • blood tests
  • X‑rays
  • ultrasounds
  • CT/MRI.
• Eligible mental health services billed under Medicare (e.g. sessions with a clinical psychologist under a Mental Health Treatment Plan).

What usually doesn’t count towards Medicare Safety Nets:

• Services when you’re admitted to hospital.
• Medicines under the PBS (these have a separate PBS Safety Net, not the Medicare Safety Nets).
• Health services without a Medicare item number (e.g. many purely private allied health or dental services).

In short: if it’s an eligible Medicare service done outside a hospital admission, it can contribute to reaching the Medicare Safety Net thresholds. This increases how much Medicare pays you back for the rest of the calendar year.

If you’re a couple or family, be sure to let Medicare know so your costs are added up together.

PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme)

The PBS lowers the price of many prescription medicines. Once your (or your family’s) PBS spending for the year reaches the PBS Safety Net threshold, your PBS medicines get cheaper for the rest of the calendar year. General patients pay the concessional rate and concession‑card holders pay $0.

• What counts towards the PBS Safety Net: PBS prescriptions dispensed at community pharmacies and private hospitals. Some public‑hospital outpatient medicines that are recorded under the PBS Safety Net rules also count.
• What doesn’t count: Most private (non‑PBS) prescriptions don’t contribute to the PBS Safety Net and won’t receive a PBS subsidy.
• Ask your pharmacy to record your PBS scripts (for you/your family) on a PBS Safety Net record. If you reach the threshold, they will be able to issue your PBS Safety Net card so your PBS medicines are cheaper for the rest of the year.

Note: The PBS Safety Net is separate to the Medicare Safety Net for out‑of‑hospital doctor visits and tests. Reaching one doesn’t affect the other.

Other Government support

• Centrelink – You may be eligible for:
  • Disability Support Pension
  • Carer Payment/Allowance
  • concession cards, such as Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card.
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) - The NDIS can support people when cancer causes permanent and substantial functional impairment. However, very few people with cancer are approved, and applications can be time‑consuming and costly. It’s worth getting tailored advice before you invest in occupational therapy and physiotherapy reports for an application.
• My Aged Care (65+ years old) – Consider looking into this earlier rather than later as the process can take some time. You’ll usually be referred to a Regional Assessment Service and given information about local services. If you meet package criteria, you’ll receive provider options, but there’s often a wait before services start.

Other sources of financial help:

• Utility bills: ask providers about hardship programs. Cancer Council may be able to connect you with a financial counsellor to help you manage utility bills. In some states and territories, one-off bill support may be available for people in acute financial hardship. Call Cancer Council Information and Support Service on 13 11 20 to find out more.
• Travel subsidies for treatment (regional/rural): Every state and territory runs a patient travel assistance scheme. This helps cover travel and accommodation when specialist care isn’t available locally. Check your local Patient Assisted Travel Scheme for distance rules and subsidies. The National Rural Health Alliance has a factsheet on the services provided by each state on patient assisted travel.
• Wigs and prostheses programs: Cancer Council’s wig service and other programs may help.

Accessing superannuation early

You may be able to access your superannuation early on compassionate grounds. Early access can make a real difference – but it’s a big decision. Consider independent financial advice and talk with your oncologist, partner/family and social worker.

Main pathways

• Terminal medical condition (via your super fund). If two doctors (one a relevant specialist) certify your illness is likely to result in death within 24 months, you can access your super.
• Severe financial hardship (via your super fund). If you’re under preservation age, you may access up to $10,000 once in 12 months. This is after 26 weeks of eligible income support and if you can’t meet essential living costs. If you’ve reached preservation age + 39 weeks and are not employed, your fund may release more than $10,000. There is no set maximum in the rules, and this is subject to fund rules and tax.
• Compassionate release (via the Australian Tax Office) – for medical treatment costs, or mortgage/rent while you’re unable to work. Possible for specific unpaid expenses when there’s no other way to pay, including:
  • medical treatment/transport
  • palliative care
  • preventing home foreclosure
  • funeral costs.

See the Australian Tax Office website for more info.

Accessing your super early can ease money worries, but it can also be a big, and sometimes emotional, decision.

It may involve difficult conversations with your oncologist, your partner or family, and your financial adviser. If you feel comfortable, it can help to have an honest discussion with your oncologist. You can discuss your prognosis and what that might mean for your planning. Having a support person with you can make these conversations easier.

Before making any decisions, consider whether now is the right time to access your super, based on:

• your goals and priorities
• what you value most right now
• how you want to spend your time and focus your energy
• what financial support you may need now and in the future.

Physical wellbeing

Exercise when living with MBC

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health, even with MBC. Benefits of exercise can include:

• reducing fatigue
• improving mood and sleep
• maintaining strength and mobility
• helping you cope with treatment and reducing some side effects
• improving quality of life.

(Sources: Bower et al., 2024, Hiensch et al., 2024, Campbell et al., 2019, Courneya et al., 2025)

Getting started

• Talk to your oncologist or GP about safe exercise for you.
• Start gently and build up slowly.
• Find an accredited exercise physiologist who specialises in cancer (use ESSA’s search tool to find someone near you or who can provide telehealth).
• Exercise programs at some cancer centres are free.

Exercise safely

If you have bone metastases, get professional advice about safe exercises to avoid fracture risk.

There will also be days when your body is not ready for exercise. While exercise is a good thing, don’t push yourself on days when your body is fatigued or you are feeling physically unwell.

Nutrition and healthy eating

Good nutrition helps you feel stronger and cope better with treatment.

General principles:

• Eat when you’re hungry.
• Focus on protein to maintain muscle.
• Stay hydrated.
• Don’t worry about ‘perfect’ eating.
• Eat small, frequent meals if you’re struggling with appetite.

What about special diets?

No diet can cure metastatic cancer. Be cautious of claims that eliminating certain foods will cure cancer. Talk to an oncology dietitian before making major diet changes.

Mental health

Your emotional wellbeing

It’s normal to experience a range of emotions after an MBC diagnosis. You may find yourself feeling anxious or low at times. Your feelings might fluctuate over a day, week, or over time, depending on:

• how well you feel
• the impact of treatments
• health changes on your life and loved ones.

It’s also normal to feel more anxious in the lead up to scans, or if you receive news about disease progression or after any change in treatment.

When extra support might be helpful

• Constant worries, fears or feelings of panic
• Feeling stressed, irritable or on edge
• Difficulty concentrating, focusing, or making decisions
• A loss of interest in things you used to enjoy
• Worries about body image, libido and intimacy
• Sleep, appetite or weight changes
• Avoiding things or leaning on unhelpful coping strategies (e.g. drinking more)
• Persistent sadness or hopelessness

Talking to your care team about emotions

It can be helpful to find someone in your care team you can be honest with. This might be your:

• GP
• medical oncologist
• cancer nurse
• social worker
• counsellor
• psychologist.

You can always reach out to a helpline such as Cancer Council on 13 11 20.

How to start:

• ‘I’m finding [anxiety/low mood/scan worry] hard. What services are around to help?’
• ‘Right now, the hardest thing for me is [sleep/loneliness/balancing work and life/supporting my kids].’
• ‘Could you refer me to a psycho-oncologist/psychologist/counsellor/social worker?’

Remember, finding the right ‘fit’ with a psychologist or counsellor might take a couple of tries.

What can help

Being diagnosed and living with MBC is tough for you, your family and your friends. But help and support is available. Pick and choose what suits you. You may find this changes across different times in your care.

• Professional support - counselling or psycho-oncology (in person, phone or telehealth). Ask your GP if you are eligible for a Mental Health Treatment Plan to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses. Find out how registering for the Medicare Safety Net can reduce many of your outpatient health care costs.
• Medications - talk with your GP and care team about medications for:
  • anxiety
  • sleep
  • depression
  • particularly tough times
  • ongoing use.
• Peer connection - people living with MBC who ‘get it’. See our Support and Connection section for in-person/online groups.
• Skills for tough moments - simple breathing exercises, mindfulness, meditation and relaxation techniques. See our Mindful activities section for how to get started and cancer‑specific options.
• Spiritual, cultural or creative support - faith or cultural supports that matter to you, art or music therapy, journalling.

Look Good Feel Better - free in‑person and virtual workshops (or a Home-Delivered Confidence Package) for appearance‑related side effects during treatment. Practical supports matter. Sorting out finances, work/leave, or getting help travelling to treatment can lower stress levels. See Other types of support for links to social work, financial navigation and travel schemes.

Finding support

• Cancer Council (13 11 20) can connect you with cancer-aware counsellors, including for MBC. Depending on your location and situation, the service may be free or fees may apply. Contact Cancer Council Information and Support Service on 13 11 20 to find out more.
• PsychEngage is a free online service that can help you identify psychologists in your area who specialise in oncology.
• Your GP or medical oncologist for referrals to psychologists close to home or via telehealth.

Mindful activities

Activities that integrate mind and body can help your mood, sleep and day-to-day coping.

Yoga – Gentle, adapted yoga can improve:

• flexibility and strength
• fatigue
• mood
• quality of life.

Many cancer centres offer specialised yoga classes.

Meditation and mindfulness – Mindfulness-based programs can reduce anxiety and stress and help with sleep. Online programs are available if you can’t get to a group:

• Cancer Council NSW’s Finding Calm during cancer: meditation and relaxation podcasts
• Smiling Mind - an evidence-informed Australian mindfulness app

Tai chi and qigong – Slow and low-impact movement practices that can help with fatigue and sleep, anxiety, and overall quality of life. They are especially useful on low-energy days.

Art and music therapy - Some hospitals offer creative arts programs that can help reduce stress, lift mood and support coping.

Travel

If you’d like to travel, a little extra planning can help you feel safer and more prepared.

• Travel insurance - It can be challenging (and expensive) to get cover for cancer‑related events with metastatic disease. However, you can still buy policies that cover other risks like:
  • trip delays/cancellations
  • lost/stolen baggage
  • non‑cancer–related medical events.
• Check with your doctor whether your destination is a good fit with your health needs. Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCAs) with 11 countries that can subsidise urgent, medically necessary public care while you’re there. But, they aren’t a substitute for travel insurance and won’t cover medical evacuation.
• Carry your medications in your hand luggage, along with a letter from your doctor (medication name, dose). This means you don’t need to worry about lost luggage.
• Bring key medical information with you, such as:
  • recent clinic letter
  • test results
  • medication list
  • allergies
  • emergency contacts
  • the cancer centre or medical oncologist’s phone number.
• Take steps to reduce the risk of blood clots during long flights. Remember to:
  • get up and move frequently
  • stay hydrated
  • limit alcohol
  • consider using compression stockings.
• Think carefully about high-impact activities and anything that could increase injury risk.
• Before international travel, ask about vaccinations and infection risks. Many live vaccines are contraindicated in people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, while non‑live vaccines are generally safe.

Relationships and intimacy

Communication with partners

Cancer affects relationships. Open, kind communication is key. It’s not about fixing everything, but about understanding each other better.

Common relationship challenges:

• Your partner may feel helpless or scared.
• Roles in your relationship may change (e.g. your partner becomes carer).
• Less time together due to appointments and fatigue.
• More time together due to reducing work or other commitments.
• Worry about the future and ongoing uncertainty.
• Financial concerns and practical pressures.
• Managing children’s needs and emotions.

What can help:

• Talk honestly about your feelings.
• Let your partner know how they can help.
• Do normal activities together when possible.
• Consider couples counselling.

Changes to intimacy and body image

Treatment can affect sexuality and how you feel about your body.

Physical changes:

• Vaginal dryness: use a lubricant during sex and a vaginal moisturiser between times. Low-dose vaginal oestrogens may be safe - ask your oncologist.
• Fatigue or medications affecting libido.
• Pain or discomfort.
• Changes to your body from treatment.

Emotional impacts:

• Feeling less attractive or confident.
• Worry about your partner’s feelings.
• Fear or anxiety affecting desire and intimacy.

Getting help:

• Talk to your doctor - these issues are common and often treatable.
• Reach out to sexuality counsellors who specialise in cancer.
• Talk to a pelvic health physiotherapist who can help with pain, dryness and pelvic floor concerns.
• Use peer spaces, such as cancer and intimacy Facebook Groups.
• Consider joining a support group specifically for couples or partners. Many cancer centres offer couples sessions or groups (in person or via telehealth).
• Access resources for helping your partner understand what you’re going through, such as this one from Cancer Council Victoria.

Palliative care

Palliative care is not only end-of-life care. It’s specialised, person‑ and family‑centred support that can start early alongside active cancer treatment. It can help to improve comfort, function and quality of life (e.g. pain, breathlessness, nausea, mood, sleep), and can sometimes be associated with longer survival.

How the team works: Specialist palliative care clinicians work with your oncologist and GP to coordinate:

• symptom management
• practical supports
• cultural/spiritual care
• equipment for home
• carer education.

Depending on your preference, clinicians can also support you:

• in hospital
• at home
• in hospice
• in residential care.

Accessing palliative care: A referral from your GP, oncologist or another health professional usually starts the process. You can ask for a referral at any time. Earlier involvement can make day‑to‑day life easier for you and your family. For more information about palliative care, visit the Department of Health website or Palliative Care Australia’s national service.

Find out more in the Planning for end-of-life section.