Dr Rebecca Bergin investigates how younger people experience the colorectal cancer diagnostic pathway in her Victorian Cancer Agency Early Career Research Fellowship
Dr Bergin is conducting Australia’s first comprehensive study comparing how younger versus older patients with colorectal cancer navigate the healthcare system from first symptoms to treatment.
Her research addresses an urgent and growing problem: the rate of colorectal cancer in people aged under 50 years has doubled in Victoria since 1990, with younger people consistently diagnosed at more advanced stages than older people. While 28% of people aged under 40 have stage IV disease at diagnosis, this drops to less than 20% for older people. This disparity directly impacts survival and quality of life.
“Young people with colorectal cancer are being diagnosed too late, and we don’t understand why this is happening in Australia. This research is about finding those answers so we can save lives,” says Dr Bergin.
Dr Bergin’s research uses multiple approaches to build a complete picture: patient and GP surveys capture personal experiences and timelines, analysis of primary care medical records reveal consultation and referral patterns, and qualitative interviews explore barriers to timely diagnosis.
About Dr Rebecca Bergin
Dr Rebecca Bergin conducts this work within the ECORRA Program. She is a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute for Health Transformation at Deakin University. She also holds honorary positions at the University of Melbourne (Department of General Practice and Centre for Cancer Research) and Cancer Council Victoria (Cancer Epidemiology Division).
With over a decade of experience in oncology research across hospital (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre), community (Cancer Council Victoria), and academic institutions, Dr Bergin has established herself as a leading health services researcher dedicated to understanding and addressing inequalities in cancer outcomes.
Making Research Matter
Dr Bergin’s work uses linked primary care datasets in Australian cancer research, demonstrating how underutilised data sources can provide insights into diagnostic pathways. This innovation is opening new possibilities for understanding and improving cancer care across the health system.
Dr Bergin currently co-chairs the Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group (PC4) Prevention and Early Detection Engine Room and serves on the PC4 Scientific Committee. Beyond her Victorian Cancer Agency fellowship research, she is also a Chief Investigator on the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Early to Mid-Career Researcher grant awarded in 2023 for the Equitable Cancer Outcomes across Rural and Remote Australia (ECORRA) Trial.
Activities and Impacts
2025 COSA-IPOS Symposium: The Growing Challenge of Early-Onset Cancer: Insights to Drive Action
