The Cancer Council SA has launched a new advertising campaign highlighting that 300 Australians are diagnosed with cancer each day.

The Mirrors advertisement calls on South Australians to help reduce that toll by making a small monthly donation towards cancer research, education and support services.

Council chief executive Associate Professor Brenda Wilson said despite significant advancements in the fight against cancer, more than 8000 South Australians were diagnosed with cancer each year.

“We have made significant improvements in the early diagnosis of cancer and improved treatments. It means that for a greater number of people, cancer is no longer a death sentence,” she said.

“Research has also identified how to prevent about half of cancers: by not smoking, maintaining a healthy body weight and protecting skin from the sun.

“But more is still needed. We need to make cancer a thing of the past.”

Money raised through the Mirrors campaign will go towards funding South Australian based cancer research, education about cancer prevention and early detection, and support for those affected by cancer.

Donations to The Cancer Council SA go towards:

- providing more than $2 million in annual funding for South Australian based cancer research projects

- taking the SunSmart message to children in more than 400 early childhood centres and schools each year

- distributing 390,000 resources to cancer treatment centres, schools, workplaces, healthcare centres and the wider community each year

- delivering about 300 presentations to workplace, professional and community groups each year

- offering the Staying Healthy After Cancer workshops.