A sea of pink at the Sydney Cricket Ground signals a wave of charitable support for breast cancer.
But the federal government is leaving a deadlier and more common cancer high and dry.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced $20.5 million in new funding for the McGrath Foundation's breast care nurse initiative late last year and on Jane McGrath Day at the Pink Test on Thursday praised the addition of seven new nurses to the program.
"Whether you're at home or here at the cricket, this is a time to place that commitment, show that love and support these wonderful breast care nurses. We want more of them," Mr Turnbull said at the SCG.
It's a four-year extension to the Rudd government's agreement of $18.5 million in the 2013-14 budget, and will support up to 57 of the charity's 117 specialist nurses nationwide.
However, the same love has not been extended to bowel cancer's peak body.
Bowel Cancer Australia chief executive Julien Wiggins told AAP the charity is "100 per community funded, receiving no government funding".
A Department of Health spokeswoman told AAP "there are no current plans to fund Bowel Cancer Australia".
"Different cancers vary greatly in terms of prevalence, causes, how they manifest, staging, diagnosis, treatments and survival rates. As such, funding provided to related organisations will also vary," she said.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates bowel cancer was the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in 2016 with 17,520 new cases, behind prostate cancer but ahead of breast cancer.
More than 4000 Australians were estimated to have died from bowel cancer last year, second only to lung cancer.
The prognosis for bowel cancer patients was also relatively grim, with a five-year survival rate in 2008-2012 of 68 per cent compared to 94 per cent for prostate cancer and 90 per cent for breast cancer.
The department spokeswoman said the government is committed to improving bowel cancer mortality and morbidity rates through its national screening program, with over 2.5 million Australians screened from 2006 to June 2014.
She said a further $95.9 million was announced in the 2014 budget to accelerate the program so that by 2020, all eligible people aged 50 to 74 will be invited to screen for the cancer every two years.
However, Mr Wiggins said the date will mark two decades since the program was first piloted.
"By comparison it took around a quarter of this time to implement breast cancer screening," he said.
"The perception that bowel cancer is messy and embarrassing remains a significant challenge which must be overcome in order for people to feel comfortable talking about Australia's second biggest cancer killer.
"We have seen with breast and prostate cancer that overcoming the stigma leads to greater community understanding, support and funding for research and dedicated patient support services."
The McGrath Foundation hopes to raise close to $400,000 from Australia's SCG Test against Pakistan this week.
ESTIMATED NEW CANCER CASES, CANCER DEATHS IN AUSTRALIA: 2016
* Prostate cancer - 18,138 new cases, 3398 deaths
* Bowel/colon cancer - 17,520 new cases, 4094 deaths
* Breast cancer - 16,084 new cases, 3073 deaths
* Melanoma - 13,283 new cases, 1774 deaths
* Lung cancer - 12,203 new cases, 8839 deaths
(Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)
