"It’s been quite heartbreaking to see families crowdfunding," he said.

Annabelle Wilson's husband Josh Chalmers died from glioblastoma in 2017, two months before the birth of their daughter Primrose. Ms Wilson said her husband was treated with Avastin thanks to support from the Department of Veteran Affairs, but she knows people who died before their crowdfunding goal was reached.

"What (this PBAC decision) means is that people don't have to mortgage their house or sell their car or cash in their super to get it," she said.

More than 1900 Australians are diagnosed with brain cancer each year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Of those diagnosed with glioblastoma, only 4.6 per cent will live for more than five years after their diagnosis.

Dr Khasraw said glioblastoma was a particularly difficult cancer for both patients and their families.

"It's affecting their brain, which means their personality, their existence as a human being, and they lose their ability to think and make decisions," he said.

Dr Khasraw, who has been prescribing Avastin to patients in Australia for 10 years, said it was an important drug even though the drug has not been proven to prolong life.

"In some cases where there is significant disease and swelling, giving them the Avastin can improve their functional performance, that they regain independence even for a short period of time," he said.

"Even if it helps people to regain their dignity, even for a short period of time, it’s of great help."

While the drug has not been listed on the PBS yet, the federal government made a pre-election commitment to list every drug recommended by the PBAC.

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Ms Wilson, who is also head of advocacy at the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, said the PBAC recommendation was an "exceptional win" that was all thanks to the "power of the people".

"The recommendation came out and it specifically stated that it was [approved] due to the overwhelming number of submissions and community comments, and that shows us that our community is being listened to," she said.

"The significance for me personally is nothing will even make what we went through worth it, but I feel like I’m continuing so that Primrose can grow up knowing that her dad’s journey meant something."