Pregnancy-associated breast cancer, defined as breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or in the year after a pregnancy, accounts for 7 per cent of breast cancers in young women (Ives 2009), which is around 100 women annually in Australia. These women typically have a higher disease stage and more aggressive tumour features at diagnosis. However, when…

Advance Care Planning Australia Allied Health Professions Australia Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine, Royal Australia College of Physicians Australasian Lymphology Association Australian and New Zealand Society of Neuroradiology Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Care Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre Australian College of Nursing Australian Medical Association Australian Society…

While there is no accepted definition of ‘young’ regarding breast cancer, younger women have been defined in previous guidelines as women aged 40 or younger at breast cancer diagnosis (Poggio et al. 2018). In 2020, it was estimated that 23 per cent of all new cancer cases diagnosed for Australian women aged 20–39 were for…

Professor Christobel Saunders, Surgeon (Chair), Royal Perth Hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital, The University of Western Australia Associate Professor Boon Chua, Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Associate Professor Jacquie Chirgwin, Medical Oncologist, Box Hill Hospital; Director, ANZ Breast Cancer Trials Group Ms Linda Cicciarelli, Genetic Counsellor, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Dr Adrian Dabscheck, Palliative Care…

Professor Christobel Saunders (Chair), Surgeon, Royal Perth Hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital, St John of God Subiaco Hospital; Professor Surgical Oncology, The University of Western Australia; Chair, PathWest Laboratory Medicine Professor Fran Boyle, Medical Oncologist, Mater Hospital Dr Adrian Dabscheck, Palliative Care Physician, Western Health Dr Bianca Devitt, Medical Oncologist, Eastern Health Miss Gillian Farrell, Plastic…

A diagnosis of cancer may present additional challenges to people who have pre-existing chronic mental health or psychiatric concerns, resulting in exacerbation of their mental health symptoms. This may include heightened anxiety, worsening depression or thoughts of self-harm. As poor adjustment and coping can affect treatment decisions, people who are known to have a mental…

In general, people from lower socioeconomic groups are at greater risk of poor health, have higher rates of illness, disability and death, and live shorter lives than those from higher socioeconomic groups (AIHW 2016). People experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage are less likely to participate in screening programs, more likely to be obese, less likely to exercise…

People who identify as sexually or gender diverse may have unique needs following a cancer diagnosis. Sexually or gender diverse identities include (but are not limited to) people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, collectively ‘LGBT’. There is no universally agreed upon initialism to describe this community, with other terms such as queer/questioning…

In 2020, the estimated number of men diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia is 167 (Cancer Australia 2019d). While breast cancer is uncommon in males, it is important for men who find changes in their breasts to see their doctor without delay. Given the low number of diagnoses and the identification of breast cancer in…

Supportive care in cancer refers to the following five domains: the physical domain, which includes a wide range of physical symptoms that may be acute, relatively short lived or ongoing, requiring continuing interventions or rehabilitation the psychological domain, which includes a range of issues related to the patient’s mental health wellbeing and personal relationships the…