Medical colleges and peak organisations invited to provide feedback
Advance Care Planning Australia Allied Health Professions Australia Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine, Royal Australia College of Physicians 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 of Medical Imaging…
Read MoreExpert working group (previous edition)
Professor Mark Rosenthal (Chair), Director of Medical Oncology, Melbourne Health Ms Luisa Barassi, Nurse and Brain Tumour Research Coordinator, Melbourne Health Dr Lawrence Cher, Neuro-oncologist, Epworth Hospital, Austin Health Ms Emma Daly, Neuro-oncology Clinical Nurse Consultant, Cabrini Health Professor Gavin Davis, Neurosurgeon, Austin Health, Cabrini Health Dr Anthony Dowling, Medical Oncologist, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne…
Read MoreMembers of the multidisciplinary team for head and neck cancer (formerly Appendix E)
The multidisciplinary team may include the following members: care coordinator (as determined by multidisciplinary team members)* medical oncologist / neuro-oncologist* neuropathologist* neuroradiologist* neurosurgeon* nurse (with appropriate expertise)* radiation oncologist* social worker* Aboriginal health practitioner, Indigenous liaison officer or remote general practitioner clinical trials coordinator dietitian exercise physiologist fertility specialist general practitioner geneticist neurologist neuropsychologist nuclear…
Read MoreExpert working group (this edition)
Professor Mark Rosenthal (Chair), Medical Oncologist, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Professor Kate Drummond, Neurosurgeon, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and The University of Melbourne Professor Hui Gan, Medical Oncologist, Austin Health Associate Professor Alexander Holmes Consultant Psychiatrist, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and The University of Melbourne Professor…
Read MoreOptimal Care Pathways Steering Committee
Alfred Health Cancer Australia Cancer Council Victoria, Strategy and Support Division Cancer Institute New South Wales Concord Repatriation General Hospital New South Wales Consumer representative Department of Health Victoria, Commissioning and System Improvement Division, Cancer Unit Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Other stakeholders consulted to provide feedback including Integrated…
Read MoreAppendix D: Complementary therapies
Complementary therapies may be used together with conventional medical treatments to support and enhance quality of life and wellbeing. They do not aim to cure the patient’s cancer. Instead, they are used to help control symptoms such as pain and fatigue (Cancer Council Australia 2019). The lead clinician or health professional involved in the patient’s…
Read MoreContributors and reviewers
Our thanks to the following health professionals, consumer representatives, stakeholders and organisations consulted in developing this optimal care pathway.
Read MoreAppendix B: Psychological needs
Consider a referral to a psychologist, psychiatrist, pastoral/spiritual care practitioner, social worker, specialist nurse or a relevant community-based program if the patient has these issues: displaying emotional cues such as tearfulness, distress that requires specialist intervention, avoidance or withdrawal being preoccupied with or dwelling on thoughts about cancer and death displaying fears about the treatment…
Read MoreAppendix A: Supportive care domains
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…
Read MoreSexually and gender diverse groups
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…
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