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 Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group 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…

In recent years, adolescent and young adult oncology has emerged as a distinct field due to lack of progress in survival and quality-of-life outcomes (Ferrari et al. 2010; Smith et al. 2013). The significant developmental change that occurs during this life stage complicates a diagnosis of cancer, often leading to unique physical, social and emotional…

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to the land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present and emerging. This work is available from the Cancer Council website. First published in May 2015. This edition published in June 2021.…

The rarity and complexity of childhood cancer provides a real challenge in delivering optimal care. Despite overall survival rates of more than 80 per cent (Cancer Australia 2015b), treatments for paediatric cancer are often prolonged and complicated and have a narrow therapeutic index. High-quality evidence-based care is required not only to deliver therapy and supportive…

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…

Treatment will depend on the location, extent of recurrent or residual disease, previous management and the patient’s preferences. In managing people with Hodgkin lymphoma and DLBCL, treatment may include these options: conventional-dose salvage chemotherapy high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation palliative chemotherapy allogeneic stem cell transplantation (see section 6.4.1) radiation therapy immunological or targeted…

Clinical trials may help improve palliative care and in managing a patient’s symptoms of advanced cancer (Cancer Council Victoria 2019). The treatment team should support the patient to participate in research and clinical trials where available and appropriate. For more information visit the Cancer Australia website. See ’Resource list’ for additional clinical trial databases.

Managing recurrent or residual disease is complex and should therefore involve all the appropriate specialties in a multidisciplinary team including palliative care where appropriate. Some instances of recurrent or residual disease remain potentially curable with intensive therapies, and clear documentation of the patient’s wishes of the goals of treatment are a fundamental element of this…