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 Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group Australian and New Zealand Gastric and Oesophageal Surgery Association Australian and New Zealand Society of Neuroradiology Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Care Australian Cancer…

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…

Professor David Watson (Chair), Head of Flinders University Department of Surgery and OesophagoGastric Surgery Unit, Flinders Medical Centre Dr Ahmad Aly, Head Upper GI Surgery, Austin Hospital; Clinical Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne Assoc. Professor Alex Boussioutas, Gastroenterologist/Endoscopist, Clinical Researcher, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Western Health, The University of Melbourne…

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…

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 National Cancer Expert Reference Group Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Other stakeholders consulted…

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…

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…

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 2019b). The lead clinician or health professional involved in the patient’s…

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…

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…