Cancer

Supportive care encompasses managing symptoms and side effects before, during and after cancer treatment

Ian N Olver MB BS, MD, PhD

Improvements in survival and cancer-related symptoms must be weighed up against treatment-related adverse effects and financial burden

Nicola J Lawrence BHB, MB ChB, FRACP · Glenn Salkeld PhD, MPH, GradDipHealthEcon · Martin R Stockler MB BS, FRACP, MSc(ClinEpi) · Deme Karikios BSc, MB BS, FRACP

About 450 000 individuals in Australia may be eligible for lung cancer screening

David Manners MB BS(Hons) · Jennie Hui PhD · Michael Hunter PhD(Dist) · Alan James MB BS, FRACP, PhD · Matthew W Knuiman PhD · Annette McWilliams FRACP, FRCPC, MD · Siobhain Mulrennan MRCP, MD, FRACP · Arthur W (Bill) Musk MB BS, MD, FRACP · Fraser JH Brims MD, MRCP, FRACP

Clearer definitions will help improve quality of care and reduce variation in patient outcomes between centres

Robert C Gandy MB ChB, MS, FRACS · Andrew P Barbour MB BS, PhD, FRACS · Jaswinder Samra DPhil, FRCS(Eng), FRACS · Mehrdad Nikfarjam MB BS, FRACS, PhD · Koroush Haghighi MB BS, FRACS · James G Kench MB BS, FRCPA · Payal Saxena FRACS, PhD · David Goldstein MB BS, FRCP[UK], FRACP

We have the will to improve cancer services for patients outside major cities but, thus far, not the way

Elizabeth Tracey BSc(Hons), MPH, PhD · Brian C McCaughan MB BS, FRACS · Jane M Young MPH, PhD, FAFPHM · Bruce K Armstrong MB BS(Hons), DPhil, FRACP

Quality indicators can provide reassurance that cancer care is achieving the predicted outcomes

Paul S Craft MB BS, FRACP, MPH

Discarding patients’ cancer samples because of problems with consent processes forgoes potential advances in cancer research, ignores public intent and squanders unique bioresources

Craig Gedye MB ChB, FRACP, PhD · Jennifer Fleming BA, MHA, PhD

Major changes are occurring in breast surgery to help improve quality-of-life outcomes for women who survive breast cancer

Andrew J Spillane MD, FRACS

The performance of the Victorian health system has improved according to three processes of care indicators

Fanny Sampurno BA, BSci(Hons) · Arul Earnest PhD, MSc, BSocSc(Hons) · Patabendi B Kumari MB BS, MSc, MD · Jeremy L Millar MB ChB, FRANZCR, FAChPM · Ian D Davis MB BS(Hons), PhD, FRACP · Declan G Murphy FRCS(Urol) · Mark Frydenberg MB BS, FRACS · Paul A Kearns MB BS, FRACS(Urol) · Sue M Evans PhD, MClinEpi

N/A

Helen Zorbas AO

In addition to providing earlier access to more drugs, we need reform in how new cancer drugs are priced

Narcyz Ghinea BSc(Hons) · Wendy Lipworth MB BS, MSc, PhD

A new option would complement the existing screening program, not replace it

Annabelle Farnsworth MB BS(Hons), FRCPA, FIAC

Antioxidant supplements may compromise chemotherapy dose and should be avoided

Peter J Smith BPharm, Dip Ed, PostGradCertEvidenceBasedCompMed · Kathryn J Steadman BPharm(Hons), PhD

New genetic technology allowing a panel of multiple genes to be tested for mutations may aid risk assessment and management in breast cancer

Ingrid Winship MB ChB, MD, FRACP · Melissa C Southey PhD, FHGSA, FFSc RCPA

HPV self-collection may improve outcomes for underscreened women, but joining the mainstream HPV screening program is better

Megan Smith MPH, BE · Jie Bin Lew BSc(Bioinformatics), MPH · Kate Simms PhD · Karen Canfell DPhil

NSW Aboriginal people with colorectal cancer had lower 5-year survival rates than non-Aboriginal people

Kristie Weir BSc · Rajah Supramaniam BSc, MPH(Hons) · Alison Gibberd MStat · Anthony Dillon PhD · Bruce K Armstrong DPhil, FRACP, FAFPHM · Dianne L O'Connell BMaths(Hons), PhD

Do we equip junior specialists with the skills to conduct research throughout their careers?

Sandra L Turner MB BS(Hons), FRANZCR · Tim Shaw BSc(Hons), PhD

Interventions that improve timeliness and appropriateness of care have produced impressive results

Sue M Evans PhD, MClinEpi · Arul Earnest PhD, MSc, BSocSc(Hons) · Wendy Bower PhD, BAppSc(Physio), PgDEpiBiost · Meera Senthuren BSc(Hons) · Peta McLaughlin BApplSci · Rob Stirling BSc(Hons), MB BCh(Hons), FRACP

The challenge facing Australia is the translation of international results on lung cancer screening into sustainable, cost-effective clinical practice

Fraser Brims MD, MRCP, FRACP · Annette McWilliams MB BS, FRACP, FRCPC · Kwun Fong MB BS, PhD, FRACP

Increased treatment costs of bowel cancer are a stimulus for considerable effort in the areas of prevention and early detection

Terry D Bolin MD, FRACP, FRCP · Melvyn G Korman MB BS(Hons), PhD, FRACP · Fiona Nicholson MB BS, FRACP, PhD · Lynne Pezzullo BEc(Hons) · Jeffrey Engelman MB BS(Hons), MD, FRACP · Katherine Collings BScNutr(Hons), MScDiet · David Gilchrist Creelman BEc, BCom

A combination of multiple facial papules, spontaneous pneumothorax and a personal or family history of renal cell carcinoma should trigger consideration of BHD

Ludi Ge MB BS(Hons) · Patricia Lowe MB BS(Hon), MMed, FACD

Manual assessment of steak doneness is possible — but don’t bet your life on it

Toby I Vinycomb MB BS, BMedSc(Hons) · Amanda M-Y Tan MB BS(Hons), BMedSc(Hons) · Manu Bhatnagar MB BS · Joon Ming Wong MB BS, BEng(Civil)

May the Force be with you in the endoscopy room

Zaid SM Ardalan MB ChB · Abhinav Vasudevan MB BS · Simon Hew MB BS · Julien Schulberg MB BS, BMedSci · Steve Lontos MB BS, FRACP, MD

Palliative care not only requires access to quality services but also physicians’ willingness to have difficult conversations with patients

Jennifer Philip PhD, FAChPM, MMed · Anna Collins MHealthPsych, BSci(Psych)

Ovarian cancer shows how genetic subtyping allows similarities between cancers to guide treatment trials

Ian N Olver MB BS, MD, PhD