Topics
Cancer
The utility of genetics in inherited cancer
Population-based strategies are needed to prevent breast cancer and to complement identification and treatment
Rosalie Schultz
Predictors of variation in colorectal cancer care and outcomes in New South Wales: a population-based health data linkage study
Linking data improves monitoring of hospital performance and identification of patients at risk
Mikaela L Jorgensen BAppSc(SpPath)(Hons) · Jane M Young MB BS, PhD, FAFPHM · Timothy A Dobbins BMath, PhD · Michael J Solomon MB BCh, MSc(ClinEpi), FRACS
Survival, mortality and morbidity outcomes after oesophagogastric cancer surgery in New South Wales, 2001–2008
Relationship between hospital volume and outcomes supports the consolidation of oesophagogastric cancer surgery
Ross C Smith MB BS, MD, FRACS · Nicola Creighton MAppStats · Reginald V Lord MB BS, MD, FRACS · Neil D Merrett MB BS, FRACS · Gregory W Keogh MB BS, FRACS · Winston S Liauw MB BS, MMedSci, FRACP · David C Currow BMed, MPH, FRACP
The role of oncology nurse practitioners in current oncology practice and lessons for Australia
Adequately supervised oncology nurse practitioners may help meet the increasing need for cancer care
Samantha E Bowyer MB BCh, MRCP, FRACP · Deborah J Schofield BSpPath, GradDipCompSc, PhD
First, do no harm
Risks of radiation exposure in CT scans are considerable for children and young adults, and MRI scans are preferable
Lynton G F Giles
Lack of appropriate imaging before breast augmentation can have serious patient consequences
For women getting breast implants in Australia or overseas, preoperative screening should be routine
Kathy L Flitcroft BBSc, MA, PhD · Andrew J Spillane MD, FRACS · Rebecca L Read MB BS, DPhil, FRACS
Evaluation of the impact of National Breast Cancer Foundation-funded research
Timely study with pressure on funders to provide evidence of wider impacts of research
Claire Donovan MA, BA(Hons), DPhil · Linda Butler BEcon · Alison J Butt BSc(Hons), PhD · Teresa H Jones BSc, MSc · Stephen R Hanney PhD, MA, BSc(SocSci)
A decade of promises in personalised cancer medicine: is the honeymoon over?
Despite the promise of human genomics, very few successful treatments have emerged
Robyn L Ward MB BS(Hons), FRACP, PhD
Alcohol and cancer: the urgent need for a new message
Most people don't know alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen. Is it time to update the public health message?
Jaklin A Eliott PhD, BA(Hons) · Emma R Miller PhD, MPH
(Re)introducing medicinal cannabis
Medicinal cannabis is effective and safe, but the NSW Government remains unwilling to recognise this
Laurence E Mather PhD, FANZCA, FRCA · Evert R Rauwendaal BSW · Vivienne L Moxham-Hall BA, BSc, MHealthPol · Alex D Wodak AM, FRACP, FAChAM, FAFPHM
Australia is continuing to make progress against cancer, but the regional and remote disadvantage remains
CorrectionIncorrect footnote: In “Australia is continuing to make progress against cancer, but the regional and remote disadvantage remains” in the 4 November 2013 issue of the Journal (Med J Aust 2013; 199: 605-608), there was an error in Box 2 (page 607). There should be two separate footnotes for Box 2A and Box 2B: the footnote to Box 2A should state “Based on age- and sex-specific rates for ...
Michael D Coory MB BS, PhD, FAFPHM · Tsun Ho BE(Hons), PhD · Susan J Jordan MB BS, PhD
Take your time
Time may be a scarce commodity in our busy lives but, in so many aspects of health and wellbeing, it is a supremely important one.
Astika Kappagoda
Lung cancer: let’s try for prevention and cure
Prevention remains the best approach to lung cancer, but ensuring best practice through access to continually updated guidelines for treating patients who already have the disease will improve outcomes.
Ian N Olver MD, PhD, FRACP
Lung cancer in Victoria: are we making progress?
There is room for improvement in the management of patients with lung cancer, which remains the leading cause of death from cancer in this country. Tissue diagnosis, active treatment for all patients, postsurgical adjuvant chemotherapy and case discussion at multidisciplinary meetings would all help, as would screening those at high risk to detect cancers earlier.
Paul L R Mitchell MB ChB, FRACP, MD · Vicky J Thursfield BSc, GradDipAppStat · David L Ball MD, FRANZCR · Gary E Richardson MB BS, FRACP · Louis B Irving MB BS, FRACP, FRACGP · Yvonne Torn-Broers BA(Hons) · Graham G Giles BSc, Msc, PhD · Gavin M Wright MB BS, FRACS
Time trends in cancer incidence and mortality
Trends over the past three decades show that Australia has done vastly better in preventing cancer death than in primary prevention.
Bruce K Armstrong DPhil, FAFPHM, FAA
Prostate cancer screening
Prostatic-specific antigen screening for prostate cancer is not recommended, but how does this help reduce the death rate from prostate cancer?
Mark Faigen
Should we screen for lung cancer in Australia?
Smoking cessation measures and tobacco control are cost-effective means of reducing deaths from lung cancer, and more progress is needed before national lung cancer screening can proceed.
Henry M Marshall · Kwun M Fong · Rayleen V Bowman
Should we screen for lung cancer in Australia?
To the Editor: The United States National Lung Screening Trial demonstrated a 20% reduction in lung cancer deaths among smokers screened with three low-radiation-dose computed tomography scans at yearly intervals. Hew and colleagues recently outlined the challenges in implementing such a screening program in Australia.1 However, the potential for saving lives is enormous. Currently only 14.1% of lung cancer patients survive 5 years — a marginal improvement ...
Paul L R Mitchell · Thomas John
Should we screen for lung cancer in Australia?
In reply: We welcome the opportunity to respond to correspondence from Marshall and colleagues and Mitchell and colleagues about the impact of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST)1 on three distinct issues: (i) current medical practice; (ii) developing public health policy; and (iii) implementation of future screening. Current medical practice: We do not currently recommend community screening. In the absence of resourced, educated, and coordinated referral ...
Mark Hew · Robert G Stirling · Michael J Abramson
Australia is continuing to make progress against cancer, but the regional and remote disadvantage remains
A comparison of mortality rates in regional and remote areas with those in metropolitan areas from 2001 to 2010 found 8878 excess cancer deaths; no improvement in age-standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) in men, and an increase in SMRs in women; and a slower decrease in the age-standardised cancer death rate in regional and remote areas, compared with metropolitan areas.
Michael D Coory MB BS, PhD, FAFPHM · Tsun Ho BE(Hons), PhD · Susan J Jordan MB BS, PhD
Nature and outcomes of the increased incidence of colorectal malignancy after liver transplantation in Australasia
Objectives: To examine whether incidence of colorectal malignancy is increased in Australasian liver transplant recipients compared with the general population of Australia, and to assess the characteristics and outcomes of colorectal malignancy in this patient group.Design, setting and patients: Data on patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) and had a diagnosis of de-novo colorectal malignancy after transplantation during the period ...
Deborah J Verran MB ChB, FRACS · Marie H Mulhearn BAppSc (Nursing), GradDipHPEd · Pamela J Dilworth RN · Glenda A Balderson BSc · Stephen Munn MB ChB, FRACs · John W Chen MB BS, FRACS, PhD · Michael A Fink MB BS, FRACS · Michael D Crawford MB BS, FRACS, MMed · Geoffrey W McCaughan MB BS, PhD, FRACP
Can you tell a siren from a tocsin?
A personal battle between objectivity and emotion complicates decisions about our own health care.
John Best AO, MD BS, PhD, DSc(Hon)
Depression and cancer
Summary Depression in patients with cancer can present a challenging clinical problem for both general practitioners and the oncology team. Detecting depression in a patient with cancer, who may be debilitated and in pain, can be difficult. Cancer treatments can complicate antidepressant choices. Community-based psychologists are an important resource for helping manage less complex and less severe psychological problems that can ...
Jeremy W Couper MB BS, MMed, FRANZCP · Annabel C Pollard PhD, MA(Psych), GradDipApplPsych · Dianne A Clifton MB BS, MPM, FRANZCP
The economic evaluation of personalised oncology medicines: ethical challenges
Does the current evidence-based medicine model for assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of personalised therapies need revision?
Jan R R Lewis BPharm(Hons) · Wendy L Lipworth MB BS, MSc, PhD · Ian H Kerridge MPhil, FRACP, FRCPA · Richard O Day MD, FRACP
Cost savings from a telemedicine model of care in northern Queensland, Australia
Objective: To conduct a cost analysis of a telemedicine model for cancer care (teleoncology) in northern Queensland, Australia, compared with the usual model of care from the perspective of the Townsville and other participating hospital and health services.Design: Retrospective cost–savings analysis; and a one-way sensitivity analysis performed to test the robustness of findings in net savings.Participants and setting: Records of ...
Darshit A Thaker MB BS, FRACP, ClinDipPallMed · Richard Monypenny BIngAgr, PhD · Ian Olver MD, PhD · Sabe Sabesan BM BS, FRACP