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Dear colleague,
Welcome to the March edition of CancerMatters
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2022.We have webinar education sessions coming up in April, May and July displayed in the calendar of events. In this edition we showcase one of the Cancer Council WA funded research projects, as well as a summary of the WA Cancer & Palliative Care Network Fellowship Presentations evening. The launch of Health professional resources for smoking cessation is now available online. We highlight some exciting news from Fiona Stanley Hospital; the implementation of a “one-stop” treatment clinic for patients with advanced thyroid cancer and other rare endocrine malignancies.
COVID-19 update
WACOG's education events continue to be delivered virtually to support all oncology health professionals to remain safe and to reduce potential exposure to COVID-19. Thank you for your continued engagement with our WACOG event webinars during this challenging time.
WACOG - Cancer Council WA
UPCOMING EVENTS
WACOG scheduled events for 2022 include:
- Thursday 31 March: Virtual Radiation Oncology "Year in review", register here
- Thursday 28 April: Virtual WACE Meeting: Liver Metastases, register here
- Thursday 5 May: Nutrition and Cancer- Allied Health Professional webinar, register here
- Thursday 19 May: Virtual WACE Meeting, registration details to come
- Wednesday 20 July: Virtual Survivorship Collaborative Education Meeting, registration details to come
Registrations are essential and invitations will be sent prior to the meeting.
SPOTLIGHT ON CANCER RESEARCH
Dr Raelene Endersby awarded Cancer Council WA Research Fellowship
Telethon Kids Institute Cancer Centre researcher, Dr Raelene Endersby, will work to develop less toxic treatments for children with brain cancer, thanks to support from a Cancer Council WA Research Fellowship.
New endocrine malignancies service at Fiona Stanley Hospital
Thyroid cancer is an uncommon cancer with an estimated incident rate of 2.5% of all new cancers in Australia. Treatment for thyroid cancer typically includes surgery and often radioactive iodine, to which some patients don’t respond. These patients require input across multiple specialists, and care can often be fragmented as a result.
At Fiona Stanley Hospital, a new endocrine malignancies service, led by Dr Bella Nguyen (Medical Oncologist), Dr Richard Gauci (Nuclear Medicine Physician/Endocrinologist), and Jo Keyser (Rare Cancer Nurse Coordinator from the WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network) provides a “one-stop” clinic for patients with advanced thyroid cancer and other rare endocrine malignancies. Dr Gauci and Dr Nguyen are leading experts and can provide recent evidence-based care while Jo Keyser supports such patients through their cancer journey.
The cross-specialty service is unique to Western Australia and aims to streamline the patient journey by providing multiple specialty reviews with each visit. We hope to improve patient satisfaction by allowing for continuity of care from Endocrinology and Nuclear Medicine when involving Oncology, as patient dissatisfaction or abandonment can occur when transitioning from one clinic to Oncology with advancement of cancer. The clinic provides a platform to collaborate on innovative treatment options combining Oncological treatments with Nuclear Medicine therapies.
Referrals can be sent via the Central Referral Service to the Endocrine Malignancies Clinic at Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Important update regarding the WA Cancer Clinical Trials Registry
The WA Cancer Clinical Trial Registry (WACCTR) was established by Cancer Council WA and the Western Australian Clinical Oncology Group (WACOG) as part of our commitment to improving clinical trials in WA.
The cancer clinical trials landscape is evolving and growing exponentially and there is a need to provide prompt accurate information about clinical trials for all stakeholders.
The provision of the WACCTR has been an output of WACOG for many years, however given the limitations of this registry in terms of technology and accuracy, WACOG and the Department of Health, WA Cancer & Palliative Care Network has agreed that WACOG close the registry. As such, the registry was updated for the last time in December, 2021. The registry will remain online until March 31st, 2022, when it will close permanently.
WACOG will continue to support cancer clinical trials in WA by raising awareness for consumers, providing networking opportunities for health professionals, and advocating for funding and support for the cancer clinical trials registry the Western Australian cancer community needs.
Please refer to the WACOG webpage for useful clinical trials links.
WA Cancer & Palliative Care Network annual fellowship presentations
On March 17 2022, all of the five WA Cancer & Palliative Care Network 2021 Fellowship recipients presented their research projects at the monthly WACOG WA Cancer Education (WACE) series. The Fellowships assist medical practitioners to develop their experience, skills and research capability that will ultimately lead to improved health outcomes for cancer patients. Funding for 12 months' salary is provided under two streams: training or research.
Allied health professionals are now eligible to apply for the WACOG Conference Grants
These grants are offered to assist health professionals working in oncology or haematology with the registration and travel costs for interstate or international conferences. Please see the guidelines and application details below.
Quit Centre for health professionals now live
The Quit Centre is a new evidence-based online portal developed to assist health professionals in supporting their patients’ smoking and vaping cessation, using best practice smoking and vaping cessation care. The Quit Centre has been funded by the Australian Government and is the first comprehensive training and resource centre for smoking and vaping cessation in Australia. It includes:
- Accredited online training
- Access to evidence-based clinical tools and guidelines for providing smoking and vaping cessation
- Professional development opportunities, education and events
- Latest news and research
- Quitline referral, submit a referral to Quitline for individualised patient support.
For more information, and to access training and resources visit the website below. If you would like to receive the Quit Centre Quarterly newsletter including research updates, information on clinical tools and education opportunities, sign up now.
Newsletter of the Western Australian
Clinical Oncology Group
