PICS Pulse newsletter | ISSUE 50 | June 2026

We welcome Cancer Australia’s launch of the national Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult (CAYA) Cancer Roadmap, and the new Australian Cancer Research Program that will include a focus on research targeting childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancers.

The Roadmap includes three pillars – Research & clinical trials, Access to emerging technologies & therapies, and Supportive care.

A key component of the CAYA Cancer Roadmap, we also welcome the official announcement of the development of the first national Optimal Care Pathway (OCP) for children with cancer.

Partnering with ANZCHOG and their nationwide paediatric oncology expert network, we are very excited to be once again bringing our sector experience and expertise in writing OCPs. We’re also grateful to Cancer Australia and Children’s Cancer CoLab for investing in and supporting the development of this new pathway.

We were very privileged to be a part of a Paediatric and AYA Cancer National PROMs (Patient Reported Outcome Measures) Roundtable earlier this month, joining 38 experts from across Australia.

The voices of those with lived experience were central to the day, which – with a willingness to learn from each other – led to a critical shift in discussions beyond which questions to ask patients and families, to how we act on the needs of families and implement services that support them in a meaningful and equitable way.

We have had two posters accepted for the coming ANZCHOG conference on 5-7 August in Newcastle, NSW:

• Launch of the Victorian Childhood Cancer Outcomes Registry.
• Guidance for procedural support for children undergoing radiation therapy in Victoria.

Will we see you there?

We extend warm congratulations - and a welcome back - to Professor David Ashley as he begins his tenure as the new CEO of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance (VCCC Alliance).

A paediatric and adult neuro-oncologist, Prof. Ashley was the first PICS Clinical Director and was instrumental in establishing PICS as the service improvement network for children’s cancer in Victoria. 

From the Raising Children Network, this collection of Parent mental health and wellbeing resources brings together articles, videos, and guides from across the RCN website.

This month’s spotlighted PICS resource is a personal story from one of our hundreds of Regional Outreach and Shared Care Program (ROSCP) families. 

In this short video, mother Melissa shares her and daughter Pippa’s experience accessing care closer to home in Warrnambool via the ROSCP, as part of Pippa’s treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Melissa mentions the impact of both traveling to Melbourne for treatment, and being able to access care locally.