In November, the VCCC will host the 5th Victorian Psycho-oncology Conference in Melbourne, bringing together the latest developments in psycho-oncology; understanding the psychological, emotional, social, and behavioural impacts of cancer.
Psychological challenges following a cancer diagnosis are at least as profound as the medical challenges, but the majority of financial and health professional resources are directed to the latter. Psychological challenges may also persist after treatment, highlighting the importance of providing psycho-oncology and supportive care services from the moment of diagnosis through all phases of survivorship.
The timely provision of services to assist patients and families deal with their emotional, psychological, spiritual and informational needs are key to improving perceived well-being and quality of life among survivors and their carers.
Professor Carlene Wilson, conference convenor and inaugural Professor of Psycho-oncology, a position jointly funded by the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre (Austin Health) and La Trobe University, says her interest in in the field stems from an involvement in cancer prevention early in her career, where she came to appreciate the importance of attitude and perceptions in influencing the behaviours implicated in cancer occurrence.
“The conference theme, Advancing Comprehensive Cancer Care, highlights the three key challenges faced by professionals working in this space”, says Professor Wilson.
“First, we seek to advance understanding that a cancer diagnosis has broader impacts than the physical, and that these need to be addressed in a comprehensive manner if holistic, patient-centred care is to be achieved.
“The theme also highlights the fact that supporting better patient outcomes across all domains requires a multi-disciplinary approach, where health professionals gain an appreciation that challenges in one area, such as struggling with symptoms, may affect patients in other areas like adhering to medication. The carer role also needs to be considered.
“Lastly, the theme represents a call-to-action. We need to provide patients access to a system that supports better outcomes across all domains. Professionals in the field and consumers are key advocates for improved, comprehensive services.
“One of the positive developments I am seeing now is the growing realisation that understanding patient-reported experiences and outcomes is critical to developing patient-centred strategies for optimising the journey following cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. This is highlighted by improved patient-reported data systems being implemented in the leading comprehensive cancer centres worldwide,” says Professor Wilson.
“I am hopeful that this conference will allow people from diverse clinical, disciplinary and experiential backgrounds to come together and share lessons learned about holistic patient support. We’re also keen to motivate early career researchers to join or expand activity in this area because the achievement of true change will require sustained effort for some years to come.”
Registrations are now open for the 5th Victorian Psycho-oncology Conference, Friday 8 November. Read more and register
