VCOG Annual Symposium

 

VCOG 2011 Symposium: ‘Drivers that improve cancer outcomes' 22 September 2011

Presented by Professor Jim Bishop AO
Facilitated by Ms Jane Fenton AM

 

Close to 100 VCOG members gathered at the State Library of Victoria on the evening of 22 September to hear Professor Jim Bishop AO, Executive Director of VCCC, present on 'Drivers that improve cancer outcomes'. This was VCOG's second annual Symposium, held in appreciation of members' ongoing contribution to VCOG and Cancer Council Victoria.

The evening began with a short speech by Cancer Council Victoria CEO, Mr Todd Harper. Todd highlighted some of the areas that VCOG members had collaborated with Cancer Council and thanked members for their time, expertise and commitment to VCOG over the years. 

Jane Fenton AM, founder of Fenton Communications and Chair of VicHealth facilitated the evening. Jane ran the question and answer time in a slightly unconventional way, prompting members to talk in groups to discuss three key areas that Jim spoke about;

1. Possible drivers to reduce cancer death rates
2. Public health drivers
3. Provocative questions in cancer research

The results made for some interesting dialogue. Discussion broadly covered thoughts around screening and under-screened groups, supportive care, access to data, health workforce investment, diagnostic and staging technologies and standardising care.

Other thoughts from the night include:

"However good our treatments are, we need to have a better understanding of what impacts on people accessing services and treatment."

"Identify where really practical solutions can be implemented relatively easily e.g. transparent costs for regional families."

"The future is targeted intervention - and putting resources wherever social drivers are greater influenced".

"How do we translate the considerable body of scientific evidence for the importance of addressing psychological, social and spiritual duties for cancer outcomes into clinical practice?"

Gary Richardson, Director of the Cabrini Academic Haematology & Oncology Service and member of the Executive Committee, has summarised the highlights of Jim's presentation below:

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Cancer is now the largest contributor to the burden of disease in Australia. This is due to a number of factors, including increasing incidence and longer survival in patients diagnosed with cancer. The latter relates to better cancer screening and more effective cancer treatments. It also is due to significant reduction in mortality from cardiovascular disease, which has reduced by more than 50% since 1970, whereas cancer mortality has remained stable over the same period.

It is predicted by the Cancer Institute of NSW that by 2036, there will be more than 60,000 new cases of cancer per year, and 20,000 deaths from cancer. The greatest increase will be in prostate cancer, followed by colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma. Lung and colorectal cancer will dominate mortality over the same period. Cancer will become the major cause of health expenditure increase over the same period.

On the international stage, Australia fares well with mortality: incidence ratio, being one of the lowest. Projections suggest this will continue to improve. This is partly due to the high incidence of melanoma in Australia, but not entirely. Other possible drivers for reduction in death rates from cancer include public health measures in smoking reduction, screening for breast, cervix, and bowel cancer, and improved health literacy; adjuvant treatment for breast, lung and bowel cancer; new anti-cancer drugs and symptom control drugs; translation of key cancer research findings into practice; and greater usage of cancer registries and data linkage for outcome analysis.

The major modifiable risk factors for cancer include tobacco exposure, obesity, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, poor diet, and excessive exposure to sunlight and air pollution. At present, significant inroads have been made with tobacco and excessive sunlight exposure. From 2007 to 2010, the incidence of smoking in adults fell from 16.5% to 14.9%. The National Preventative Health Taskforce has released 'Taking Preventative Action'. The report targets obesity, tobacco and the excessive consumption of alcohol as the key modifiable risk factors driving around 30% of the burden of disease in Australia. The report seeks, by 2020, to halt and reverse the rise in overweight and obesity; reduce the prevalence of daily smoking from 16.6% to 10% or less; reduce the proportion of Australians who drink at levels which place them at short-term harm from 20% to 14% and the proportion at longer term harm from 10% to 7%.

Despite the National Initiative, there are still important questions to answer. What interventions work in obesity, physical exercise and alcohol? Are there scientific solutions? Why is the bowel cancer rate so high in Australia? What is the impact of the social determinants of health? Professor Bishop urges us to continue to improve evidence-based multidisciplinary care, integrate research, teaching and training into patent care, rapidly take up new research evidence, and identify critical questions for clinical trials. Moving forward, our greatest challenges are optimising generation and use of new evidence, developing methods for earlier interventions, and deeper impact on cancer with poor outcomes.

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Professor Jim Bishop AO

Executive Director of VCCC and Professor of Cancer Medicine University of Melbourne

Professor Jim Bishop was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute USA 1979-1981. This resulted is his award of Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2008 for service to medicine, particularly in the field of cancer treatment and research. Before his recent appointment as Executive Director of the VCCC, Professor Bishop was Chief Medical Officer for the Australian Government and principal medical adviser to the Minister and the Department of Health and Ageing.

 

 

Ms Jane Fenton AM

Founder of Fenton Communications

Jane Fenton AM, LLB(Hons), FPRIA, MAICD is the founder of Fenton Communications, a specialist marketing and public relations consultancy that works in the health, social justice, education and sustainability sectors.

Jane is the Chair of VicHealth, was a Board Member of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and is a Life Governor of Very Special Kids. She is a past Victorian Telstra Business Woman of the Year, Business Owner and Manager.

Jane received an Order of Australia Medal (AM) on Australia Day 2004 for service to the community, particularly through support for a range of health, medical research, youth and women's groups. She is a sought after speaker and facilitator.

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