Victorians in regional and rural communities will now have access to two life-changing allied health cancer trials that will help improve the quality of life for people with cancer.
Health outcomes are too often affected by where a person lives. People living in regional Victoria are 10 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 15 per cent more likely to die from cancer than those living in major cities.
Addressing these disparities in health outcomes is one of the goals of Catherine Williams, who is the recipient of a Cancer Council Cancer Trials Management Scheme competitive grant. Supported by the Victorian Government through the Department of Health, this grant has enabled the development of the first regional Allied Health Clinical Trials Unit specialising in cancer supportive care and survivorship.
“This grant gave us the opportunity to investigate our potential to not only support change in survival statistics, but also to empower people with cancer to seek out the best quality of life possible, wherever they are in their cancer experience,” said Catherine.
Based at Barwon Health’s Adrian Costa Clinical Trials Centre in Geelong, this important project is building an environment in which Victorians in regional and rural communities can access innovative, allied health-led trials to improve their cancer experience and health outcomes.
Catherine and her team have commenced two cancer trials in collaboration with other health centres. The first trial is monitoring the exercise patterns of people diagnosed with multiple myeloma who are undergoing prehabilitation in preparation for a stem cell transplant.
“This trial involves the use of heart rate monitors, and a unique digital platform designed by the team at the Institute of Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University. This allows physiotherapists and exercise physiologists working in the Oncology Rehabilitation team to closely monitor a person’s heart rate while they are exercising, whether they are in the clinical setting or at home, in real-time,” continued Catherine.
Catherine Williams, grant recipient.
The second trial explores the impact of different exercise programs using a new device for the prevention of a condition known as trismus, which causes eating, breathing, and speaking issues that can become a chronic, life-long condition for people with head and neck cancer.
“This trial is part of a group of trials coming out of Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. They are investigating the impact of timing and types of exercises, as well as the use of a new device designed by their team, on the emergence and the management of trismus once it has been diagnosed,” Catherine added.
Allied Health practitioners are specialised in preventing, diagnosing and treating a range of conditions. Physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, psychologists, dieticians, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, audiologists, podiatrists and social workers all play a critical role in supporting people with cancer at every stage of their cancer journey.
“I have seen the positive impact that well-timed, specialised programs provided by allied health professionals can have on people living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis," said Catherine.
“Allied health plays a key role in the diagnosis and supportive care of the physical, emotional, psychological and day-to-day practical impacts of cancer and its treatments, both in the immediate and longer term.”
By building capacity to deliver cancer trials at Barwon Health, Catherine and her team hope to ensure that everyone has equal access to the care they need, regardless of where they live.
This project has already made great progress towards this goal by establishing the infrastructure and educational resources to support allied health trials.
Cancer Council Victoria’s Head of Research Governance and Business Operations, Amy Shelly said, “We are committed to improving awareness and access to cancer trials for all Victorians and diversifying cancer research.
“Thanks to the health professionals and community members that have conducted or participated in clinical trials, as well as the funders of this research, we can continue to achieve major improvements in overall survival and quality of life for people affected by cancer.”
With more people diagnosed with cancer and living with or beyond cancer than ever before, cancer care and survivorship have never been more important. Together, we are not only treating cancer but treating the person with cancer.
Clinical trials lead to cancer breakthroughs
The Victorian Cancer Trials Link connects people affected by cancer and their clinicians with information about current cancer clinical trials in Victoria, Australia. It has a range of information and resources to help you understand how clinical trials work and allows you to easily search for current trials to discuss with your doctor.
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