Precision in Setting Cancer Prevention Priorities: Synthesis of Data, Literature, and Expert Opinion.

Cancer will continue to be a leading cause of ill health and death unless we can capitalize on the potential for 30-40% of these cancers to be prevented. In this light, cancer prevention represents an enormous opportunity for public health, potentially saving much of the pain, anguish, and cost associated with treating cancer. However, there is a challenge for governments, and the wider community, in prioritizing cancer prevention activities, especially given increasing financial constraints.

Clinical Oncology Society of Australia position statement on the use of complementary and alternative medicine by cancer patients.

Health professionals involved in the clinical management of cancer are becoming increasingly aware that their patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). As cancer incidence and survival rates increase, use of CAM is also likely to increase. This paper outlines the position of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) on the use of CAM by cancer patients and provides guidance for health professionals involved with the treatment of cancer patients who are using or wish to use CAM.

Population-based screening for Lynch syndrome in Western Australia.

We showed earlier that routine screening for microsatellite instability (MSI) and loss of mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) led to the identification of previously unrecognized cases of Lynch syndrome (LS). We report here the results of screening for LS in Western Australia (WA) during 1994-2012. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for loss of MMR protein expression was performed in routine pathology laboratories, while MSI was detected in a reference molecular pathology laboratory.

Nausea still the poor relation in antiemetic therapy? The impact on cancer patients' quality of life and psychological adjustment of nausea, vomiting and appetite loss, individually and concurrently as part of a symptom cluster.

Purpose: Despite significant antiemetic advances, almost 50% of treated cancer patients still experience nausea and vomiting (N&V). The goal of antiemetic therapy--complete prevention of treatment-induced nausea and/or vomiting (TIN+/-V)--remains elusive for several reasons. Potentially, N&V may be part of a symptom cluster where co-occurring symptoms negatively affect antiemetic management.

Unmet psychological and practical needs of patients with cancer in rural and remote areas of Western Australia.

Introduction: The financial and psychological impacts of cancer treatment on patients can be severe. Practical issues, such as childcare, medical supplies and obtaining 'home help' can impose financial strain on patients and their families, and this is often exacerbated by a simultaneous loss of income if a patient is unable to continue employment during treatment, or if family members become full-time carers. These financial difficulties are often more severe for patients from rural regions because cancer services tend to be concentrated in metropolitan areas, requiring rural patients to relocate or undertake lengthy, frequent commutes to access treatment.

Risk factors at pretreatment predicting treatment-induced nausea and vomiting in Australian cancer patients: a prospective, longitudinal, observational study.

Purpose: Despite significant advances in antiemetic management, almost 50% of cancer patients still experience nausea and vomiting during treatment. The goal of antiemetic therapy is complete prevention of treatment-induced nausea and/or vomiting (TINV); however, realisation of this goal remains elusive, thus supplementary strategies identifying patients at high risk must be employed in the interim. Consequently, we examined TINV incidence and its risk factors, including patient, clinical and pretreatment quality of life (QOL)/psychological factors.

Evaluating the usefulness of self-reported risk factors in a skin cancer screening program.

The objective of this study was to describe the risk factor profile of skin cancer screening participants and to determine whether there is an association between the number of skin cancer/melanoma risk factors and the likelihood of diagnosis of a malignant melanoma. Seventy skin cancer screening clinics were held by the Lions Cancer Institute in predominantly rural areas of Western Australia between 1996 and 2003. Participants were self-selected and voluntary, responding to an advertisement seeking people at 'high-risk' of melanoma.

Validity of melanoma diagnosis in a community-based screening program.

Although screening for melanoma is intuitively attractive, evidence of the effectiveness of screening programs for skin cancer is lacking. Since 1990, the Lions Cancer Institute has conducted clinics in Western Australia in which volunteer plastic surgeons and dermatologists undertake full-body skin screens. Advertisements for attendees target people with risk factors for skin cancer.

Who attends skin cancer screening in Western Australia? Results from the Lions Cancer Institute Skin Cancer Screening Program.

Objective: To examine the characteristics of persons attending a skin cancer screening clinic in Western Australia and compare the effectiveness of screening in different socio-demographic subgroups.

Methods: Questionnaires were completed by 5,950 self-selected participants who voluntarily attended the Western Australian Lions Cancer Institute's targeted skin cancer screening clinics during the period 1996-2003. A risk assessment technique was used to identify individuals at high risk of developing melanoma.

Collection of population-based cancer staging information in Western Australia--a feasibility study.

Background: Routine data from cancer registries often lack information on stage of cancer, limiting their use. This study aimed to determine whether or not it is feasible to add cancer staging data to the routine data collections of a population-based Western Australian Cancer Registry (WACR).

Methods: For each of the five most common cancer types (prostate, colorectal, melanoma, breast and lung cancers), 60 cases were selected for staging.