Cancer Archives | Page 6 of 7 | South Western Sydney PHN

16 May 2022

Cancer Institute NSW has provided the following updates:

Primary care updates

Select the focus area you are interested in: Primary care updates

World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day is on Tuesday, 31 May. This year’s theme is Tobacco: threat to our environment. Throughout its lifecycle, tobacco pollutes the planet and damages the health of all people.

Harm and addiction caused by vaping

A systematic review of international evidence has found vaping increases the risk of multiple adverse health outcomes, including addiction, lung injury, poisoning and burns. NSW Health has developed a vaping resource toolkit to support conversations about vaping with parents, carers and young people.

NSW Cancer Plan 2022-2027 launched

Cancer outcomes in NSW are amongst the best in the world, but sadly one in two people in NSW will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. The NSW Cancer Plan provides a whole-of-sector perspective on cancer control. It describes how everyone will work together to deliver better outcomes. Importantly, it is a roadmap for how the health system, healthcare professionals, organisations and the whole community can deliver the best cancer care across NSW

Read about the NSW Cancer Plan

Integration of the National Cancer Screening Register with GP practice software

The National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) is now integrated with Best Practice and Medical Director. It will also be integrated with Communicare in the coming months. Healthcare providers who integrate their Clinical Information System with the NCSR have better access to screening histories for their patients and can interact with the NCSR directly.

Learn more about how to integrate the NCSR with GP Practice Software

International Clinical Trials Day

International Clinical Trials Day is 20 May and presents as an opportunity to recognise the important role GPs play in raising awareness of cancer clinical trials. Participation in clinical trials can provide many benefits, including the potential for earlier access to promising interventions that are not yet widely available.

Learn more about Recruiting to cancer clinical trials in NSW and the search tool to identify cancer clinical trials, hospitals and contacts for clinical trials.

25 February 2022

Steptember has always been such a success at SWSPHN, we thought we’d expand our list of physical challenges by participating in this year’s March Charge!

Like Steptember, the March Charge motivates participants to get active while raising money for a really important cause – cancer research.

Fourteen SWSPHN staff have already signed up to the challenge.

What is the March Charge?

It’s a fun 31-day (1 to 31 March) fitness challenge which raises funds to help ‘charge ahead’ with cancer research. It’s also a perfect opportunity to get away from our screens, get active and improve our overall health and wellbeing.

You set yourself a steps goal and fundraising goal and walk or run your way towards that goal.

How does it work?

Choose to “charge” solo or get your friends, family, or colleagues together and do it as a team – it’s up to you.

Just by walking or running and raising funds, you’ll be helping the Cancer Council “charge” ahead with cancer research.

Visit the Cancer Council website to find out more about how your fundraising will help.

READY, SET … register as an individual or team and let’s MARCH!

25 February 2022

The BreastScreen NSW service is open and is working to minimise delays for women who are due for their two-yearly mammogram.

Please note:

Clients will be contacted if there is any change to their appointment.
Online bookings are currently open for clients who have been contacted by BreastScreen NSW and issued a booking code.
BreastScreen NSW is open for clients who have been screened and are asked to return for additional tests to make a definitive diagnosis.
Information is available on BreastScreen NSW’s website and Facebook page.
BreastScreen NSW recommends clients who develop breast symptoms contact their doctor or health worker without delay.
BreastScreen NSW has implemented a range of COVID-19 safe measures at its clinics and mobile screening vans, to protect women, staff and the wider community.

Please contact BreastScreen NSW on 13 20 50 if you have any questions.

28 January 2022

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and curable of all cancers. Having a cervical screening test every five years can reduce the risk of being diagnosed with cervical cancer by up to 96 per cent yet only 50.9 per cent of eligible women in South Western Sydney are screened regularly.

Every year about 800 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 250 women die
80 per cent of these women have either never been screened or have had irregular screening

National Cervical Screening Program

The National Cervical Screening Program reduces illness and death from cervical cancer. Women aged 25 to 74 years of age are invited to have a cervical screening test every five years.

Find more information about the National Cervical Cancer Screening Program on the Department of Health website.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation service

Vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect you from HPV. The HPV vaccine is often called the ‘cervical cancer vaccine’.

Who is the HPV vaccine recommended for?

people aged approximately 12 to 13 years (at school), for free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP)
men who have sex with men, if they have not already had a full course of HPV vaccine
people over nine years old who have weakened immune systems

High school program

HPV vaccinations are offered to Year 7 students through a school-based program run across South Western Sydney.

Useful resources

NSW School Vaccination Program 2021

Cervical Screening NSW

Family Planning NSW

Human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation service

28 January 2022

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer affecting women with one in eight women in NSW developing breast cancer in their lifetime.

The best time to treat breast cancer is when it is still small.

This is why breast screening is so important, yet only 46.3 per cent of eligible women in South Western Sydney are participating in regular screening. Having regular mammograms is the best way to find breast cancer early, when treatment is likely to be most successful.

BreastScreen NSW

BreastScreen NSW is a free breast screening service for women aged over 40. The program targets women aged 50 to 74 years, encouraging them to have a screening mammogram every two years. Women aged 40 to 49 and those above 75 are also welcome to have a free mammogram.

BreastScreen NSW provides mammograms at various fixed and mobile locations across South Western Sydney.

Mobile BreastScreen NSW clinics in South Western Sydney in 2021

Download the 2021 BreastScreen NSW mobile schedule for South Western Sydney

Breastscreen NSW fixed locations in South Western Sydney

Bankstown: Ground floor, Civic Tower Building, corner Rickard Road and Jacobs Street, Bankstown
Liverpool (screening): Unit 5, 157-161 George Street, Liverpool
Liverpool (screening and assessment): 102 Bigge Street, Liverpool
Campbelltown: Ground floor, Units 3-5, Mawson Centre, 4 Browne Street, Campbelltown
Bowral: Bowral Street Specialist Centre, Suite 4, 70-72 Bowral Street, Bowral

Making a booking

To make an appointment call 13 20 50 or for the free telephone interpreter service, call 13 14 50.

Online bookings are available via the BreastScreen NSW website.

Women are also welcome to visit the mobile van or fixed locations to book an appointment and there are also walk-in appointment slots available. Please note these spots are limited. All staff members at the van are female.

Useful resources

BreastScreen NSW

Cancer Institute NSW

BreastScreen NSW GP resources

28 January 2022

In Australia about 90 men and women die each week from bowel cancer. Australia has one of the highest incidences of bowel cancer in the world.

Bowel cancer has the second highest mortality rate of all cancers in NSW after lung cancer yet only 34.3 per cent of South Western Sydney residents participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

Early detection and treatment of bowel cancer significantly improves survival rates which is why bowel cancer screening is recommended every two years for men and women aged 50 years and over.

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program

The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is an Australian Government initiative which aims to help detect bowel cancer early and reduce the number of deaths from the disease. All eligible Australians between the ages of 50 and 74 are invited to do the screening test every two years.

If you are aged between 50 and 74, you will get a home test kit in the mail with instructions on how to do the test.

The results are sent to you and your doctor within two weeks. The results will also be sent to My Health Record (unless you ticked the box on your participant details form to tell us you don’t want this to happen or you have opted out of My Health Record) and the National Cancer Screening Register.

Find more information about the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program on the Department of Health website.

Useful resources

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program

Bowel Cancer Australia

Department of Health – Cancer screening programs

National Cancer Screening Register

22 November 2021

BreastScreen NSW (South Western Sydney) has resumed screening at its permanent screening centres at Bankstown, Bowral, Campbelltown and Liverpool.

The mobile clinic at Cabramatta is also open until 11 February 2022, from 8.45am to 4pm weekdays. Vietnamese, Cantonese and Mandarin-speaking staff are available to provide assistance.

Selected Saturdays will commence at various screening clinics in 2022.

Vaccinations

It is now mandatory for all NSW Health staff will be vaccinated.

In line with advice from NSW Health, BreastScreen NSW strongly encourages women to be vaccinated against COVID-19, ideally before attending their breast screen appointment.

Safety measures

BreastScreen NSW has in place measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, these include:

Precautionary questions around health and travel
Limiting the number of people in the clinic
Practicing social distancing in clinic waiting rooms
A minimal contact check-in process
The use of personal protective equipment
Cleaning of equipment and commonly used services

Appointments

BreastScreen NSW is prioritising clients who had their appointments cancelled during the recent suspension. Clients are asked to wait to be reinvited by BreastScreen NSW before calling 13 20 50 for an appointment.

BreastScreen NSW recommends clients who develop breast symptoms contact their doctor or health worker without delay.

For the most up to date information, visit the BreastScreen NSW website.

15 October 2021

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October provides a timely reminder for us all to focus on breast cancer and its impacts.

Take the time this month to find out what you need to know about breast awareness and share this important information with your family, friends and colleagues.

Finding breast cancer early provides the best chance of surviving the disease. You don’t need to be an expert or use a special technique to check your breasts.

Here are some webpages you might find handy:

Breast cancer risk factors

Early detection of breast cancer

Symptoms and diagnosis of breast cancer

Breast cancer treatment

Cancer Australia

Breast Cancer Network Australia

BreastScreen Australia program

Breast cancer in Australia statistics

23 April 2021

Being diagnosed with lung cancer and navigating the complexities of the health system can be stressful, confusing and overwhelming for patients and their families.

Lung Foundation Australia’s free Lung Cancer Support Nurse telephone service aims to bridge the gap in lung cancer care and provide an additional layer of support to the care provided by health professionals.

The national service provides patients with evidence-based resources, tools and information to help them navigate their diagnosis and treatment, and manage symptoms, side effects and their overall wellbeing.

Through a series of telephone-based appointments, the service empowers patients, families and carers to navigate the system and work with their healthcare team to make informed choices about treatment and management.
Find out more about this service

19 October 2020

SWSPHN has again urged our community ‘don’t neglect your health’ following the release of a new report which shows the number of cancer screening tests performed as part of national population screening programs declined during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report, Cancer screening and COVID-19 in Australia, brings together data for the period of January to June 2020 on the three national cancer screening programs – BreastScreen Australia, the National Cervical Screening Program and the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

See below for more on the Cancer screening and COVID-19 in Australia report

In July, SWSPHN partnered with the South Western Sydney Local Health District, local GPs and emergency department doctors for the Don’t Neglect Your Health campaign video series, urging the community not to let their regular health take a backseat during COVID-19.

Local doctors reassured our community it was safe have regular check-ups, have blood tests and fill prescriptions for chronic conditions, get flu vaccinations and book cancer screenings during the pandemic.

They warned neglecting your regular health or chronic conditions now could lead to serious health issues and worsening chronic conditions down the track.

Watch our videos

SWSPHN Chief Executive Officer, Dr Keith McDonald PhD, has renewed those calls, emphasising the importance of managing your general health.

Dr McDonald said the AIHW report had highlighted the significant impact COVID-19 had had on breast screening rates, especially during the early months of the pandemic. He said the long-term consequences of delayed screening during the pandemic would not be known for some time.

“Screening for cancer is vital – early detection can increase your chances of successful treatment and survival.

“In terms of managing your general health, your local doctor’s surgery is one of the safest places you can visit. GPs know the importance of infection control and every GP is taking steps to keep you, and every patient, safe,” Dr McDonald.

“During the pandemic and beyond, it’s important to maintain routine check-ups – don’t let little things turn into big things. Don’t put off filling your prescriptions or seeing the GP for a repeat for your prescription. Ensure you keep your vaccinations up-to-date and keep up with any screening or tests recommended by your GP.

“Please, don’t neglect your health.”

According to the AIHW report:

BreastScreen Australia

In April about 1,100 screening mammograms were performed compared with 74,000 in April 2018. Overall, there were about 145,000 fewer screening mammograms conducted by BreastScreen Australia in January to June 2020 compared with January to June 2018.

National Cervical Screening Program

The number of cervical screening tests was expected to drop in 2020 due to the National Cervical Screening Program changing from two-yearly to five-yearly screening so it is difficult to know the impact of the pandemic on the screening rate.

However, data shows a decline in the number of cervical screening tests from the second half of March 2020, which remained low throughout April, during which fewer than 30,000 tests were carried out. The number of tests began to increase in May and rose again in June.

National Bowel Cancer Screening Program

From the data, it appears that the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a direct effect on bowel cancer screening which involves home test kits, sent to eligible participants who then mail their completed test kit for laboratory testing.

Visit the AIHW website to read more