About cancer survivorship and the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre (ACSC)
Over one million Australians are living with or beyond their cancer diagnosis. This is due to advances in early detection, better treatments, and the ageing of the population. Cancer survivorship care refers to the time following active cancer treatments. This may also be known as post-treatment follow-up care. While many people go on to lead normal lives, there may be mixed emotions and worry about the future. For some it’s not always an easy transition and cancer can have a lasting impact including:
ongoing side effects of treatment
fear of cancer coming back
other physical, emotional, financial and social concerns.
The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre recognise ‘cancer survivors’ as people who have been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis throughout their life. Cancer can also have a lasting impact on survivors’ family members, friends and caregivers.
Cancer care has traditionally focused on diagnosis and treatment. However, research shows it is just as important to focus on helping cancer survivors cope with life beyond their acute treatment. Cancer survivors may experience different issues compared to people having active treatment for cancer. It is important that survivors understand what to expect and are provided with the right information and support at the right time.
Quality cancer survivorship care should involve:
monitoring to detect cancer coming back and new cancers
support and monitoring for physical, emotional, social and practical effects of cancer and cancer treatment
management of any other health conditions
supporting and promoting wellness and healthy lifestyle
coordinated care between all health professionals involved
About the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre
The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre is a passionate, multidisciplinary team with a vision to improve the health and wellbeing of cancer survivors and their carers. We work with cancer survivors, health professionals, community organisations, and policy makers. The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre does not offer clinical services. Instead, we work with healthcare providers to ensure that survivors receive the best possible care. We provide:
information and support to survivors and carers
education and training for health professionals
and cancer survivorship leadership and guidance
While we are based at Peter Mac and our primary focus is on Victoria, we also engage and contribute on a national and international level.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre’s resources, events, education and work, we invite you to explore the links below:
The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre has a statewide role in the development of education and resources for both survivors and health professionals. We provide advice regarding models of care, and while research is not our primary focus, we strongly support and collaborate in research relevant to survivorship.
Our Strategic Plan 2020-2025 sets our priorities and objectives to support optimal outcomes for cancer survivors and their carers over the coming years. Current work of the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre addresses the six strategic priorities which include:
Provide information and support for survivors and carers
Provide survivorship education and training for health professionals
Support improved models of survivorship care
Conduct and support survivorship research
Provide leadership around cancer survivorship
Delivering a robust, collaborative and sustainable program
In addition to our core work, the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre is currently delivering two separately funded statewide survivorship care projects:
Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre key highlights
Launching mycareplan.org.au, a free survivorship care plan generator. Currently, this is for people treated with curative intent with a diagnosis of either early-stage breast, bowel or prostate cancer, early-stage melanoma, uterine (endometrial) cancer or Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (diffuse large B-cell).
Developing the Common Survivorship Issues Directory. This lists a range of common survivorship issues and links to information and support for survivors and guidance for health professionals.
Holistic care for cancer survivors, published in The Lancet’s 16 April 2022 edition. Prof Michael Jefford, Director of the ACSC, co-led the series, with Prof Jon Emery (University of Melbourne) and Dr Emily Tonorezos (Office of Cancer Survivorship, US National Cancer Institute). The three papers address common issues experienced by survivors, their clinical management, and the design of current and improved models of cancer care. The third paper focuses on issues and concerns for those who are survivors of cancer in childhood and adolescence. Dr Jeremy Lewin, Medical Director of Peter Mac’s ONTrac adolescent and young adult service, contributed to the third paper. Other Peter Mac contributors are Dr Karolina Lisy, Senior Research Fellow, ACSC and the Department of Health Services Research (DHSR), and Dr Julia Lai-Kwon, medical oncologist, and PhD student, DHSR.
Chan RJ, Knowles R, Ashbury FD, Bowen J, Chan A, Chin M, Olver I, Taylor C, Tinianov S, Alberti P, Bossi P, Brito-Dellan N, Cooksley T, Crawford GB, Dixit N, Fitch MI, Freedman JL, Ginex PK, Hart NH, Hertz DL, Jefford M, Koczwara B, Naito T, Orsey AD, Ruhlmann CH, Tsoukalas N, van den Hurk C, Sebille YV, Wardill HR, Scotte F, Lustberg M. Supportive Care 2030 movement: towards unifying ambitions for global excellence in supportive cancer care – an international Delphi study. eClinicalMedicine. 2024;76:102825. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102825
Egeler MD, van Leeuwen M, Lai-Kwon J, Eriksson H, Bartula I, Elashwah S, Fox L, Van Hemelrijck M, Jefford M, Lijnsvelt J, Bagge AL, Morag O, Ny L, Bagge RO, Rogiers A, Saw RPM, Serpentini S, Iannopollo L, Thompson J, Stiller HT, Vanlaer N, van Akkooi ACJ, van de Poll-Franse LV; EORTC Quality of Life Group. Understanding quality of life issues in patients with advanced melanoma: Phase 1 and 2 in the development of the EORTC advanced melanoma module. Eur J Cancer. 2024;207:114176. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2024.114176
Forbes D, Lisy K, Wood C, White V, Evans S, Afshar N, Ristevski E, Sharma A, Changrani K, Jefford M. Factors beyond diagnosis and treatment that are associated with return to work in Australian cancer survivors – A systematic review. Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2024;20(2):198-209. doi: 10.1111/ajco.13973
Hart NH, Stout NL, Haywood D, Ashbury FD, Chan RJ, Fitch MI, Jefford M, Lustberg MB, Etemadi Y, Rauch A. World Health Organization package of interventions for rehabilitation for cancer: A MASCC-endorsed resource for global action to address unmet rehabilitation needs of people affected by cancer. Support Care Cancer. 2024;32(7):417. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08569-1
Hart NH, Nekhlyudov L, Smith TJ, Yee J, Fitch MI, Crawford GB, Koczwara B, Ashbury FD, Lustberg MB, Mollica M, Smith AL, Jefford M, Chino F, Zon R, Agar MR, Chan RJ. Survivorship care for people affected by advanced or metastatic cancer: MASCC-ASCO standards and practice recommendations. Support Care Cancer. 2024;32(5):313. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08465-8
Haywood D, Henry M, Dauer E, Lederman O, Farley M, Henneghan AM, O'Connor M, Jefford M, Rossell SL, Hart NH. Cancer-related cognitive impairment as a key contributor to psychopathology in cancer survivors: Implications for prevention, treatment and supportive care. Support Care Cancer. 2024;32(7):480. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08696-9
Hudson P, Francis J, Cohen J, Kapp S, De Abreu Lourenco R, Beatty L, Gray K, Jefford M, Juraskova I, Northouse L, de Vleminck A, Chang S, Yates P, Athan S, Baptista S, Klaic M, Philip J. Improving the Well-Being of People With Advanced Cancer and Their Family Caregivers: Protocol for an Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of a Dyadic Digital Health Intervention (FOCUSau). JMIR Res Protoc. 2024;13:e55252. doi: 10.2196/55252
Jefford M, Chan RJ, Emery JD. Shared Care Is an Appropriate Model for Many Cancer Survivors. JCO. 2024;42(17):2105-2106. doi: 10.1200/JCO.23.02683
Laidsaar-Powell R, Giunta S, Butow P, Keast R, Koczwara B, Kay J, Jefford M, Turner S, Saunders C, Schofield P, Boyle F, Yates P, White K, Miller A, Butt Z, Bonnaudet M, Juraskova I. Development of Web-Based Education Modules to Improve Carer Engagement in Cancer Care: Design and User Experience Evaluation of the e-Triadic Oncology (eTRIO) Modules for Clinicians, Patients, and Carers. JMIR Med Educ. 2024;10:e50118. doi: 10.2196/50118
Laidsaar-Powell R, Giunta S, Butow P, Turner S, Costa D, Saunders C, Koczwara B, Kay J, Jefford M, Schofield P, Boyle F, Yates P, White K, Sundaresan P, Varadarajan S, Juraskova I. An online intervention to improve oncology health professional self-efficacy in communicating with carers: Hybrid effectiveness-implementation evaluation of the eTRIO program. Patient Educ Couns. 2024; 124:108251. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108251
Lai-Kwon J, Heynemann S, Hart NH, Chan RJ, Smith TJ, Smith AL, Nekhlyudov L, Jefford M. Delivering improved survivorship care for people affected by advanced or metastatic cancer. Acta Oncologica. 2024; 63:939-942. doi: 10.2340/1651-226X.2024.42197
Lai-Kwon J, Jefford M, Best S, Zhang I, Rutherford C. Selecting Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Side Effects for Real-Time Monitoring in Routine Cancer Care: A Modified Delphi Study. JCO Oncol Pract. 2024;0:OP.24.00037. doi: 10.1200/OP.24.00037
Lai-Kwon J, Rutherford C, Jefford M, Gore C, Best S. Using Implementation Science Frameworks to Guide the Use of Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Symptom Monitoring in Routine Cancer Care. JCO Oncol Pract. 2024;20(3):335-349. doi: 10.1200/OP.23.00462
Lai-Kwon J, Rutherford C, Best S, Ly T, Zhang I, Devereux C, Herath D, Burbury K, Jefford M. Co-design of an electronic patient-reported outcome symptom monitoring system for immunotherapy toxicities. Support Care Cancer. 2024;32(12):843. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-09034-9
Latham S, Leach MJ, White VM, Webber K, Jefford M, Lisy K, Davis N, Millar JL, Evans S, Emery JD, IJzerman M, Ristevski E. Health-related quality of life in rural cancer survivors compared with their urban counterparts: A systematic review. Support Care Cancer. 2024;32(7):424. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08618-9
Livingston P, Winter N, Ugalde A, Orellana L, Mikocka-Walus A, Jefford M, Zalcberg J, Orford N, Hutchinson AM, Barbour A, Kiss N, Smithers BM, Watson DI, McCaffrey N, White V. iCare – a self-directed, interactive online program to improve health and wellbeing for people living with upper gastrointestinal or hepato-pancreato-biliary cancers, and their informal carers: the study protocol for a Phase II randomised controlled trial. BMC Cancer. 2024;24:144. doi: 10.1186/s12885-024-11861-2
Loeliger J, Francis J, Kiss N, Stewart J, Chandler S, Donohoe K, Hughes V, Swan W, Kaegi K, Elliott A, McIntosh R. Enhancing the provision of cancer nutrition information to support care through experience-based co-design: a mixed-methods study. Support Care Cancer. 2024;32(4):257. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08453-y.
Maharaj AD, Roberts N, Jefford M, Ng J, Rutherford C, Koczwara B. The use of patient reported outcome measures in oncology clinical practice across Australia and New Zealand. J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2024;8(1):1.doi: 10.1186/s41687-023-00664-x
Milley K, Druce P, McNamara M, Bergin RJ, Chan RJ, Cust AE, Davis N, Fishman G, Jefford M, Rankin N, Yates P, Emery J. Cancer in general practice research priorities in Australia. AJGP. 2024;53(4). doi: 10.31128/AJGP-02-23-6699.
Mollica MA, McWhirter G, Tonorezos E, Fenderson J, Freyer DR, Jefford M, Luevano CJ, Mullett T, Nasso SF, Schilling E, Passero VA. Developing national cancer survivorship standards to inform quality of care in the United States using a consensus approach. J Cancer Surviv. 2024;May 13. doi: 10.1007/s11764-024-01602-6
Nash T, Lisy K, Laing E, Kelly H, Cridland K, Jefford M. Profiling current cancer survivorship practices and enhancing survivorship care in public hospitals in Victoria, Australia. J Cancer Surviv. 2024 [Pre-print]. doi: 10.1007/s11764-024-01728-7
Pillay B, Ritchie D, Panek-Hudson Y, Jefford M, Garcia T, Shields C, Gniel J, Phipps-Nelson J, Drosdowsky A, Ellen S, Ftanou M. Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Psychosexual Intervention for Couples Post-allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. Integr Cancer Ther. 2024;23. doi: 10.1177/15347354241230956
Signorelli C, Hart NH, Mullen L, Nekhlyudov L, Travado L, Wendy WT, Henry M, László Dégi C, Haywood D, Jefford M. Aligning the World Health Organization's (WHO) package of interventions for rehabilitation for cancer with the mission of the International Psycho-Oncology Society's: promoting psychosocial care for all people affected by cancer. JPORP. 2024;6(4):144. doi: 10.1097/OR9.0000000000000144
Signorelli C, Høeg BL, Asuzu C, Centeno I, Estapé T, Fisher P, Lam W, Levkovich I, Manne S, Miles A, Mullen L, Nekhlyudov L, Sade C, Shaw J, Singleton A, Travado L, Tsuchiya M, Lemmen J, Li J, Jefford M. International Survey of Psychosocial Care for Cancer Survivors in Low-/Middle- and High-Income Countries: Current Practices, Barriers, and Facilitators to Care. JCO Glob Oncol. 2024;10:e2300418. doi: 10.1200/GO.23.00418
Stout NL, Alfano CM, Liu R, Dixit N, Jefford M. Implementing a clinical pathway for needs assessment and supportive care interventions. JCO Oncol Pract. 2024; 6:OP2300482. doi: 10.1200/OP.23.00482
Vakili ST, Haywood D, Kirk D, Abdou AM, Gopalakrishnan R, Sadeghi S, Guedes H, Thamm C, Bernard R, Wong HCY, Kuhn EP, Kwan J, Lee SF, Hart NH, Paterson C, Chopra DA, Drury A, Zhang E, Dehkordi SR, Ashbury FD, Kotronoulas G, Chow E, Jefford M, Chan RJ, Fazelzad R, Raman S, Alkhaifi M. Application of artificial intelligence in symptom monitoring in adult cancer survivorship: a systematic review. JCO CCI. 2024 Dec 8:e2400119. doi: 10.1200/CCI.24.00119
Venchiarutti RL, Dhillon H, Ee C, Hart NH, Jefford M, Koczwara B. Priorities for multimorbidity management and research in cancer: a Delphi study of Australian cancer survivors, clinicians, and researchers. J Cancer Surviv. 2024. doi: 10.1007/s11764-024-01686-0
Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre Director, Prof Michael Jefford, shares about the ACSC, what we do and our team, in the following video.
Supporters
The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre would like to thank our supporters, collaborators, staff, volunteers and broader networks for all that you do to improve outcomes for people affected by cancer.
The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Victorian Government proudly support the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre.
