Multidisciplinary Team Meetings
A cancer multidisciplinary meeting (MDM) is where a team of health professionals meet to:
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Review tests and scans
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Consider all the treatment options and best practice guidelines
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Make an individualised recommended treatment plan for each patient
Multidisciplinary meetings are attended by:
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Surgeons
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Medical oncologists
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Radiation oncologists
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Radiation therapists
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Other specialist doctors: e.g. respiratory physician; palliative care doctors
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Nurse specialists
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Pathologists
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Radiologists
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Allied Health staff
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Administration staff who assist with the meeting
The meetings are hosted by Latrobe Regional Hospital, with attendees from all Gippsland health services.
Multidisciplinary meetings currently held in Gippsland are:
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Skin, Breast, Upper GI and Colorectal MDM
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Lung MDM
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Lymphoma MDM
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Advanced Disease MDM (to discuss patients with metastatic disease)
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Urology MDM
Links and further information
MDM Patient Information Brochure
MDM Consumer Information Brochures are available for you to provide to your patients prior to discussion by following this link:
MDM Patient Information Brochure
MDM Referrals
We are currently in the process of rolling out the QOOL VIC MDM software in Gippsland.
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Referrals for all MDMs should be made via QOOL VIC
Key Contacts:
For further information on MDM Patient Referrals please contact:
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Gemma Downs, gdowns@lrh.com.au – Senior Admin, Cancer Services
CanMap Access
Click here for access to CanMap for previous MDM information.
GRICS Scholarship Program
The GRICS Scholarship Program is available to Gippsland health professionals who wish to further their professional development in cancer care. Applicants wishing to apply must ensure their preferred Continuing Professional Development activity supports one or more of the following priority areas:
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Multidisciplinary Care;
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Care Coordination;
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Supportive Care; and
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Reducing Unwanted Variation in Care.
GRICS Scholarship Program is available from 1 July until 30 June each financial year, subject to annual funding received from the Department of Health and approval from the GRICS Governance Committee.
Applicants who have applied for scholarship funding in previous years are welcome to again apply. Please note applications will not be accepted to fund the same activity applied for the previous year.
Completed forms can be submitted by one of the following means:
Mail:
GRICS
Cancer Care Centre (Level 1)
Latrobe Regional Hospital
P O Box 424
TRARALGON VIC 3844
Fax: (03) 5173 8198
Email: gricswebsite@lrh.com.au
For more information on the GRICS Scholarship Program please contact GRICS on 03 5173 8351.
Gippsland Cancer Service Mapping - Referral Pathways
GRICS have initiated the development of service maps to enhance cancer referral pathways for Clinicians and General Practitioners. These maps provide access information on services currently provided across Gippsland. The pathways have been developed for each of the Gippsland chemotherapy sites – Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, Central Gippsland Health, Latrobe Regional Hospital, West Gippsland Healthcare Group and Gippsland Southern Health Service, with plans to extend the maps to other health services in our region.
The service maps contain information relating to which Physicians, Surgeons, Medical Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists, Day Oncology Units, Palliative Care and Cancer Care Nurses (where applicable) are appropriate for individual tumour streams.
To date GRICS have completed the Lung, Colorectal, Prostate, Oesophagogastric, Cervical, Breast, Pancreatic, Melanoma and Head and Neck cancer service maps with plans underway to develop pathways for additional tumour streams. The PDF’s were updated in September 2020 and will continue to be updated as information and resources change.
Febrile Neutropenia and Immunotherapy Related Adverse Events
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Immunotherapy Related Adverse Events (IRAES)
Immunotherapies used for cancer treatment are designed to elicit &/or amplify an immune response to help fight tumour growth and spread.
Immunotherapy can also cause the immune system to attack normal organs and tissue which can be associated with immune related adverse reactions that involve the lungs, intestines, liver, kidneys, hormone glands, and other organs, as well as infusion-related reactions.
Early diagnosis and appropriate management are essential to minimise these effects. For further information on IRAES on EviQ.
Supportive Care
Supportive care refers to services required by those affected or impacted by cancer. It includes information provision, symptom control, self-help and social support, psychological and spiritual support, rehabilitation, palliative care and bereavement care, among other things. Supportive care activities in cancer can be broadly defined by the following five categories:
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Physical needs;
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Psychological needs;
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Social needs;
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Information needs; and
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Spiritual needs.
Supportive care can be optimised through routine screening and follow-on referrals to appropriate treatment and care services. Members of the multidisciplinary team as well as family members, friends, support groups, volunteers and other community-based organisations can all play an important role in a cancer patients’ supportive care.
Information on Supportive Care in Victoria is available by clicking on the following link:
WeCan – Cancer Supportive Care
Please visit the EVIQ website to access further education about supportive care.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are an important way of testing the efficacy of new treatment options for cancer patients. Participation in a clinical trial is voluntary and open to anyone who meets the specified criteria outlined in the research protocol. Please note, some clinical trials can use exclusionary criteria such as age, gender, stage of disease or medical history when determining an applicants’ eligibility to participate in a clinical trial.
All clinical trials must be approved by a Victorian Human Research Ethics Committee before recruitment of volunteers can take place. The approvals process provides participants with assurances that:
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Rights of cancer patients have been carefully considered in the research proposal; and
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Benefits and risks have been rigorously tested against best-practice standards.
For more information on available clinical trial activity within Victoria please click on the following links:
The Victorian Clinical Trials Link
The Victorian Clinical Trials Link (VCTL) is a searchable portal of all cancer clinical trials in Victoria. It provides quick and easy access to cancer clinical trials for both clinicians and consumers. New and existing clinical trials are updated on the VCTL regularly by Cancer Council Victoria staff. The VCTL houses information about specific treatment intervention clinical trials that are being conducted in Victoria and available to patients, as well as general information and resources about clinical trials.
The VCTL comes in two forms; an app which is available to download for your Apple or Android phone and a website which can be accessed by visiting www.cancervic.org.au/trials
For general information on clinical trials operating in Australia please click on the following link:
Gippsland Data Requests
Request Guidelines
Stringent guidelines regarding the use and dissemination of this data apply.
GRICS receives cancer related data from the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, Victorian Cancer
Registry and individual health service sites.
Requests for information held by GRICS will be evaluated against:
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Department of Health and Human Services Conditions of Release of patient level data sets from the Victorian Health Information Reporting system (VHIRS) to the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services
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Memorandum of Understanding – Integrated Cancer Services (GRICS effective 1st December 2018)
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Victorian Cancer Registry Internet Portal (VCRIP) User Guide and Usage Policy for Notifiers & Users
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Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and |Health Privacy Principles |Health Privacy Principles |Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and Information Privacy Principles, |Victorian Information Privacy Act (2000).
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Privacy Act 1988
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Latrobe Regional Hospital \ Health Information & Business Analysis \ Health Information [Policy]
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Latrobe Regional Hospital \ Human Resources \ Human Resources (HR) [Policy]
Requests for information that include patient identified data will need ethics approval for ratification of release. The ethics application will need to be submitted by the requesting clinician, and data will not be released until the appropriate approval has been received from the relevant Ethics committee.
Every effort will be made to provide information in a timely manner. Current work practices take precedence. Time taken between request and provision will be monitored to assess impact on both GRICS staff and practitioner requests.
Links and further information
Inquiries to: Jody Neal | Cancer Data & Information Analyst
Email: jneal@lrh.com.au Phone: (03) 5173 8361
Inquiries to: Kashif Sheikh | Cancer Service Improvement Coordinator
Email: kashif.sheikh@lrh.com.au Phone: (03) 5173 8366
Mail to: PO Box 424 Traralgon 3844 | Village Avenue Traralgon West
Exercise and Cancer Pilot Program
Cancer diagnosis is projected to increase by 50% over the next 15 years though 5-year survival post diagnosis has increased to 70% for the first time ever meaning people living with a cancer diagnosis will continue to increase. This increase in cancer diagnoses will mean a greater need for supportive care and adjunct therapies. Exercising whilst undergoing cancer treatment, prior to treatment and in survivorship helps to counteract the adverse effects of cancer and treatment side effects.
Clinical research has established exercise as a safe and effective intervention to counteract the adverse physical and psychological effects of cancer and its treatment. These benefits include improved quality of life, energy levels, self-esteem and an increased likelihood of completion of treatment. Others include a decreased risk of other health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, decreased pain and nausea and cancer related fatigue.
The aim of this pilot is to establish a sustainable prescriptive exercise program for oncology patients by working with community services and local fitness facilities. It is anticipated that this will increase patient confidence in the transition from the Latrobe Community Health Service (LCHS) multidisciplinary team (MDT) program to the exercise programs provided by the Morwell Leisure Centre (MLC). To assist this transition MLC fitness professionals will work with the LCHS MDT to direct patients to the most appropriate classes or gym program and provide ongoing support. This Model of Care will be available post pilot to be implemented in other LGAs.
An exercise program will be prescribed by LCHS Exercise Physiologists (EP), taking into consideration the participant’s capacity, expectations and requirements. Group gym sessions, individual gym programs and home-based programs will be prescribed as appropriate. Participants will include all those with a cancer diagnosis, including surgery only, undertaking active treatment and in survivorship. A support person will be permitted to either undertake the exercise session or remain with the participant during the sessions.
GRICS will provide financial support to nominated EP’s in the region to undertake cancer specific training through ExMed Exercise and Cancer Course by Prue Cormie to ensure Gippsland patients are receiving evidenced best practice care along with funding for those participants whom are unable to co-contribute to the initial EP appointment. GRICS will fund a number of 10 session passes to MLC for the EP to give to participants whom are wanting to use the gym outside of the 6 supported sessions, with the EP using their discretion as to allocation. There is financial support for participants attending the EP initial assessment which will be allocated at the discretion of the EP. Any member of the pilot program working group, healthcare workers and members of MLC whom have concerns about a participant’s financial ability to be involved whilst the pilot is underway, may notify the LCHS pilot program email or directly to EP.
Referral and further information
Inquiries to: Donna O'Callaghan GRICS Cancer Service Improvement Coordinator
Email: docallaghan@lrh.com.au Phone: (03) 5173 8335
Inquiries to: LCHS Exercise Physiologists
Email: exercisegroups@lchs.com.au Phone: 1800 242 696
Refer to:
Email both: "Exercise and Cancer Program"
serviceaccessreferrals@lchs.com.au & exercisegroups@lchs.com.au
The Victorian Integrated Cancer Services are supported by the Victorian Government
Contact Us
GRICS
Level 1, Cancer Care Centre
Latrobe Regional Hospital
PO Box 424
Traralgon VIC 3844
Phone: (03) 5173 8351
Fax: (03) 5173 8198
Email: gricswebsite@lrh.com.au
© 2021 Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Service
The Victorian Integrated Cancer Services acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present. We celebrate, value and include people of all backgrounds, genders, sexualities, cultures, bodies and abilities.