AJGP Clinical Challenge December 2019: Oncology

To discuss the assessment and management of cancer in general practice in Australia

With advances in cancer screening, detection and treatment, the number of people surviving cancer is increasing rapidly. In 2018, an estimated 140,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia, with 1.1 million people having a personal history of cancer. This is expected to increase to 1.9 million by 2040.1 The incidence of pancreatic cancer in Australia has increased from 9.6 to 11.6 in 100,000 over the past 40 years,2 and the number of patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer is also predicted to continue to increase.3 General practitioners will play an increasingly central part in the diagnosis of cancer and management of cancer survivors. Conversely, GPs also have an important role when managing patients with cancer symptoms that are both refractory and causing intolerable suffering; for these patients, palliative sedation is an option.4,5

D1. Communication skills and the patient-doctor relationship

• Communication with family, carers and others involved in the care of the patient is appropriate and clear

D2. Applied professional knowledge and skills

• Appropriate mode of care delivery to suit the needs of the patient

D3. Population health and the context of general practice

D4. Professional and ethical role

D5. Organisational and legal dimensions

• Aboriginal and Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander health
• Adult health
• Oncology and palliative care