CANCER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Cancer was the second most common cause of death in South Western Sydney in the past decade, accounting for 25% of total deaths. Cancer incidence and deaths will increase as the population ages. Cancer has been identified by both the Federal and State governments as a priority for better management, using a health improvement approach.

As part of a cancer management strategy, the NSW Health Department has prioritised strategies to reduce preventable cancers and to reduce the mortality from, and impact of, cancer on the NSW population. South Western Sydney Area Health Service is required to prioritise the following strategies to achieve health improvement in cancer services:

• to provide optimal cancer management through integrated services and evidence based practice;

• to prioritise their efforts in primary prevention with emphasis on skin cancer prevention and tobacco exposure reduction;

• to provide effective screening programs for breast and cervical cancers; and
  
• to maximise the quality of life for people with progressive and advanced disease.

For the residents of SWSAHS when compared with the residents of NSW, there was a significantly higher number of new cases of lung cancer in males, and cervical cancer in females, for the period 1991/92. There was a significantly lower number of females diagnosed with breast cancer. New cases of melanoma were significantly lower for both males and females over the same period.

The Health Improvement Plan for Cancer and Related Services has been written to provide direction to improving the health of the population of SWSAHS by focussing on prevention, screening, providing optimal cancer management, and maximising the quality of life for those people who have progressive and advanced disease. The plan is the result of deliberations of a large multidisciplinary working party, and of input received from community consultations held in each sector and from the Cancer Council.

Four goals for improving cancer and related services were identified by the working party, namely:

Prevention and screening;
Diagnosis and treatment;
Rehabilitation and
Palliative Care

The objectives for achieving each goal for improving health in cancer and related services were prioritised as follows:

Education;
Equity;
Access;
Improving continuity of care;
Quality Management and
Research

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