Gynae Cancer Centre Newsletter December 2008

National Manager's Introduction

Welcome to the first issue of the National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers Newsletter, a regular e-newsletter providing information about the Centre’s activities and the progress being achieved in our work to improve outcomes for women affected by gynaecological cancers, their families and carers, and to lessen the impact of cancer on their lives.

The National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers was established within Cancer Australia in 2007 following recommendations from the report on the inquiry into gynaecological cancer in Australia, Breaking the silence: a national voice for gynaecological cancers by the Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee. The Centre aims to:

• Improve outcomes and support for women with gynaecological cancer, their families and carers
• Build the evidence base for gynaecological cancer care
• Strengthen the gynaecological cancer workforce, and
• Ensure timely referral and access to quality gynaecological cancer service delivery.

The team at Cancer Australia and the National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers Advisory Group is working hard to progress work against these aims. I look forward to providing you with regular updates on the current status of our work through this newsletter.  I also encourage you to check our website, www.gynaecancercentre.gov.au for newly released project updates and other Centre news.

Finally, I want to thank you for your interest in the National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers and wish you a very happy festive season and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Susan Hanson
National Manager
National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers

Recent Meetings

National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers Advisory Group

In June 2008 the National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers Working Group was formally upgraded to an Advisory Group to reflect the ongoing status of the Centre’s programs.  The Centre greatly values the informed and practical input into our work which Advisory Group members provide.

The Centre’s Advisory Group last met via teleconference on 30 October 2008.  At this meeting Advisory Group members considered possible strategies to implement the Minimum Data Set for Gynaecological Cancers, which was developed in partnership with the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre, and discussed possible linkages with gynaecological oncology benchmarking and quality assurance processes. The group will next convene in Sydney on 10 March 2009.

Project Working Groups

The National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers develops Working Groups for each of its projects, which meet regularly to provide specific expertise to project objectives as the work progresses. 

Three project Working Groups met in November and December this year: the Gynaecological Research, the Gynaecological Information Resources, and the Gynaecological Workforce groups. 

News

Consumer Fellowship

The National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers has announced the first Jeannie Ferris, Cancer Australia Consumer Churchill Fellowship, which is to be administered by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.  This fellowship will enable a consumer, who has been affected by gynaecological cancer to travel overseas to research an area of interest that will benefit women affected by gynaecological cancers in Australia. The Fellowship is named in honour of the contribution made by the late Senator Jeannie Ferris to gynaecological cancers in Australia. Applications for the Fellowship opened in November 2008, and will close in February 2009.  The award will be announced in June 2009.

Clinical Fellowship

The Centre has also sponsored the Cancer Australia, National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers National Institute of Clinical Studies Clinical Fellowship.  The successful applicant is to propose a project that focuses on:

• improving outcomes for women and their families affected by a gynaecological cancer, and/or
• improving effective service delivery for women with a gynaecological cancer.

The call for applications closed on 27 October 2008. The fellowship will be offered to the successful applicant by 31 December 2008, with the fellowship commencing in February 2009.

Request for Tender

On 12 December 2008 the Centre released the request for tenders ‘The Development of an Interactive Training Module for Health Professionals to address Psychosexual Care of Women Affected by Gynaecological Cancers’. This request for tenders will close on 30 January 2009. For further information about this tender, visit the National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers website, www.gynaecancercentre.gov.au or the AusTender website, www.tenders.gov.au.

Program Updates

Cancer Support Networks

The National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers has funded three cancer support projects through the Building Cancer Support Networks program. Two of these projects are in Victoria, and one in rural Western Australia. The WA project supports Aboriginal women with gynaecological cancers.

Development of evidence-based resources for consumers

Following an open tender process in October, the Centre has signed a contract for the production of a suite of evidence-based fact sheets on gynaecological cancers, which will be suitable for both consumers and health professionals. To avoid duplication this suite will include links to existing resources which have been assessed as best practice, modified where necessary to suit Australian models of service delivery.  This project will conclude in May 2009.

Analysing patterns of referral for gynaecological cancer care 

Following an open tender process, the Centre has signed a contract for survey services for the establishment of baseline referral practices by general practitioners and gynaecologists for women with gynaecological conditions.  Results of this survey will inform future work of the Centre with regard to the education and training requirements of general practitioners and gynaecologists concerning the referral of women with gynaecological cancers. The project will be completed by August 2009.

Development of clinical practice guidance material for the management of women with endometrial cancer
The Centre has recently, following an open tender process, signed a contract for the development of clinical practice guidance material for the management of women with endometrial cancer in the following three priority areas:

• Evidence-based guidance on the psychosocial, psychosexual and supportive care needs of women with endometrial cancer
• Evidence-based treatment options for women with recurrent and locally advanced endometrial cancer
• Evidence-based identification and description of ideal treatment(s) for abnormal bleeding in pre-and post-menopausal women.

Partnering in the Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme

The Centre is a research partner in the Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme. Following consultation with the Centre’s Advisory Group, two research priorities for gynaecological cancers have been included in the 2009 Priority-driven Collaborative Research Scheme. These are:

1. Research into improving quality of life, supportive care, survivorship outcomes and continuity of care for women following treatment for:

• Cervical cancer;
• Endometrial cancer; or
• Other gynaecological cancers; and

2. Research into changing practice that will reduce the barriers and optimise timely referral for women with suspected ovarian cancer, to multidisciplinary specialist gynaecological oncology care.

For the full list of the research priorities and further details on the priorities within the 2009 Research Scheme, including application details, visit the Cancer Australia website, www.canceraustralia.gov.au The Scheme is now open for applications, which close on 17 March 2009.

Professional development for health professionals including primary care providers

The online educational module for gynaecological cancers, developed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, is now available through the gplearning website, www.gplearning.com.au.  This learning module is based on four case studies relating to ovarian, cervical, endometrial and vulval cancers, and complements the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre General Practitioner Education Series on ovarian cancer. Since its release in June 2008, over 230 general practitioners have accessed the learning module. The module has recently been linked to the Cancer Learning website, www.cancerlearning.gov.au.

Implementing minimum data set for ovarian, cervical and endometrial cancers

The National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre, in partnership with Cancer Australia, through the National Centre for Gynaecological Cancers, have developed a Minimum Data Set for Gynaecological Cancers. The minimum data set includes 14 data items for ovarian, cervical and endometrial cancers. The Centre is currently working with its Advisory Group to scope the piloting and testing of the data items, and the next stage of this work.

Strengthening the gynaecological cancers workforce

The final report on the gynaecological cancers workforce has recently been received. The Centre is currently consulting with its Advisory Group and the Project Working Group to identify the next stage of work for the Centre in this area.