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VICS Optimal Care Summits breast cancer consultation 2021

The VICS’ first strategic consultation on breast cancer care in Victoria was held in 2021.

The summit event was held online, on 23 July 2021, with 96 people in attendance and 85 active participants. After the summit, the advisory group below recommended the following variations and data issues for further action:

Recommendations

  1. Reduce the number of patients with invasive breast cancer and unknown stage reported in the Victorian Cancer Registry from 10% to 5% or less.
  2. Enhance reporting of metastatic breast cancer to the Victorian Cancer Registry.
  3. Increase breast cancer patient access to breast care nurses, both early and metastatic.

Impacts

Recommendations 1 and 2 above are being addressed by a statewide collaboration between the VICS and Cancer Council Victoria to improve capture of cancer staging information in multidisciplinary meetings (MDMs).

Summit records

Expert advisory group

  • Prof. Jane Fox (Co-chair) – Surgeon, Monash Health
  • Dr Belinda Yeo (Co-chair) – Medical oncologist, Austin Health
  • Miss Caroline Baker – Surgeon, St Vincent’s Hospital
  • ​Dr Rob Blum – Medical oncologist, Bendigo Health
  • Ms Andrea Cannon – Breast care nurse, Breast Cancer Network Australia
  • Dr Jill Evans – Clinical Director, Victorian BreastScreen; Clinical Director and Chief Radiologist, Monash BreastScreen
  • Prof. Sue Evans – Director, Victorian Cancer Registry
  • Ms Gill Kruss – Nurse practitioner, Monash Health
  • Prof. Bruce Mann – Surgical oncologist, University of Melbourne
  • A/Prof. Paul Mitchell – Medical oncologist, Austin Health
  • Dr Inger Olesen – Medical oncologist, Barwon Health
  • Dr Karen Taylor – Radiation oncologist, Genesis Care
  • Dr Michelle White – Medical oncologist, Monash Health.