The majority surveyed noted the complexities of navigating cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and beyond, as well as the difficulties of managing life around their care.
However, the report uncovered a hidden burden. Australian patients admit the most common barrier to care is around getting the right information at the right time to make informed decisions about their care:
The patients surveyed said greater support in understanding the various treatment pathways (60%) and finding specialists with the right expertise (52%) is needed to improve their cancer experience.
“We asked patients what they needed, and they answered: a system that talks to each other and provides a connected service that involves them, the patient, every step of the way,” says Mark Middleton OAM, Global CEO of Icon Group.
In response to these findings, Icon Group brought together leading advocacy groups – including Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia, Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, Cancer Council, Leukemia Foundation, Lung Foundation Australia, Ovarian Cancer Australia and Breast Cancer Network Australia.
Anne Savage, CEO of Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia, says, “A cancer diagnosis is devastating for anyone, impacting their lives well beyond the clinical disease. When information is not readily available or easily digestible, it makes difficult decisions about services they need even harder. For many men with prostate cancer, we know this can lead to suboptimal care or even opting out of care entirely. The only way to overcome this barrier is to work in partnership by supporting the man while treating his disease.”
Lance Kawaguchi, CEO of Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, says, “We can offer the best cancer care in the world, but if people don’t know it is available to them or feel lost in the system, they can’t benefit from it. As an organisation, we have an absolute commitment to create real change for people with cancer and believe collaboration across silos and geographies will achieve that.”
In collaboration with the advocacy groups, Icon Group has committed to three short-term and actionable solutions:
“The patient’s wellbeing has always been the central focus of each of our individual organisations. By coming together, we can focus our collective power to remove systemic barriers and innovate the cancer experience on a scale not seen before. Together we can evolve the Australian cancer care landscape and improve outcomes for patients now and into the future,” says Mark Middleton.
Find out how to become a patient at Icon Cancer Centre, or request more information from your nearest centre.
Icon brings together some of Australia’s most experienced medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and haematologists.
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Our patients share their perspective and advice.