Cancer Australia has released the Australian Cancer Plan which includes a 10-year plan for national action to achieve its overarching vision: to accelerate world-class cancer outcomes and improve the lives of all Australians affected by cancer. The draft Australian Cancer plan is available for download. This article also provides information on how to provide feedback to the plan.
The Australian Cancer Plan sets priorities for reform for the next decade and beyond, with strategic objectives, ambitions, goals, and priority actions for cancer control. One important aspect of the draft Australian Cancer Plan is eliminating significant inequities in cancer outcomes, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The draft plan includes an action to pilot new and emerging models of advance care planning and routinely integrate them into clinical care.
Advance care planning (ACP) is recommended for everyone, and particularly people who have declining health or a new diagnosis of a disease like cancer. People with cancer should be provided the opportunity to have conversations about what they value in life and their preferences for future medical treatment and care. They should also be encouraged to complete an advance care directive while they have capacity.
Research from ACPA revealed 42% of people with cancer believed the best time to have an ACP conversation was when cancer was deemed incurable, and 16% when they were initially diagnosed. (Exploring advance care planning awareness, experiences, and preferences of people with cancer and support people: an Australian online cross-sectional study)
Additional research shows less than a third of Australians aged ≥65 years had an advance care directive. Of those with cancer, 81% of people who responded to a survey had a preference to limit all or some treatments. (Detering, K. Prevalence of advance care planning documentation and self-reported uptake in older Australians with a cancer diagnosis – Journal of Geriatric Oncology) .
The Australian Cancer Plan is open for public consultation until 16 December 2022.