Abstract
The management of patients with pancreatic cancer requires an individualised approach and the support of a multidisciplinary team to accurately stage patients and determine their suitability for curative treatment. Guidelines have been developed in Australasia to define the operability for patients who have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This is supported by advances in pancreatic cancer genetics, which show potential for developing targeted therapies for pancreatic cancer. Both surgery and targeted therapies aim to extend the overall survival of patients. Patients who are cured of their cancer may live with permanent changes in gut anatomy and physiology leading to distressing symptoms that may not be addressed. Patients who cannot be cured of pancreatic cancer may have supportive care issues that are often complex, and a strategic approach to manage these needs for patients with pancreatic cancer is underdeveloped in Australasia. Supportive care services need to be in a position to adapt patient care as the evidence base develops.
Highlights
Pancreatic cancer is a poor prognosis cancer, which had an overall 5-year survival between 1983 and 1987 of 3% in Australia [1]
The findings from this study indicated that the group who had early access to specialist palliative care had improved quality of life, mood, ability to cope with their illness and had more frequent end of life care discussions compared with the control group [35]
Patients could benefit from a strategic approach to care, which maximises their access to health care resources at a time in their disease trajectory when it can give them the most benefit
Summary
Pancreatic cancer is a poor prognosis cancer, which had an overall 5-year survival between 1983 and 1987 of 3% in Australia [1]. It is known that early referral for patients diagnosed with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer to a palliative care service has significant improvements upon overall survival, in quality of life and mood [34]. There may by improvement in the quality of life of patients, but the integration of gastroenterology services with palliative care in pancreatic cancer is not routinely provided at the current time. This is the early referral model, where patients who can potentially gain the most from this model are those who are diagnosed with advanced disease and have a high symptom burden, psychosocial needs, and a short life expectancy. This type of supportive care model has been proposed by the Victorian State Government [42]
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