title: Timely cancer diagnosis and management as a chronic condition: opportunities for primary care.
abstract: One in three men and one in four women in Australia will be diagnosed with cancer in the first 75 years of life. The majority will survive the cancer and ultimately die from unrelated causes. Many cancer patients and their families will experience some physical, social, economic and psychological sequelae, regardless of the prognosis. A recurring theme is that patients are disadvantaged by the lack of coordination of care and their needs are not being adequately met. We argue that greater integration of care through a multidisciplinary team of professionals, peer support groups and primary health practitioners functioning within a care hub could offer better practical and psychosocial supportive care for patients and their families.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA, Australia. m.jiwa@curtin.edu.au
authors.forename: Moyez
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiwa
authors.forename: Christobel M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Sandra C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Lorna K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Rosenwax
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sargant
authors.forename: Eric L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Khong
authors.forename: Georgia K B
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Halkett
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.forename: Hooi C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Ee
authors.forename: Tanya L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Packer
authors.forename: Gareth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Merriman
authors.forename: Hayley R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Arnet
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D005192:Family Health; D005194:Family Practice / Q000639:trends; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000639:trends