Blood cancer treatment and care in Australia took a big stride forward today after the Blood Cancer Taskforce released five new Optimal Care Pathways (OCPs), trusted guides for physicians to follow.
OCPs place patients at the centre of care decisions, setting a national standard of quality care – a critical concern for the 140,000 Australians living with blood cancers.
The five new OCPs will be added to eight existing pathways – six developed in 2022 by the Australasian Leukaemia & Lymphoma Group (ALLG) and the Haematology Society of Australia and two developed in 2021 by the Cancer Council.
Creating common standard of care
Blood Cancer Taskforce co-chair and Leukaemia Foundation CEO Chris Tanti highlighted the importance of OCPs, describing them as a vital blueprint for delivering the best quality care at each stage of a patient’s journey.
“The OCPs define the optimal care for someone diagnosed with a specific type of blood cancer and include a full OCP technical document specifically created for healthcare professionals,” Tanti said.
“As well as assisting blood cancer specialists, the OCPs will also prove valuable for treating hospitals and GPs, ensuring they have access to the same information.
“The introduction of these new OCPs aim to reduce the variability in treatment and care across the country for each of these blood cancers, representing a milestone in the battle against blood cancer in Australia.
“We encourage healthcare professionals, along with patients and their loved ones, to access the OCPs to help them build an even better understanding of what the optimal care journey for a patient's particular type of blood cancer looks like.”
Evidence-based care pathways
The new OCPs were developed by leading blood cancer treatment and care experts, including the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand (HSANZ), together with patient representatives, and approved and endorsed by the Australian and state and territory governments.
The blood cancers covered in these new OCPs are:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – led by Dr Shaun Fleming and Dr Caroline McNamara.
- AL-amyloidosis – led by Dr Fiona Kwok and A/Prof Peter Mollee.
- Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma – led by Dr Dejan Radeski and Dr Carrie van der Weyden.
- Myeloproliferative neoplasms – led by Prof Steven Lane and A/Prof Kate Burbury.
- Waldenström’s macroglobulinaemia – led by Prof Judith Trotman and Dr Nicole Wong Doo.
“These OCPs have been developed through a collaborative, evidence-based process to guide healthcare professionals in providing consistent, effective treatment and support to blood cancer patients, regardless of where they live,” said Blood Cancer Taskforce co-chair and director of Clinical Haematology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital, Professor Seymour.
“We know that 29% of blood cancer deaths in this country could be avoided through the consistent delivery of the known national standards of timely and accurate diagnosis, optimal treatment and care, and that’s significant.
“Australia has a world-class health system and these new OCPs, along with the existing eight will ensure we now have Australian-specific standard frameworks for diagnosis, treatment, and care.”
Blood cancer is currently the second-highest cause of cancer-related deaths in Australia, with about 5,900 people losing their lives each year.
The Blood Cancer Taskforce says the development and endorsement of the OCPs form part of an ongoing effort to improve survival rates and quality of life for blood cancer patients.