Thursday, 25 August 2011

Cancer and Daffodil Day


This Friday, 26th August is Daffodil Day in Australia. Daffodil Day is the largest fundraising event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and aims to raise much-needed funds for cancer research, prevention and support services. It is run by the Cancer Council of Australia and this year they are celebrating 25 years of Daffodil Days. That’s a lot of daffodils!


The bright, sunny, yellow daffodil is the international symbol of hope for all those touched by cancer, and at this time of the year, daffodils are such a welcome sight after the cold, drab, grey months of Winter.


Cancer is a word which strikes absolute fear into the hearts of pretty much everyone. I don’t think there would be an Australian who hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way, whether it’s through personal experience or that of a family member, friend or colleague.


What are the facts? Well, last year in Australia alone, it is estimated that there were 114,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed. 1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia, with over 43,000 people dying from cancer in 2010. The most common cancers in Australia (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) are prostate, colorectal (bowel), breast, melanoma and lung cancer.


Cancer does seem to be on the rise when you compare current figures with those from years ago, but this is largely due to population growth, ageing and improvements in screening and diagnosis. Despite the increase in the number of cancer deaths, the actual proportion of patients who die from cancer has fallen by 16% in the past 30 years.


The other good news is that the survival rate for many common cancers has increased by 30% in the past twenty years. More than 60% of cancer patients will survive more than five years after diagnosis.

Having worked as a pharmacist in a Chemotherapy Day Unit (a ward where patients are admitted for the day just to receive their chemotherapy), it is a fascinating, complex and incredibly busy area of the hospital. It would be impossible for me to cover everything about cancer in the one blog post, but I thought I'd give a brief summary on screening and treatments.

Cancer Screening
Clearly, it is much easier to treat a cancer if it is diagnosed in the early stages of disease. This is where the importance of screening lies. There are currently three national population-based cancer screening programs operating. These are:
  • BreastScreen Australia Program - an x-ray of the breast (called a mammogram) is performed every two years to screen for early signs of breast cancer in women aged 50-69 years. Women should also check their own breasts for any changes each month.
  • National Cervival Screening Program – a doctor takes a Pap Smear which is used to take a tiny sample of cervical cells to detect changes in the cervix which may lead to cervical cancer in women. Pap Smears should be done every two years either from the age of 18 years old or one or two years after sexual activity starts, whichever is later.
  • National Bowel Screening Program – this involves placing a small sample of your stool on a special card in the privacy of your own home and sending the card to a laboratory for analysis. The test looks for the presence of blood in your stool which can be an early warning sign of bowel cancer. If you are turning 50, 55 or 65 between January 2011 and December 2014, the government will automatically arrange for a free test to be posted to you around your birthday. If not, BowelScreenAustralia™ test kits are available for purchase at Terry White Chemists Berwick and Terry White Chemists Eden Rise as well as many other pharmacies. Click here to find a pharmacy that sells the test kits near you.

Cancer Treatments
There are three main treatments for cancer and these can be used either on their own or in combination.

The first is surgery where the tumour itself and surrounding tissue is removed. This is used when the tumour is small and contained to one area.

The second option is radiotherapy which is where precisely targeted x-rays are used to destroy cancer cells. The length of treatment depends on the type, size and location of the tumour(s), but most patients have five treatments a week for a few minutes each time, for one to seven weeks.

The third option, and probably the one that most comes to mind when people hear think about treating cancer, is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the use of cancer-killing medicines which can be given in tablet or capsule form or, more commonly, straight into the bloodstream by an infusion (i.e. a drip). There are many different chemotherapy medicines and different doses and combinations are given depending on factors such as the type of cancer involved.

Chemotherapy is incredibly good at destroying cancer cells, but unfortunately, it can also harm healthy cells too which can lead to side effects such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting, mouth ulcers and loss of appetite. We often hear patients voice concerns about hair loss with chemotherapy, but this is dependent on the particular chemotherapy medications that they receive. Your doctors and pharmacists will try to work together to minimise these side effects, perhaps by giving you other medications. Patients should speak to their oncologist, family doctor and pharmacist about any worries they have regarding chemotherapy and any side effects.

We often have queries from patients regarding the safety and efficacy of complementary and alternative cancer treatments. Some treatments are perfectly safe to use and can help you to feel better, but others may interfere with your cancer treatment and should not be used. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before taking non-prescribed medications, even if they are “natural”. The Cancer Council Victoria has a free book called Complementary and alternative cancer therapies which can be downloaded here.

How Can You Help?
Cancer really is a huge subject and one that needs awareness and public support. So this Friday, do your part and pop into Terry White Chemist Berwick or Terry White Chemist Eden Rise, Coles supermarket or another authorised seller and pick up a badge, teddy bear, pen or bunch of daffodils and feel good that you’re helping researchers find a cure for cancer.




References and further reading
  • Cancer Fact Sheet, Better Health Channel, published November 2010 (accessed online 23 August 2011)
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