Breaking News from COSA

The Future of Cancer Services Associate Professor Patsy Yates, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology

Recent advances in cancer treatments have been accompanied by a growing momentum to see reform to current models for delivering cancer services. This momentum has been driven by increasing recognition of a number of important gaps in cancer care, including inadequate coordination of services, insufficient attention to cancer services provided outside the tertiary setting, and some unacceptable variations in access to quality evidence based cancer treatments. The future of cancer services has the potential to be substantially influenced by this current agenda for service reform. The cancer care system of the future is likely to be characterised by many more specific and tangible examples of increased accountability for the quality and outcomes of care provided, a breaking down of the walls of the tertiary cancer service, and a mainstreaming of supportive care initiatives. However, the future is also likely to be characterised by continuing tensions associated with limited resources and competing demands on the entire health system. These tensions will present major challenges to reform, but are also likely to provide some excellent opportunities for innovation and collaboration between service providers and consumers.