Cancer myth busting
Palliative Care Australia (PCA) is calling for more community awareness and education to improve knowledge and challenge some of the misconceptions held about cancer and palliative care.
The calls came as World Cancer Day was marked yesterday.
Dr Yvonne Luxford, PCA chief executive, said: “We need to get better at talking about death, dying and terminal illness. Our reluctance to have these discussions is a real barrier to accessing health and palliative care services.
“One of the myths I want to see us tackle is the idea that talking about dying gets you there quicker. This is just not true, in fact talking about dying gets you there better,” she added.
Cancer accounts for about 30% of deaths in Australia. According to the latest international figures released in the Global Atlas of Palliative Care at the End of Life last week, the Western Pacific region has the highest percentage of adults (41.5%) and children (14%) in need of palliative care for a cancer diagnosis.
“That is a lot of people who would benefit from access to palliative care services,” Dr Luxford said. “It is vital that oncologists, and all health professionals, have mandatory education in palliative care throughout the course of their careers.”
The words ‘palliative care’ have become associated with the end of life, leading people to fear this term and believe it must mean they are near to death. In fact, palliative care is appropriate early on in a diagnosis and can be used in conjunction with curative treatments.
“I would urge everyone to watch the short video Kaye’s Story. This is a beautiful and moving portrayal of the benefits of palliative care for someone living with cancer and their loved ones,” Dr Luxford said.
Speaking about her diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma, Kaye said: “It’s a frightening, lonely place to be and all of a sudden with palliative care around me, I feel secure and safe and I fully understand that they will be supporting me through this last period of my life.”
“It’s essential we dispel some of these commonly held misconceptions about cancer and palliative care so that we can help improve quality of life for people living with and dying from cancer, their families and carers,” Dr Luxford said.
For more information about common myths in palliative care, visit the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day website.
