Poster Presentation 2025 Joint Meeting of the COSA ASM and IPOS Congress

Mental health matters in cancer care:  developing an equitable state-based advocacy strategy (126512)

Beth Scholes 1 , Amy Corbett 1 , Christie Allan 1 , Danielle Spence 1 , Amanda Piper 1 2
  1. Cancer Council Victoria, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  2. Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Background:

A cancer diagnosis significantly impacts emotional wellbeing, with between 20%-40% of people with cancer experiencing psychological distress. Unaddressed distress is linked to lower treatment adherence and poorer outcomes.1 Mental ill-health disproportionally impacts priority populations including people living regionally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and people experiencing socio-economic disadvantage. ​

Cancer Council Victoria is committed to equitably reducing the emotional impacts of cancer through tailored support and advocacy.

Data from our Cancer Information and Support Service shows that emotional support remains the highest unmet need for people affected by cancer, with almost 40% of connections in 2024 for emotional support.

State-based actions to reduce mental ill-health for people affected by cancer are limited.

Aims:

To create an advocacy roadmap to improve mental health support for Victorians affected by cancer.  

Methods:

A mixed-methods approach:

  • A review of policy and evidence on mental health and cancer.
  • Structured consultations with multidisciplinary health professionals (n=9) and community members (n=7) with diverse gender and geographical representation (four metropolitan, three regional).

Results:

Consultations highlighted greater need for timely access to emotional support. Barriers to early support included workforce challenges, cost, geography, and navigation challenges

These findings, combined with reviewed evidence, informed our roadmap priorities:

  • Improve health professional awareness of mental health and cancer and the need for timely referrals.
  • Increase access to tailored mental health support for Victorians affected by cancer
  • Improve integration and coordinated care across mental health and oncology sectors in Victoria

Priorities align with Cancer Council Australia’s policies and promote better mental health support at a state level.

Conclusions:

Our advocacy roadmap presents a novel strategy to enable appropriate, accessible mental health support for all Victorians affected by cancer. Future advocacy will target population groups at risk of experiencing greater cancer related mental ill-health.

  1. 1. Ng, HS, Koczwara, B, Beatty, L. Patterns of mental health service utilisation in people with cancer compared with people without cancer: analysis of the Australian National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing. J Cancer Surviv. 2023 Oct 4. doi: 10.1007/s11764-023-01472-4.