Radiation oncologists urge patients to continue therapy

Radiation oncologists are concerned that cancer patients are either not attending their required consultations or discontinuing their treatment after making incorrect assumptions about the safety, availability or capacity of clinical services.

The call from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) for cancer patients to continue treatment comes after statements from the government and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) recently urging people to continue to see their GP or specialist for chronic conditions including cancer.  

Dr Madhavi Chilkuri, Dean of the Faculty of Radiation Oncology within RANZCR said it is crucial for patients to be reassured about the availability of radiation oncology services.

Register FREE and join 22,000+ industry professionals receiving the latest industry news and engaging content from Health Industry Hub, the ONLY one-stop-hub connecting Australia’s Pharma, MedTech and Biotech industry professionals.

“Radiation therapy services are essential and still accessible. Radiation oncology teams are making special provisions for patients in the current situation. It is also important that all healthcare professionals remind cancer patients about the importance of continuing their treatment,” said Dr Chilkuri.

Dr Chilkuri said that while some local circumstances might have changed, clinical teams are working hard to ensure continuity of care for cancer patients.

“Radiation oncologists are determined to keep treatment going and in many cases have implemented telehealth services to ensure that happens. We are also able to adjust doses in some individual cases to reduce the frequency of visits required.”

“Every precaution is being taken to ensure infection control and the safety of patients and staff. We are doing everything possible to ensure we can continue delivering treatment to everyone who needs it,” said Dr Chilkuri.

The RANZCR Faculty of Radiation Oncology is producing a range of resources to encourage patients to continue with their treatment including videos and social media assets.