Dr Alysson Wann: medical oncologist, lecturer, wife, daughter and mother. I have a special interest in breast cancer, having completed my fellowship at the Olivia Newton John Cancer Centre working in breast cancer trials. As one of the founding members of Waverley Breast Care, I work with a team of exceptional colleagues that aim to provide compassionate, optimal care for those with breast cancer and survivors.
To live with cancer, have had it in the past or know someone who lives with cancer is a very personal experience, no two stories are the same. As the lifetime risk of breast cancer is 1 in 8, either it is something you have experienced yourself or know someone that has.
This lifetime risk is not so insignificant and I’m a strong believer in prevention. BreastScreen services exist because of its proven effectiveness in identifying breast cancers at an earlier stage, thus minimising extent of treatment and usually still at the curable stage. The uptake of these services has been slowly increasing with advocacy but there is still room to improve.
For those that have been diagnosed with cancer, I feel that our role as medical practitioners in this experience is to ensure first and foremost, compassion. Of course, there is also the need to equip you with information to ensure you make the best decisions. This may be in the forms of the latest therapies for cancer treatment, side effect management or further testing to help guide decision making.
However, in the midst of all the information provided is a very human emotion – fear. The ability to manage this fear; whether it be fear of uncertainty, of the future, of losing control is individual to one’s own value system, personality and prior experiences. This is why apart from my role as a medical oncologist, I choose to include a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer care to provide support.
It is imperative that the TEAM behind the patient is strong, co-ordinated and cares. Having worked in multiple centres, I’ve found that the closer knit that team is, the better the outcomes for the patient. This team may include medical professionals as well as friends and family members. It takes a village to look after someone and a cancer patient is no different.
Ultimately the message is of hope – that cancer is a diagnosis, but it doesn’t have to define you. It can be devastating to some but to overcome it is empowering and to live with it is what most do courageously.
