The Sunshine Coast is home to one of only a handful of specialist nurses nationwide dedicated to a form of cancer that will see an estimated 14,529 new diagnosis in 2022.
With November marking Lung Cancer Awareness month, the region has been pivotal in leading the charge to advocate for vital specialist cancer nurses for patients.
Cassandra Dickens spent eight years in the role of a dedicated lung cancer nurse at Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH).
The role is essential in helping locals navigate a lung cancer diagnosis, plan treatments options and access ongoing support throughout their journey.
Ms Dickens was also a key link in the research of Queensland University of Technology and Research Fellow in Lung Cancer, Dr Vanessa Brunelli.
Dr Brunelli’s research centred on improving the disease experience for people living with lung cancer, particularly through strategic cross-sector initiatives that aim to inform cancer nursing workforce policy.
Lung cancer can effect anyone with lungs, with one in five people diagnosed having no history of smoking.
According to Cancer Australia, Lung Cancer will be the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in 2022 and remains the most common cause of death from cancer.
It is estimated that a person has a one in 20, or five per cent risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer by the age of 85.
Known as clinical nurse consultants, or a CNC, Ms Dickens said her role was to look at a patient holistically and identify what needs they had.
From there she would refer them to specialist support and provide any advice she could as a registered nurse.
“The role of the CNC is to meet with the patients when they are given their diagnosis and to give them information about the diagnosis and what their potential treatments will entail,” she said.
“It’s also screening patients for what we call their supportive care need, so looking at their physical symptoms they may be facing and ways to manage or alleviate some of these symptoms.
“The CNC would also look at (a patient’s) emotional needs or other things that might be going on in their life causing them stress or anxiety.
“They may need additional referrals to social work, psychology or any other allied health.”
Ms Dickens said the provision of a CNC nurse also helped keep a patient on track with treatment, with the hope of it providing a better outcome.
“There can be multiple teams a patient may be involved in throughout their care, with different specialists, consultants and type of treatment,” she said.
“It means patients have access to a nurse that understands the intricacy of the cancer and the treatment and can help patients navigate that really complicated system.”
While Ms Dickens is now Oncology Nurse Practitioner at SCUH, the role of the CNC nurse is still continuing.
In a major coup, Ms Dickens was also announced as the Cancer Council Queensland Oncology Nurse of the Year for 2022.
Dr Brunelli’s national feasibility study has helped inform processes for specialist nurses and advocate for more across the country.
She said previous research had shown a beneficial impact to breast or prostate cancer patients who had a specialist nurse throughout their journey.
“It is really interesting that when you do talk to patients you can pick it straight away if they did have a specialist nurse or not,” she said.
“The finding of the research that (Ms Dickens) was involved in as one of my nurse participants have now informed the model of care of what we are now implementing through the Lung Foundation,” she said.
She says the research identified the importance of engaging a nurse at the beginning of a diagnosis.
“Research found not enough were meeting patients early on in their journey, but too late.
“My aim is that the model of care will be implemented consistently and that in so we have a have a nurse involved in patient’s pathway really early.”
