Cancer Control Update No 2 March 2007
Publication Date: 28 February 2007
Welcome to this second update from the Cancer Control Council of New Zealand. The Council is the independent advisory body charged with making sure the Cancer Control Strategy is turned into action. It is appointed by the Minister of Health and provides independent advice directly to him.
In this update:
Cancer Control Strategy - reviewing progress
New groups to advise on cancer research
Next Cancer Control Council Meeting
Cancer Control Strategy – reviewing progress
One of the Cancer Control Council’s key tasks is to monitor and review how the Cancer Control Strategy is being implemented. Following consultation with stakeholders the Council has agreed how it will do this and what it will look at in its first report.
This year it will focus on a number of high priority actions to be achieved during the first phase of the Cancer Control Strategy Action Plan 2005-2010. It will also look at currently funded projects in the Ministry of Health’s cancer control programme and how the regional cancer networks are developing.
Evaluation is needed to:
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- see whether the Action Plan is achieving its overall purpose of reducing the incidence and impact of cancer and reducing inequalities
- make sure the various actions in the plan are meeting their expected outcomes and the milestones for each action are being achieved.
The important final step will be to make sure everyone involved in cancer control can learn from what the evaluation finds. The Council will present its first monitoring and review report to the Minister of Health by 30 June 2007.
New group to advise on cancer research
The Cancer Control Council has decided to set up a research advisory group to take the next steps in developing a strategic plan for cancer research. The group will include members from the research community and will consult widely with the sector.
An initial stocktake of cancer research, undertaken by the Council, found research investment is spread unevenly across the different areas of cancer control and the goals of the Cancer Control Strategy. The Council does not have a fixed view on whether this distribution is appropriate. Nor does it advocate reducing spending in basic science or clinical trials which require a more sophisticated infrastructure to remain viable. Both have achieved a great deal with, in international terms, little funding.
The next step, therefore, is to establish whether the current distribution of funding is appropriate, or whether there are some areas that need more support, what existing strengths can be built on and whether the overall investment in cancer research is enough.
A five-year research plan will then be developed to encourage researchers and research funding agencies to engage in research in priority areas.
The findings of the stocktake are contained in the report, Developing a Strategic Plan for Cancer Control Research in New Zealand.
Herceptin briefing
Pharmac medical director Peter Moodie briefed the Cancer Control Council at its February meeting on Pharmac’s position on the breast cancer drug, Herceptin. He outlined the recommendation from Pharmac's Pharmacology and Therapeutics Advisory Committee that nine weeks treatment of the drug should be funded. He also covered Pharmac’s decision to commit $3.2 million to the administration of an international trial, which will compare the nine weeks and 12 months treatment options. The Council is keen to see continued dialogue between Pharmac, oncologists and the community before a final decision is reached. It will stay in touch with the debate as Pharmac consults on its proposal for funding Herceptin this month.
Northern Cancer Network
Richard Sullivan and Bernie Mullin of the Northern Cancer Network addressed the Cancer Control Council at its February meeting in Auckland. They updated the Council on how the network is developing and described its structure, workstreams and the key performance indicators they are using in setting it up.
They identified a number of success factors including:
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- incremental development based on existing organisational structures and Ministry guidance
- clear governance structures
- support from district health board chief executives across the region
- clinical, public health and chief executive leadership with project management support.
Connecting with Australia
Craig Tamblyn, Cancer Control Council general manager, has just returned from a series of meetings with Cancer Australia, the Council’s federal equivalent, the Department of Health and Ageing and other cancer control groups in Canberra and Adelaide.
Highlights included:
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- Learning about the Australian approach to setting up regional cancer networks or ‘managed clinical networks’. Cancer Australia is providing funding of up to A$7 million from now till May 2009 for seven networks. Critical success factors for this demonstration project are likely to include involving primary care, involving the private sector, supporting consumer involvement, consumer information, ensuring quality and providing specialist support to regional/rural sites.
- Comparing notes on consumer involvement at different levels of decision-making within cancer control. This included meeting national consumer organisation Cancer Voices Australia.
- Taking part in a Cancer Australia strategic forum which drew together consumer, clinical and government representatives from throughout Australia. Many of the forum’s themes were familiar for New Zealand – tobacco control, inequalities, consumer involvement, research, primary care involvement and the need for workforce information and information systems. The Council has been asked to provide an update on cancer control in New Zealand at the next forum in July.
Next Cancer Control Council meeting
The Cancer Control Council meets every two months. The next meeting is on 19 April 2007 in Wellington.
Questions and answers
View questions and answers on the Cancer Control Council Website
