Blood cancer

If you have been diagnosed with a blood cancer and would like to attend Cabrini, please speak to your GP who can refer you to one of our experienced haematologists. The haematologist is a medical specialist who coordinates your care and treatment and arranges any further tests or scans you may need.

Your haematologist will establish your medical history and ask about any recent symptoms or problems that you experienced in the lead up to your referral or diagnosis. It’s also likely they will examine you. If the haematologist has enough information they will confirm your diagnosis and plan the next steps; however often you will need more tests. These may include blood tests, scans, a needle biopsy or a bone marrow biopsy to determine the diagnosis and stage of the disease. Our team will arrange all your bookings and provide any special instructions, such as fasting.

It’s likely you will need a second appointment with the haematologist to discuss the test results and diagnosis, and set up a treatment plan. You should bring a list of medications, details of other doctors involved in your care, and any previous test results or scans. You may feel overwhelmed so we recommend bringing a friend or family member to appointments to help you ask questions and take notes.

Treatment will depend on the type and stage of your illness. Some patients don’t need treatment immediately, but the haematologist may set up a plan to monitor your condition. Treatments for blood cancer can include: chemotherapy, injections, targeted therapies or immunotherapy, oral tablets or radiotherapy. It is best to talk to your haematologist about the optimal treatment and whether a clinical trial would be suitable. Our team will be there to support you every step of the way to make the journey less daunting.

At Cabrini we believe your wellbeing extends beyond your physical health during treatment and recovery. To ensure a holistic approach to your health, we offer a range of support services including: dietitians, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, physiotherapists and exercise physiologists. Your treatment team, including the haematologist and specialist nurses, can also recommend other health professionals who may be able to help you.

If you are considering seeking treatment from complementary health professionals, be sure to discuss this first with your haematologist, as it may interfere with your medicines and your treatment.

There are many different types of treatment for blood cancers. Most people do not need to be admitted to hospital overnight and can be treated with medications or day treatments. Before starting your treatment your doctor and specialist nurses will write down and discuss the treatment plan with you.

At Cabrini you will receive a chemotherapy diary, which contains information about side-effects and who to call if you have any problems. You can also use this or an electronic diary to organise your appointments and write down questions. Your haematologist will communicate with your GP throughout your treatment. When it finishes your haematologist will give you a recovery plan and organise follow up appointments.

Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise when you are undergoing cancer treatment is proven to have profound benefits. Research shows that if you are active and eat well while you have medical treatment, it may improve your quality of life, reduce your risk of cancer recurrence, increase your chance of survival and extend your life.

However, it can be difficult to know what to eat and how much to exercise. That’s why Cabrini offers cancer patients advice on nutrition and exercise that is backed by science and tailored to individual circumstances. Our dietitians offer nutritional support during cancer treatment to help you with weight management and advise you on the correct meal choices.

We also have a team of exercise physiologists to support you with your exercise needs. The cancer experience can take a heavy physical and mental toll on patients, and exercise is a safe and effective way to counteract some of the side effects. The latest evidence suggests regular exercise before, during and/or following cancer treatment decreases the severity of adverse effects. It has also been linked to reduced risk of developing new cancers and conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.

Please ask your specialist for more information, or visit our Allied Health Centre page or call the centre on (03) 9508 1700 to book an appointment. The Cancer Oncology Society of Australia’s Position Statement on Exercise in Cancer Care is also a great source of information.

One of the benefits of being cared for at Cabrini is our dedication to world-class research. Cabrini’s Oncology Clinical Trials Program enables eligible patients to access pioneering treatments, including immunotherapy and targeted therapies, for a range of cancers. Our program, which was established in 2003, provides state-of-the-art care for cancer patients and continued advancements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. We achieve this through a combination of research, education and clinical practice.

Your specialist will discuss any clinical trials offered at Cabrini, or at other hospitals, that you may be eligible for. They may also be able to connect you to relevant special access programs, which can allow patients to receive new drugs before they are subsidised by the government.

When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, it’s common to be so overwhelmed with information that they do not think about the impact treatment may have on their ability to have children. For others, their future fertility is all they can think about. We encourage our cancer patients to discuss how their treatment may affect their ability to conceive a child, or maintain a pregnancy, before treatment begins. The choices you make about fertility preservation will be based on your individual circumstances, such as your diagnosis, treatment plan and desire to have children in the future.

Your Cabrini cancer specialist or general practitioner can refer you to a fertility specialist or a counsellor who can explain the steps you can take to preserve and protect your fertility before, during and after treatment. They will be able to explain the potential impact of treatment on your chances of conceiving and the latest fertility preservation techniques, while understanding the unique time constraints a cancer patient faces.

It depends on your private health insurance policy and the type of medical tests and treatment you require. Every patient is different, so we recommend speaking to your doctors and health insurance provider about the expected associated costs. Generally, hospital cover policies pay the cost of in-hospital treatment charged by your specialist, and costs such as accommodation and theatre fees. You may need to pay a gap, which is the difference between the total fee charged by your doctor and any Medicare rebate and health fund benefit.

Your haematologist can tell you the cost of their consultations. Often the first and second visits will cost more, and there will be a small out of pocket cost for subsequent outpatient visits. If you see the haematologist in hospital, or on a day you are admitted for treatment, there will usually be no out of pocket cost or ‘gap’ for the consultation.

Please note: this is a guide only. For further details please contact your private health provider.

Victoria offers four free programs for people experiencing financial hardship as the result of their cancer diagnosis: the Legal Referral Service, the Financial Planning Referral Service, the Workplace Advisory Service and the Small Business Advice Service. Industry professionals volunteer to deliver these programs to patients experiencing financial difficulties. Cancer Council Victoria offers advice in its Cancer and Your Finances Guide. It also helps refer patients to services that may be useful.

At Cabrini we can also connect you to a social worker, who can give you information about accessing superannuation and other financial advice. We understand cancer patients can experience financial hardship as a result of their diagnosis and treatment, so we offer patients receiving chemotherapy a discount on many services. Ask your doctor or nurse about the Cabrini Chemotherapy Card and how it can be used to offset some of the costs of care. We are also making it easier for our patients by improving our billing information.

We encourage you to speak to your haematologist and other Cabrini health professionals about any questions or concerns you may have. This can be a difficult time for patients and their families and we are here to help.

For more information on blood cancers you can visit the websites listed in the External Resources section. You can also learn more about our haematologists on the Cabrini website, either from their profiles in the Specialist section or the Find a Doctor page.