What to expect

A cancer diagnosis is often difficult to take in and everyone will have a different reaction.

Feelings of shock, anger, sadness, fear and helplessness may occur. Making sense of what happens next can be difficult.

The following cancer care pathways have been developed to help identify the steps and recommended care at each stage. Not everyone will follow each step of the pathway, but they will help you know what questions to ask your doctors so you receive the best care.

• acute myeloid leukaemia
• bowel cancer
• breast cancer
• cancer of unknown primary
• endometrial cancer
• head and neck cancers
• high-grade glioma cancer
• liver cancer
• lung cancer
• hodgkin lymphoma
• melanoma
• non-melanoma (basal and squamous cell carcinoma)
• oesophagogastric cancer
• ovarian cancer
• pancreatic cancer
• peritoneal mesothelioma
• pleural mesothelioma
• prostate cancer
• sarcoma (bone and soft tissue tumours)

The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has commissioned Cancer Council Victoria to develop the Optimal Cancer Care Pathways. These will be adopted nationally.

To view all pathways visit the Optimal Care Pathways website.

For more information regarding the current Pathways, please call 13 11 20.