Cancer Council 13 11 20 – for info and support www.cancerwa.asn.au

LifeLines The Newsletter of Cancer Council WA

08.2014

ContentsLetter from our CEOThis year around 11,000 West Australians will be diagnosed with cancer, joining the 83,000 people currently living with cancer in WA. We believe that no-one affected by cancer should have to walk alone.

We provide a range of services and programs across the whole of the cancer journey so we can be there for people when they need us – last year we provided support to over 30,000 West Australians of all ages affected by cancer throughout the state. We know that this number will grow in the years to come, so with your help we will keep growing our services and programs so we can walk by the side of the West Australians who need us.

We will also continue to fund more innovative and collaborative cancer projects that have the potential to lead to breakthroughs in cancer treatment, diagnosis and prevention and improved quality of life for people living with cancer. With your generous support, one of the projects we are currently funding is Dr Terry Boyle’s cutting edge research. Terry is the recipient of our Early Career Investigator Grant and winner of our Early Career

Researcher of the Year 2013. He is investigating the effects of sedentary behaviour amongst colon, breast and non-Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer survivors. The results of Terry’s research have the potential to have significant impact globally on health guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for cancer patients.

In May, we celebrated a great milestone for our National Bowel Cancer Screening campaign. After several years of advocacy with our sister Cancer Councils throughout the country, we can now look forward to screening for bowel cancer with an immunochemical faecal occult blood test (more widely known as the iFOBT) every two years for those aged 50 to 74 in place by 2020. This will result in at least 70,000 Australian bowel cancer deaths prevented in the coming 40 years. The next big challenge will be to inform Australians of

the importance of doing the test when they receive it.

Young children can feel vulnerable when a parent or grandparent is diagnosed with cancer. School holiday plans may need to be put on hold due to illness, fatigue and financial challenges. With your support our Children’s Craft and Social Support Program provides children affected by cancer the opportunity to socialise with other children going through similar situations during school holidays.

Finally I wanted to say thank you so much for working so closely with us – for helping us to make every day an opportunity to beat cancer. Your incredible generosity makes a very real difference to the lives of so many people in our community now and into the future.

Susan Rooney Chief Executive Officer

“Sit less, move more!” Message from our Early Career Investigator Grant recipient, Dr Terry Boyle

Advocacy breakthrough in bowel cancer screening At least 70,000 Australian bowel cancer deaths will be prevented

Cancer Update Series Shining a light on important cancer issues and sharing new research findings

Young ones benefit from your support as well Children’s Craft and Social Support Program helping children aged between six and 12 years old affected by cancer

LifeLines | Issue 08.142

We have so many reasons to thank you for your generosity in response to our February and May Appeals.

With your amazing support for the first half of 2014, we’ve already raised over $550,000 to put towards funding innovative and collaborative cancer research projects, as well as support services and programs for people affected by cancer, and prevention programs for the community.

You may recall we featured Dr Rebecca Fuller in our February Appeal and Professor Wendy Erber in our May Appeal. Both cancer researchers are recipients of our research grants and are determined to

find breakthroughs in cancer diagnosis and treatment. When they heard of the amazing support from you, they were eager to say a word of thanks for all your generosity. With your ongoing support, we can continue to fund our range of range of services, programs and research.

To show their gratitude, these are their messages of thanks to you:

Thank you, thank you and thank you!

Why not wear a pin this Daffodil Day and show you care?This Daffodil Day, Friday 22 August, we would like you to buy a yellow daffodil pin and show you care about beating cancer.

This year, for the first time, we are running an interactive online campaign, encouraging you to purchase a pin, wear it, and take a selfie. We would like to invite you to post your selfie onto our Daffodil Day website – www.daffodilday.com.au/icare. You can also share your selfie on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Why not tag your friends and encourage them to do the same – to show they care about beating cancer?

On the day, we will have our Daffodil Day merchandise stalls around the CBD, in

various suburbs and regional areas. Funds raised will go towards funding cancer research, providing people affected by cancer with support services and programs, and delivering prevention programs to the community.

So remember to show you care by purchasing a pin and wearing it.

We look forward to seeing your selfie with your daffodil pin, and to another great Daffodil Day on Friday 22 August!

“I am greatly humbled by the response of Cancer Council WA supporters to the February Appeal. My research project would not be possible without generous donations and I would like to thank the community for their response.”

Dr Rebecca Fuller One of our Suzanne Cavanagh Early Career Investigator Grant recipients

“I am absolutely delighted to hear of the incredible generosity of the West

Australian community in supporting Cancer Council WA’s May Appeal. I would like to extend

my gratitude to all who donated. Your support will enable crucial research to be undertaken to further improve cancer diagnosis, treatment and management, essential work which will lead to more effective and personalised treatments. This would not be possible without the generous donations from Cancer Council WA’s supporters, and for which I extend my thanks.”

Professor Wendy Erber Head of School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The University of Western Australia

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Cancer Council 13 11 20 – for info and support www.cancerwa.asn.au

“Sit less, move more!”A message from our Early Career Investigator Grant recipient, Dr Terry Boyle

Research shows that sedentary behaviour (too much sitting) increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, even amongst people who are physically active. Researchers have also found sedentary behaviour may lead to an increased risk of bowel, prostate, ovarian, endometrial and uterine cancers. For cancer survivors, research has shown being physically active is associated with a wide range of physical and mental health benefits, however, not much is known about the effects of sedentary behaviour.

Dr Terry Boyle, one of our 2013 Early Career Investigator Grant recipients – and recipient of our Early Career Cancer Researcher of the Year Award 2013 – is currently conducting studies on the effects of too much sitting in bowel, breast and non-Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer survivors. The aim is to investigate the amount of time spent on physical activity and sedentary behaviour by cancer survivors to see whether these behaviours influence obesity, quality of life, fatigue, depression and sleep quality. He is working collaboratively with researchers in Australia, Canada and the United States on these studies.

In Terry’s previous research he has found that being physically active is associated with a reduced risk of bowel cancer, whereas long-term sedentary work may increase the risk of bowel cancer. He has also found that people diagnosed with bowel cancer who are physically active, don’t smoke and are a healthy weight have improved survival rates, particularly female cancer patients.

Results from Terry’s current research will have a local and international impact on health and wellbeing of cancer patients

and survivors. His results will be able to inform

guidelines and health promotion

messages about physical activity and sedentary behaviour. The results will also help develop

guidelines to improve the

health and quality of life of people with cancer. In addition, the research results may also inform newly diagnosed cancer patients and cancer survivors of the potential benefits of being physically active.

We are working in conjunction with the Health Department and the Heart Foundation aiming to ensure West Australians live an active and healthy lifestyle in order to minimise their risk of cancer. We also help cancer patients and cancer survivors have a good quality of life. In line with Terry’s research, our Life Now program aims to help patients living with cancer gain strength, reduce fatigue, and improve fitness and health through exercise, meditation and yoga.

It is the generosity of the West Australian community that makes it possible for us to fund exciting and collaborative research like Terry’s – thank you!

Terry is very grateful for your generosity, which enables us to fund research projects that have the potential to discover breakthroughs in cancer prevention and treatment.

“I think it would be difficult for Cancer Council WA to offer grants and fellowships to West Australian cancer researchers were it not for the incredibly generous support of West Australian organisations, families and individuals,” says Terry.

To hear more from Terry and how your support has helped him pursue his project in collaboration with researchers in Vancouver, Canada, please visit www.cancerwa.asn.au/research/researchawards/#terryboyle.

Researchers have found sedentary behaviour may lead to an increased risk of bowel, prostate,

ovarian, endometrial and uterine cancers

LifeLines | Issue 08.144

Amazing LiveLighter® recipe books to add to your collection of healthy recipesThinking of what to cook for the family or even for one person can sometimes be a challenge. More importantly, cooking something healthy can be hard if we do not know what ingredients to use. The LiveLighter® program is here to make things easier for West Australians wanting healthy dishes all seasons of the year.

Feeling the chill this winter? Why not try staying warm with a yummy lamb and barley soup?

Lamb and Barley Soup Preparation time: 10 minutes + overnight cooling

Cooking time: 70 minutes Serves: 6

Ingredients

500g lamb offcuts (on the bone)

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, including the leaves, chopped

1 potato, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp dried Italian herbs

½ cup barley or soup mix

1 tsp reduced-salt vegetable stock

Freshly ground or cracked black pepper, to taste

Method

• Cut any visible pieces of fat off the meat and discard.

• Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan.

• Add 1.5 litres of water to completely cover the ingredients. Add more if needed.

• With a lid on, place the pan on a high heat until boiling.

• Reduce the heat to low and cook for one hour or until the meat is easily pulled from the bone.

• Take off the heat and allow pot to cool for 20 minutes.

• Place the covered pot in the fridge to cool overnight. Remove the visible fat from the top with a spoon and discard.

• Remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones.

• To serve, warm the soup over medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes until heated through.

Alternative

Use any cut of meat with the bone in (chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, lamb neck, lamb shank, soup bones).

LiveLighter recipe books can now be

downloaded by visiting www.livelighter.com.au/

tools-and-resources/

Advocacy breakthrough in bowel cancer screening!This is an important and exciting time for bowel cancer screening and prevention.

The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program currently invites eligible Australians aged 50, 55, 60 and 65 to be screened with an immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT).

The Federal Government recently announced that they will be funding a complete implementation of this program, phased in over five years. This means by 2020, screening with iFOBT will be available for those aged 50 to 74 every two years.

This will prevent at least 70,000 Australian bowel cancer deaths in the coming 40 years.

“Cancer Councils around Australia have been advocating for almost 10 years for the National Bowel

Screening Program to be improved. It has been a concerted and consistent effort from everyone involved. This recent announcement can, in part, be credited to the research that was lead here at Cancer Council WA,” said Dayna Cenin, our Bowel Cancer Education Coordinator. “This research showed just how many bowel cancer deaths could be prevented if the screening program was implemented in a timely manner and is due to be published in a leading Australian journal later this year.”

Bowel cancer is one of the many common cancers that can be effectively treated when diagnosed early. Early diagnosis will lead to

treatment being less invasive and improved chances of survival.

If you’d like to know more about the bowel cancer screening program, please contact Cancer Council 13 11 20 – for info and support or visit our website www.cancerwa.asn.au/resources/specific-cancers/bowel-cancer/.

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CANCER UPDATE SERIES:

Keeping you up to date with the latest cancer information and researchOur Cancer Update Series are free events for the West Australian community. This series shines a light on important cancer issues and shares new research findings.

This year will mark the 20th anniversary of our Cancer Update Series. Each event runs from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m.

Below are the dates of our upcoming Cancer Update Series:

Date Venue Topic Speaker11 August 2014 The State Library Theatre,

Alexander LibraryCervical cancer screening – is this the end of the Pap smear?

Professor Ian Hammond

22 September 2014 The State Library Theatre, Alexander Library

Below the belt: sexuality and prostate cancer

Dr Addie Wooten

6 October 2014 McCusker Auditorium at the Harry Perkins Institute

Breast cancer: from early detection to surviving and thriving

Professor Christobel Saunders

3 November 2014 The State Library Theatre, Alexander Library

Respecting patient choices – advanced care planning

Associate Professor William Silvester

2 February 2015 The State Library Theatre, Alexander Library

Cancer prevention – reducing our risk and finding it early

Professor David Whiteman

If you would like to listen to the talks from our 2012 and 2013 Cancer Update Series, please visit our website at www.cancerwa.asn.au/resources/cancer-update/.

This breakthrough will prevent at least 70,000

Australian bowel cancer deaths in the

coming 40 years

Cancer Council 13 11 20 – for info and support www.cancerwa.asn.au

6 LifeLines | Issue 08.14

In a situation where a parent or grandparent is affected by cancer, young children within the family can become vulnerable. During school holidays, plans may need to be put on hold as the parent or grandparent living with cancer may not be able to participate in activities due to fatigue, illness and reduced funds due to financial changes.

We are committed to being there for those affected by cancer no matter what their age. A cancer diagnosis affects the whole family. Your generous support allows us to extend our services and programs not just to those living with cancer, but to those, especially young ones, affected by this disease.

Our Cancer Information and Support Services conducted a pilot program – Children’s Craft and Social Support Program – in December 2013 at our South West Cancer Support Centre, Dot’s Place. The program provides craft and social activity to support children aged between six and 12 years old who are affected by cancer. It provides children with a fun and safe environment during the school holidays while their parent or grandparent is receiving treatment.

When a child’s world changes, it is important to provide stability and routine to help them feel less

anxious. Sandy McKiernan, our Cancer Information and Support Services Director says, “The program provides a safe and fun environment for children during their school holidays and goes part way to relieving some of the childcare duties of parents or grandparents going through cancer treatment.”

Parents whose children participated in the pilot program have given positive feedback. Due to popular demand, another session was held in April this year. Children who participated in the program were engaged with fun activities such as painting, card making, treasure hunting, drawing, writing and many more. The children worked in groups, which allowed them to experience team building.

Shelby Tuck, an Edith Cowan University student, was one of our many amazing volunteers, who helped to deliver this program.

Shelby was recruited as a volunteer because of her bubbly and fun personality. Shelby had a positive experience working on the program and saw how it benefited the children.

The children were quite reserved at first but quickly warmed to the program. They played in the garden treasure hunting and made beautiful hope boxes filled with affirmations.

The program provides a safe and fun environment for young children with similar experiences to connect with each other. Thanks to your generosity, we are able to provide programs which help decrease stress and anxiety of young children affected by this disease.

The program provides a safe and fun environment for young children with similar experiences

to connect with each other

Young ones benefit from your support as well…

Twins Fin and Macy Whealer, 8, and Kaelan Vardy, 12, of Bunbury had some time-out to make crafts with Cancer Council South West

Support Coordinator Hayley Tuck and ECU Education student Shelby Tuck last week.

PICTURE: HAYLEY DAVIS

Love riding? Why not set a challenge for 2015?

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Do you enjoy cycling? Have you ever wanted to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia? If your answer to both questions is yes, why not register to Ride for Hope in 2015 and fundraise for Cancer Council WA? Not only will you go on an adventure of a life time, but knowing your great efforts will go towards supporting those affected by cancer will be a great plus.

Sarah Beasley, our Making Smoking History Project Officer (image on the right), is riding for hope in loving memory of her mother who passed away from breast cancer when she was only 22 years old. She pledged to raise $10,000 to help fund our work.

To mark three years since her mother lost her battle to cancer, Sarah is determined to take up this challenge and ride approximately 400km across Vietnam and Cambodia, while fundraising for us.

Sarah says, “I’m very excited for this opportunity to give back to the charity that supports my family. The money raised will go towards

support services and programs for people affected by cancer. I have been overwhelmed with the amount of support I’ve received so far, people have been incredibly generous.”

If you have always wanted to visit and experience the countryside of both amazing countries, wait no longer. Why not take hold of this amazing opportunity and contact Inspired Adventures on 1300 905 188 or visit www.cancerwa.asn.au/articles/calendar-fundraising-events/ride-for-hope/ today to register. Go on an experience you will never forget!

Go on an experience

you will never forget!

Cancer Council 13 11 20 – for info and support www.cancerwa.asn.au

LifeLines | Issue 08.14

What have you heard lately that causes cancer?

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1

2

3

My cheque/money order is enclosed and made payable to Cancer Council WA OR

Please debit the above amount to my credit card:

Card No.

Cardholder’s Name

Expiry Date / Signature

OR I would like to donate $ each month by credit card until I advise otherwise.

Please tell me how I can include a gift to Cancer Council WA in my Will.

46 Ventnor Avenue, West Perth WA 6005 Donation Hotline 1300 65 65 85

Donation Hotline 1300 65 65 85www.cancerwa.asn.au/appealPost completed coupon to: 46 Ventnor Avenue, West Perth WA 6005

Please accept my gift of: $60 $30 $100 OR my choice of $3 EASY WAYS TO DONATE:

Title DOB / /

First Name

Last Name

Address

State Postcode

Telephone

EmailWestern Australia

46 Ventnor Avenue West Perth WA 6005Telephone 1300 65 65 85

Confidential information and support for the cost of a local call.

8am - 6pm Mon to Fri.www.cancerwa.asn.au follow us on facebook

Have you ever heard a claim about cancer and wondered whether it is fact or fiction? Like whether deodorants, artificial sweeteners, or drinking from plastic bottles causes cancer? Or whether the new miracle cancer cure you’ve read about on the internet is effective, or not?

There are many myths, rumours and fanciful claims about cancer. What you hear, read or find on the internet may be not be based on evidence. To debunk the myths Cancer Council has created a website called ‘iheard’ – www.iheard.com.au – to help you sort fact from fiction. You can now download the app on your smartphone – via iTunes or Google Play – or by visiting www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/online-resources/iheard.html.

iheard aims to give you accurate, evidence-based answers to your cancer questions. Any question about cancer you ask will be reviewed

by our team of scientists, clinical advisors, researchers, and cancer prevention and support professionals.

iheard has answers to all sorts of questions – from whether lipstick causes cancer to whether you can cure yourself by eating certain foods or by using certain products.

It is important to know fact from fiction and iheard aims to help you do just that – to demystify what you read and hear about what causes cancer.

If you hear something about cancer and you’re not sure if

it’s true, post your question to our experts on www.iheard.com.au or on your iheard smartphone app.

Alternatively if you prefer to speak to one of our cancer nurses, you can contact Cancer Council 13 11 20 – for info and support.

Issue 08.14 / 2448