Useful Management Information

  • Women with inflammatory breast cancer receive chemotherapy as their first cancer treatment
  • Histology (biopsy or surgical specimen) should include ER/PR/ HER2 neu status
  • Serum tumour bio-markers CEA, CA15-3 or others should not be used as diagnostic tests
  • For women who have not completed their family, fertility preservation needs to be discussed
  • Refer suspected breast lumps through local Breast Surgery pathway.
  • For patients with incurable (metastatic or recurrent) cancer consider the following:
    • documentation of discussions with the patient (and their carers where appropriate) regarding the intent of treatment (anti-cancer therapy to improve quality of life and/or longevity without expectation of cure or symptom palliation), the woman’s prognosis and their understanding of their prognosis
    • whether Advance Care Planning (ACP) conversations have been undertaken and their outcome
    • specific patient goals and values that may impact on treatment choices
    • whether the patient has been referred to a palliative or supportive care service
  • Optimal care pathway for women with breast cancer
  • Quick reference guide

Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?
Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days)
  • Inflammatory breast cancer and patients requiring neoadjuvant chemotherapy (biopsy confirmed) For optimum care, patient should be seen within 2 weeks.
  • Breast cancer for adjuvant chemotherapy
  • Metastatic breast cancer (biopsy confirmed)
Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days)
  • Patient on adjuvant hormone treatment for breast cancer and has problem with tolerance
  • Previously treated breast cancer patient from another centre requiring routine follow-up
Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days)
  • No category 3 criteria

Essential Referral Information

  • Family history
  • Previous cancer treatment details
  • FBC
  • ELFT
  • Histology /cytology results – current +/- previous
  • Mammograms results +/- breast US +/- axilla

Additional Referral Information

  • No additional referral information
Last updated 16 July 2021

Send Referrals To

Smart Referrals

Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals

Secure Web Transfer

Not Available

Internal Referrals

Medical Oncology (E-Blueslips)

Fax

(07) 5687 4497

Post

Cancer Referral Centre,
Gold Coast University Hospital
1 Hospital Boulevard
Southport QLD 4215

Enquiries

(07) 5687 2708

Related HealthPathways

No directly related pathways found

Service Availability

Dr Marcin Dzienis
Medical Director Radiation Oncology (ICON Cancer Care)

Facilities

Gold Coast University Hospital

If you would like to send a named referral, please address it to the specialist listed above, who will allocate a suitably qualified specialist to see the patient. Alternatively, you can view a full list of our specialists.

Gold Coast Health - For Clinicians
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