Pancreatic Cancer Action at Scottish Cancer Conference 2024
The Scottish Cancer Conference is an annual event which unites an array of individuals and organisations who are involved with or affected by cancer. This includes patients, pharmaceutical companies, clinicians, academics, policy makers and charities. It presents an excellent opportunity to network and understand the latest developments in the fight against cancer.
The theme for the conference this year was “Unlocking the power of health innovation”. This theme explored how innovation within our health systems has the potential to transform cancer outcomes by preventing more cancers, diagnosing more cancers at an earlier stage, and making sure all patients have equal access to kinder and better treatments.
We had the privilege of hosting one of the six breakout sessions on offer at the conference, chaired by our Health Information and Research Manager, Heather Archbold. Our afternoon session was titled “Community Pharmacy – the new front line for detecting cancer early”. The aim of this session was to emphasise the crucial role that pharmacists play in the early diagnosis of cancer. Community pharmacy is the most accessible delivery point of healthcare as there is no need for an appointment with minimal waiting times to be seen.
Pharmacists and their teams are best placed to recognise the signs and symptoms of cancer in the regular customer base that they support. Many of the initial symptoms of cancer can be addressed through self-medication, e.g. pain, nausea, indigestion, which can be prescribed by a community pharmacist. If pharmacists suspect cancer, they can then recommend that their patient visit their GP.
However, this may not be enough to save a patients’ life. We advocate for pharmacists to have the power to directly refer onto the cancer pathway, so patients can seek help as soon as possible. By referring to fellow healthcare professionals, their treatment may be delayed, allowing for the cancer to spread to where it is no longer curable.
During our session, we chaired a panel of pharmacists including Nathan Burley (Advanced Pharmacist and vice-chair of the Scottish Pharmaceutical Public Health Network), Lisa MacLeod (Lead Pharmacist, Scotland Cancer Network), and Jennifer Laskey (Lead Pharmacist for the West of Scotland Cancer Network).
Our panel spoke very passionately about the need for direct referral for community pharmacists and the challenges they face. Our Q&A session was very engaging, with discussions around pharmacy capacity, access to patient records and what more can be done to educate community pharmacists about cancer.
As part of the breakout session, we also heard from Peter McGovern, a one-year pancreatic cancer survivor. He spoke very openly about his experience of pancreatic cancer, the delay to his diagnosis and the support he has had from his local community pharmacist whilst navigating his recovery.
As well as our breakout session, we also hosted an exhibition stand in the lobby of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre where the event was held. With just over 200 attendees, this was a great opportunity to promote our health information and network with delegates during the breaks.
We are grateful for the opportunity to attend these networking events and help raise awareness of and campaign for change for pancreatic cancer. It is always good to meet colleagues representing other tumour types to exchange knowledge and practice in the fight against all cancers.
Hosting awareness stands is an excellent way to support the charity and improve symptom awareness.