Every year, around 1000 Australian children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer. While advances in treatment mean most now survive, up to 95 per cent experience at least one long-term physical or psychological late effect during or after treatment. Some complications last decades or last a lifetime.
As childhood cancer survivors transition from paediatric specialist services into adulthood, GPs increasingly become their primary healthcare provider. Yet many doctors report feeling underprepared to care for this population, particularly in WA where there is no dedicated pathway for childhood cancer survivors transitioning into adult services.
Cancer Council WA's Primary Care Cancer Education Project is helping address this gap through supervised clinical attachments at Perth Children's Hospital, giving GPs the opportunity to observe specialist care and build their confidence in supporting childhood cancer survivors.
Understanding life after childhood cancer
At Perth Children's Hospital, the Paediatric Oncology Survivorship Clinic supports almost 300 young people, more than double its original caseload. The clinic focuses on monitoring and managing late effects of cancer treatment and education.
Clinical Nurse Specialist Kerrie Graham says transitioning out of paediatric services can be confronting for families who have relied on specialist support for years. Without a clear pathway into adult services, survivors can face uncertainty about managing their ongoing health needs, with the impact often extending to the whole family.
The supervised attachment gives doctors an opportunity to see how the clinic addresses these challenges and understand the long-term implications of childhood cancer treatment.
Prospective GP trainee Dr Juma Mohamed recently completed the one-day attachment, seeking exposure to paediatrics in a highly specialised oncology setting. Having previously participated in Cancer Council WA CPD activities, he expected the experience would be valuable. However, he came away with a much deeper understanding of the long-term complexity childhood cancer survivors face.
The attachment places doctors directly inside the clinic environment, observing consultations, surveillance examinations and late-effects monitoring alongside specialist clinicians across oncology and haematology clinics.
The day begins with a detailed review of each patient's treatment history, previous referrals, pathology and radiology results, known complications and ongoing concerns. By the time the patient enters the room, clinicians already have a comprehensive understanding of the issues requiring attention.
Kerrie explains that care shifts from treating the original cancer to monitoring existing late effects, identifying emerging complications and e educating survivors about future risks. Depending on the treatments received, these effects can emerge across virtually every body system.
Recognising the psychological impact
For Dr Mohamed, one of the most striking aspects of the day was the psychological burden carried by survivors and their families.
A consultation with a young patient experiencing mental health challenges particularly stayed with him. Observing the interaction highlighted the scale of psychological distress experienced not only by childhood cancer survivors, but also families who have endured years of treatment, uncertainty and trauma. He says the emotional and social impacts on parents were clearly visible and reinforced how profoundly cancer affects the entire family unit.
Kerrie says psychological trauma remains one of the clinic's biggest challenges. Research published in 2024 found childhood cancer survivors require significantly higher levels of mental health support than the general population.
The experience reinforced for Dr Mohamed the critical role GPs play once survivors transition out of specialist care. As survival rates continue to improve, he believes general practice will increasingly become the frontline for identifying and managing long-term complications, ranging from cardiac and endocrine issues to secondary cancers and psychosocial concerns.
The experience reinforced for Dr Mohamed the importance of GPs looking beyond physical symptoms when caring for childhood cancer survivors. As these patients transition into adult healthcare, GPs may be among the first to identify emerging physical complications, psychological distress or social challenges.
Building confidence in survivorship care
The attachment offers GPs a valuable opportunity to observe specialist survivorship care firsthand, deepen their understanding of late effects and consider how this knowledge can inform their own practice. The program will help create a statewide network of GPs equipped to support childhood cancer survivors as they move into adulthood.
Every doctor who completes the attachment becomes part of this growing network, helping ensure survivors do not fall through gaps in the health system once paediatric care ends.
Interested in taking part?
The one-day supervised clinical attachment runs on Fridays at Perth Children's Hospital and provides nine CPD hours.
Places are limited. To express interest, contact Cancer Council WA's Primary Care Cancer Education Project at via email or complete our Supervised clinical attachment registration form.
