Glossary - Victorian Integrated Cancer Services

A Common Path

A suite of videos and podcasts developed by the North Eastern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (NEMICS) for people newly diagnosed with cancer to hear from others who had already experienced a cancer diagnosis and treatment about how they made decisions, what they learned along the way, what helped, and what they wish they had known or done better.
Watch or listen to the resources

ACSC (Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre)

A multidisciplinary team based at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre that works with cancer survivors, health professionals, community organisations, and policy makers to improve the health and wellbeing of cancer survivors and their carers.
ACSC webpages on Peter Mac website

Advance care planning

A process of planning for future health and personal care whereby the person’s values, beliefs and preferences are made known to guide decision-making at a future time when that person cannot make or communicate their decisions

ALIC (Analysis of Linked Information on Cancer)

A team jointly operated by the Victorian Department of Health and Cancer Council Victoria, which conducts analysis and interpretation of linked cancer datasets.

Australian Cancer Plan

Australia’s national plan to improve cancer outcomes, particularly for groups whose health outcomes are poorer, from 2024 to 2054.
Australian Cancer Plan website

BSWRICS

Barwon South Western Regional Integrated Cancer Service – One of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS), Victoria’s cancer service improvement network.
BSWRICS webpages

CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse)

Describes people and communities with diverse languages, ethnic backgrounds, nationalities, traditions, societal structures and religions.

Cancer Council Victoria

An independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to reducing the impact of all cancers on all people in Victoria.
Cancer Council Victoria website

Cancer Mind Care

A self-help online platform providing tailored mental health support for people with cancer, their support persons, clinicians and First Nations peoples, developed by GRICS, WCMICS, and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Cancer Mind Care website

CanMAP

A web-based system for the management and administration of cancer care coordination services and multidisciplinary team meetings.
CanMAP website

Care Plus

An early palliative care service available at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Melbourne, and Lyell McEwin Hospital in Adelaide.
Care Plus website

Carer

Someone (usually a family member or friend) who provides care to a person, usually at home.

Clinical trial

Any research study that assigns human participants to one or more health-related treatments to evaluate the effects on health.

Co-creation / Co-design

Engaging consumer representatives and users of products and services in the design and creation process.

Consumer / health consumer

A person who is using (see ‘Patient’), has used, or may potentially use health services, or a carer for a patient using health services.

Consumer advisor/representative/advocate

A person affected by cancer (as a patient, survivor, carer or family member) who contributes a consumer perspective and experiences to health service decisions.

Consumer engagement

Health consumers being involved in their own healthcare, planning and developing health policies, service planning, contributing to research and clinical trials, implementation of service improvements, and evaluation.

Consumer participation

Consumers, carers and community members being meaningfully involved in making decisions about health policy and planning, care and treatment, and the wellbeing of themselves and their community.

CSPI (Cancer Services Performance Indicators)

Regularly audited statewide performance indicators that help implement relevant cancer policy and allow progress to be monitored and evaluated.

CVDL (Centre for Victorian Data Linkage)

A unit of the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) that maintains the Victorian Linkage Map (VLM) and Integrated Data Resource (IDR).
CVDL page on VAHI website

End-of-life care

The care delivered to people with progressive, incurable illness to live as well as possible until they die – allowing supportive and palliative care (see below) needs of both the patient and their family to be identified and met.

Equity

The absence of avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people – whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically.

GICS

Grampians Integrated Cancer Service – One of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS), Victoria’s cancer service improvement network.
GICS webpages

GPs (general practitioners)

Doctors who have completed training in general practice.

GRICS

Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Service – One of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS), Victoria’s cancer service improvement network.
GRICS webpages

Health consumer

See ‘Consumer’ above.

Health practitioner

Professions registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law include general practitioners (GPs), specialists, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. Unregistered health practitioners include speech pathologists and social workers.

HPB (Hepatobiliary) cancer

A cancer affecting the liver, gallbladder, or pancreas.

HRICS (or HumeRICS)

Hume Regional Integrated Cancer Service – One of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS), Victoria’s cancer service improvement network.
HRICS webpages

ICS (Integrated Cancer Service)

Any one of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS) network, namely:

Barwon South Western Regional Integrated Cancer Service (BSWRICS)
Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Service (GRICS)
Grampians Integrated Cancer Service (GICS)
Hume Regional Integrated Cancer Service (HRICS)
Loddon Mallee Integrated Cancer Service (LMICS)
North Eastern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (NEMICS)
Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service (PICS; statewide)
Southern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (SMICS)
Western & Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (WCMICS).

Incidence

The number of cases or episodes in a defined population within a given period.

IDR (Integrated Data Resource)

A de-identified linked data asset of health, human services and other administrative and clinical data relating to people in the Victorian Linkage Map (VLM) – Maintained by the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI)’s Centre for Victorian Data Linkage (CVDL).
CVDL page on VAHI website

LGA (Local Government Area)

A legally designated part of a State or Territory, for which an incorporated local governing body has responsibility. Victoria is divided into 79 LGAs – also called municipalities, cities, shires, rural cities or boroughs. Each of our 8 geographically defined ICS serves a specific group of those LGAs.
Explore the VICS network, by LGAs

LGBTIQA+

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and asexual people, plus those with other marginalised sexualities or gender identities.

Lived experience

Personal experience of having cancer, or of caring for someone with cancer.

LMICS

Loddon–Mallee Integrated Cancer Service – One of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS), Victoria’s cancer service improvement network.
LMICS webpages

LTFP (Long-Term Follow-up Program)

A clinical program run by Victoria’s Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service (PICS) to support children and adolescents with cancer treatment-related late effects.
LTFP webpage

MDM or MDT meeting (Multidisciplinary team meeting)

A deliberate, regular meeting involving a range of health professionals with expertise in the diagnosis and management of cancer, for the purpose of facilitating best-practice management of all patients with cancer.
VICS priority area: Improving equity of access to high-quality care

MPCCC (Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium)

A strategic alliance of health service and research organisations working to bring a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to innovating clinical oncology practices, improving cancer services, and delivering the next generation of research for better cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment of cancer.
MPCCC website

Multidisciplinary care

A team approach in which health professionals work together to plan treatment and care for individual cancer patients.

My Cancer Care Record

A folder designed to help people affected by cancer, or their carers, to manage information relating to their care and treatment.
Download or order My Cancer Care Record resources

My Cancer Diagnosis Explained

An easy-to-follow resource for patients and carers to take home after a consultation, capturing key information about diagnosis and specific next steps for that patient.
Download My Cancer Diagnosis Explained resources

NEMICS

North-Eastern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service – One of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS), Victoria’s cancer service improvement network.
NEMICS webpages

OCP (Optimal Care Pathway or Optimal Cancer Care Pathway)

A nationally endorsed pathway for consistent, safe, high-quality, and evidence-based care for people with cancer.
OCPs on the Cancer Council Australia website

Oncofertility

Preservation of fertility during and after cancer treatment.
Access the Fertility after Cancer resource, developed by WCMICS.

Optimal Care Summits

See ‘VICS Optimal Care Summits’ below.

Palliative care

Care that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing life-threatening or life-limiting illness

Patient

A person who is receiving care in a health service organisation. To include people who have cancer, or have had it in the past, regardless of what treatment they are currently receiving, use ‘person affected by cancer’.

Patient advocate

A person who supports and promote the rights of an individual patient as they navigate the healthcare system

PATRON (Primary care Audit, Teaching, and Research Open Network)

A de-identified repository of information about people’s interactions in primary care

PDF (Portable Document Format)

Open standard file format used to make many of our resources easier to download and print

Person-centred care

Where the client is involved in all planning and decision-making, and care is aligned with their priorities

Peter Mac (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre)

A Comprehensive Cancer Centre based in central Melbourne, delivering integrated treatment, research and education and leading the way in cancer care across Australia.
Peter Mac website

PHN (Primary Health Network)

One of 31 independent organisations funded by the Australian Government to (for a given ‘Health Region’):

improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health services for people, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes
improve coordination of health services and increase access and quality support for people.

Victoria is divided into 6 PHN regions:

For details of areas covered by each PHN, see the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care website.

PICS

Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service – One of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS), Victoria’s cancer service improvement network.
PICS webpages

Prevalence

The number of cases of cancer that are present in a population at a given time

PROMs (Patient-reported outcome measures)

Measures that capture a person’s perception of their own health through questionnaires

QOOL-Vic (Queensland Oncology On-Line – Victoria)

Meeting software to support multidisciplinary teams by assisting meeting preparation, communication and documentation of essential clinical information such as diagnosis, cancer stage, and recommended treatment plans.
QOOL-Vic information on the Victorian Department of Health website

ReGenerate

A web app about life after cancer, for people ages 15–25.
ReGenerate website

ROSCP (Regional Outreach and Shared Care Program)

A clinical program led by our Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service (PICS) to provide care for children and adolescents affected by cancer as close to home as possible, when it is safe to do so.
ROSCP webpage

SCIP (Statewide Cancer Indicator Platform)

An accessible source of performance information for clinical and process activities, used by the VICS and their clinician and consumer partners to identify unwarranted variations in care and drive service improvements

SMICS

Southern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service – One of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS), Victoria’s cancer service improvement network.
SMICS webpages

Supportive care

Services used by patients to assist with needs beyond treatment

Survival rate

The percentage of people still alive at a given number of years (usually 5 years) after they have been diagnosed with cancer

Survivor

Used to describe a person from the time of a cancer diagnosis onwards. For many people, survivor is a strong and positive word; but others do not like being labelled and prefer to look towards a future that is not focused on cancer.

Survivorship

A phase of care that follows primary treatment for cancer and involves support for rehabilitation, help to detect and prevent new or recurrent cancers, and psychosocial and community-based support

TOR (terms of reference)

The purpose, scope, membership and processes of a group such as a committee or working group

Translational research

Research that focuses on clinical outcomes and quality research principles

UGI (Upper gastrointestinal) cancer

A primary cancer of the pancreas, oesophagus, stomach, liver, or biliary system.

UGICR (Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Registry)

An Australian clinical quality registry that collects information about the diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of individuals with upper gastrointestinal cancer.
UGICR website

Unwarranted variation

A variation in access and use of health services – or in patient outcomes – that cannot be explained by differences in patients’ illness, needs, or preferences. Victoria’s mechanism to identify and address unwarranted variations in cancer care and outcomes is the VICS Optimal Care Summits program, supported by the Victorian Government.

VAED (Victorian Admitted Episode Dataset)

A comprehensive dataset of the causes, effects and nature of illness, and the use of health services in Victoria.
VAED information on the Victorian Department of Health website

VAHI (Victorian Agency for Health Information)

A specialist agency delivering trusted information, to both professional and community audiences, to inform better decisions that improve the health and wellbeing of Victorians.
VAHI website

VALT (Victorian data Access Linkage Trust)

A secure online platform developed by the Centre for Victorian Data Linkage (CVDL) for release and analysis of linked, de-identified data for approved projects.
VALT information and FAQs on VAHI website

VCA (Victorian Cancer Agency)

A Victorian state government agency that:

sets strategic priorities for cancer research across Victoria
builds cancer research capacity and capability in Victoria
fosters collaborative relationships between key stakeholders
adds value to existing statewide initiatives and programs
provides strategic advice to government on all aspects of cancer research.

VCA website

VCCC Alliance (Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance)

A partnership of 10 research, academic and clinical institutions working together to expedite and amplify leading-edge cancer research, knowledge and expertise to improve outcomes for people affected by cancer.
VCCC Alliance website

VCP (the Victorian Cancer Plan)

Victoria’s Improving Cancer Outcomes Act 2014 requires preparation of a cancer plan every 4 years, identifying priorities to prevent cancer, increase survival, improve the experience of the cancer treatment and care system, and achieve equitable outcomes for all Victorians with cancer.
VCP information on the Victorian Depaertment of Health website

VCR (Victorian Cancer Registry)

A database of all cancer diagnoses in Victoria, maintained by Cancer Council Victoria.
VCR webpages on Cancer Council Victoria website

VEMD (Victorian Emergency Management Dataset)

De-identified demographic, administrative and clinical data detailing presentations at Victorian public hospitals with designated emergency departments.
VEMD informationon Victorian Department of Health website

The VICS (Victorian Integrated Cancer Services)

Victoria’s cancer service improvement network, comprising 9 Integrated Cancer Services (ICS) partnerships across the state.
About the VICS

VICS Optimal Care Summits

A VICS program of strategic consultation, multidisciplinary engagement, data and information analysis, and reporting – to identify unwarranted variations in clinical practice per the Optimal Care Pathways (OCPs) and cancer outcomes, and priority activities to address them.
Program overview

VINAH (Victorian Integrated Non-Admitted Health Dataset)

A collection of patient-level data across many Victorian government-funded programs, used to provide equitable funding to public hospitals and support health services in their planning, policy formulation and epidemiological research.
VINAH information on Victorian Department of Health website

VLM (Victorian Linkage Map)

A collection of personal identifiers of all people who have had an interaction with a Victorian Government service, such as a patient who has been admitted to a Victorian hospital or used a Victorian social care service – Maintained by the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI)’s Centre for Victorian Data Linkage (CVDL).
CVDL page on VAHI website

VRMDS (Victorian Radiotherapy Minimum Dataset)

A collection of demographic, administrative, and clinical data for admitted and non-admitted patients treated in Victorian radiotherapy facilities (both public and private).
VRMDS information on Victorian Department of Health website

VTS (Victorian Tumour Summits)

Previous name of the VICS Optimal Care Summits program – See above.

WCMICS

Western & Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service – One of the 9 partnerships that make up the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS), Victoria’s cancer service improvement network.
WCMICS webpages

WeCan

An Australian supportive care website (not affiliated with the VICS) designed to help people find the information, resources, and support services they may need following a diagnosis of cancer.
WeCan website