Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

An optimal care pathway for people living in rural and remote areas with cancer: Reducing inequities through outlining best practice cancer care (146383)

Florian Honeyball 1 2 , Carmel O'Kane 3 , Skye Marshall 4 , Rebecca J Bergin 4 5 6 , Anna Chapman 4 , Megan Varlow 7 8 , Kate Whittaker 7 , Catherine Adams 9 10 , Heba Azer 11 12 , Sue Bartlett 13 , Ian M Collins 8 , Nathalie Davis-Lameloise 14 , Pammie Ellem 15 , Anoop Enjeti 16 17 , Melissa Hancock 18 19 , Catherine Hanns 13 , Stewart Harper 20 , Ali Judge 21 , Wei-Sen Lam 22 23 , Naomi Lettieri 24 , Matthew Links 25 26 , Narelle McPhee 27 , Louise Moodie 4 28 , Louise Nott 29 30 , Otty Zulfiquer 31 , Kerry Patford 32 , Jade Ralph 13 , Peta Rogers 33 , Tim Senior 34 , Christopher Steer 35 36 37 , Nina Stewart 38 , Victoria Turner 4 33 , Craig Underhill 35 36 37 , Hayley Vasileff 39 , Stuart Willder 40 , Annie Williams 41 , Tania 'Narelle' Yench 33 , Dorothy Keefe 42 , Vivienne Milch 42 43 , Charlene Wright 4 , Helena Rodi 4 , Sharina Riva 4 , Hannah Jongebloed 4 , Anna Ugalde 4
  1. University of Sydney School of Rural Health, Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia
  2. Western Cancer Centre, Dubbo, Western New South Wales Local Health District, NSW, Australia
  3. Wimmera Cancer Centre, Grampians Health, Horsham, Victoria, Australia
  4. Institute for Health Transformation, Centre for Quality and Patient Safety, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
  5. Cancer Epidemiology Division, Cancer Council Victoria, East Melbourne , Victoria, Australia
  6. Department of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  7. Cancer Care Policy, Cancer Council Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  8. Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
  9. GenesisCare, New South Wales, Australia
  10. Mark Huges Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales , Australia
  11. School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales , Australia
  12. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, Australia
  13. Grampians Health, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
  14. Barwon South Western Regional Integrated Cancer Services, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
  15. Cancer Nursing Society of Australia, New South Wales, Australia
  16. Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital, Waratah, New South Wales , Australia
  17. NSW Health Pathology, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
  18. Queensland Health, Queensland, Australia
  19. Icon Cancer Care, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
  20. Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Service, Traralgon, Victoria, Australia
  21. The North West Cancer Centre, Tamworth Hospital, North Tamworth, New South Wales , Australia
  22. WA Country Health Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  23. South Metropolitan Health Service, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
  24. Anam Cara House Colac, Barongarook West, Victoria, Australia
  25. Alice Springs Hospital, The Gap, Northern Territory, Australia
  26. Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
  27. Bendigo Health, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
  28. Mackay Hospital and Health Service, Mackay, Queensland, Australia
  29. Royal Hobart Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  30. Icon Cancer Centre Townsville, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  31. Townsville University Hospital, Douglas, Queensland, Australia
  32. McGrath Foundation, Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia
  33. Equitable Cancer Outcomes Across Rural and Remote Australia - Optimal Care Pathway (ECORRA OCP) Consumer, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
  34. Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, Campbelltown, New South Wales , Australia
  35. University of New South Wales School of Clinical Medicine, Rural Clinical Campus, Albury, New South Wales , Australia
  36. La Trobe University, Wodonga, Victoria, Australia
  37. Border Medical Oncology Research Unit, Albury Wodonga Health, Albury, New South Wales , Australia
  38. Genesis Care, South West Health Campus, Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia
  39. SA Health, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  40. Western District Health Service, Hamilton, Victoria, Australia
  41. Hume Regional Integrated Cancer Service, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia
  42. Cancer Australia, Sydney, New South Wales , Australia
  43. Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Aims

People living in rural and remote areas experience poorer cancer outcomes simply because of where they live. Optimal Care Pathways (OCP) are nationally endorsed frameworks outlining best-practice cancer care, this project aimed to develop a new OCP for people living in rural and remote areas with cancer.

Methods

This project was conducted as part of the Equitable Cancer Outcomes across Rural and Remote Australia (ECORRA) program, a transdisciplinary research program dedicated to understanding and reducing rural cancer inequities. Development of the rural and remote OCP was guided by applying and operationalising the methodology outlined in the National Optimal Care Pathways Framework and the Optimal Care Pathways toolkit.

Results

Throughout 2025, a 34-member national working group participated in three iterative workshops to co-develop and refine the OCP. Over 300 publications were reviewed and informed its content. The resulting OCP contextualises the seven principles and seven steps of optimal care for rural and remote settings and provides actionable recommendations for the delivery of best practice cancer care. Key considerations include tele-oncology, clinical trial access, travel and accommodation support, heterogeneity of rural and remote contexts, and the strengths of rural and remote communities in the delivery of healthcare.

Conclusions

This is the first national pathway to address rural and remote cancer care across the full cancer continuum. Development and dissemination of a dedicated OCP for people living in rural and remote areas establishes a clear benchmark for consistent, coordinated and equitable cancer care. Its implementation represents a critical step towards reducing disparities and achieving national equity in cancer outcomes. Effective implementation of the Rural and Remote OCP will require sustained effort, cross-sector collaboration, and ongoing evaluation. This pathway represents an important step toward ensuring the delivery of safe and effective care for all Australians, regardless of where they live.