We have a team of pain specialist doctors and nurses. They work alongside physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. They supply an individualised approach in the management of your cancer-related pain.
How the acute and persistent pain team can help
Description of the service
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre pain service provides integrated, specialist service for patients experiencing pain during their cancer journey.
Our team works collaboratively with other clinical services within the hospital, including Palliative care, Psychiatry, and a range of allied health professionals.
Cancer-related pain can change over time; therefore, timely and comprehensive assessment is essential. All referrals are triaged equitably. Provision of detailed clinical information enables accurate triage and allocation to the appropriate care pathway.
For persistent or chronic pain in cancer survivors, referral to our service is subject to statewide referral criteria as outlined by the Department of Health Victoria. For more information, see the published criteria on Persistent or chronic pain in cancer survivors | health.vic.gov.au.
We offer the following services:
- Acute Pain Service:
- Pre-operative assessment and support
- Daily ward round of patients who need pain specialist review
- 24-hour coverage for patients who need a pain specialist review
- Acute ad Persistent Pain Clinic:
- Pain specialist clinic for patients experiencing
- Pain during their cancer treatment
- Persistent pain following surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy
- Pain while in remission.
- Help with transitioning off one or more of
- Acute pain medications
- Chronic pain medications
- Interventional procedures.
- Pain specialist clinic for patients experiencing
- Interventional procedures
- A dedicated information hotline for patients who need help with their pain medication. This can be following discharge from hospital or between clinic appointments
Who we can help with
- Patients experiencing pain related to their cancer, or previous/current cancer therapy despite pain management initiated by their GP or primary treating specialists.
- Multidisciplinary approach incorporating physical therapy, psychology support, pharmacotherapy and when appropriate, interventional procedures as part of a coordinated package of care
Who we are unable to accept referrals for
- Patients who have not received treatment or are not actively reviewed by a specialist team at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. These patients should be referred to the appropriate local health service.
- Pain not attributed to cancer or cancer treatment/complications.
Information to be provided on the referral
A medical referral from a GP or another specialist is necessary for a referral to our service. It should include:
- Pain history: onset, location, nature, duration, functional impairment
- Details of previous or current surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy for cancer treatment
- Psychological status and cognitive function
- Details of previous pain management including course of treatment and outcome of treatment
- Comprehensive past medical history and current medication history
- History of alcohol, recreational or injectable drugs of prescription medicine misuse
- Any previous investigations (blood tests, imaging results)
Ongoing opioid prescription
We will work with the treating GP to initiate management plans for each patient, including:
- Correspondence after each clinic review to update the plan
- Endorsing opioid prescriptions as part of the management plan
- We expect treating GP to continue opioid prescription as part of the plan
Service times
Acute and Persistent Pain Clinic: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
Acute Pain Service: 24 hours a day
Acute Pain Nurse Information Hotline: Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
- Phone: (03) 8559 5000 - ask switchboard to transfer you to the pain team.
Referral information
A medical referral from a GP or another specialist is necessary for a referral to our service.
Contact us
- Phone: (03) 8559 5000 - ask the switchboard to transfer you to the pain team.