THIS YEAR, MORE THAN 30,000 BRITISH COLUMBIANS WILL BE diagnosed with cancer, including 6,195 in the interior region. Sadly, those numbers will continue growing year on year; according to BC Cancer’s projections, the number of new cancer cases in the region is expected to increase by 27 per cent from 2019 to 2034.
Following specialist treatment, many of them will go on to live long lives in the care of their family physicians, nurse practitioners or other primary care providers, thanks in part to early detection, improvements in technology and more effective treatments.
Dr. Siavash Atrchian from BC Cancer-Kelowna.
For Kelowna-based BC Cancer radiation oncologist Dr. Siavash Atrchian, a clinical assistant professor in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and a radiation oncologist at BC Cancer-Kelowna, ensuring the best outcomes for his patients means understanding how best to integrate family physicians into their care.
“Overall, in the patient cancer journey, I think family doctors play an extremely important role, from the start to the end,” says Dr. Atrchian. “As oncologists, we can’t follow our patients forever once their cancer treatment has been completed. I’m very interested in seeing whether we can improve this journey. How can I do a better job in my role? How can I communicate better with other care providers?”
