The Department of Supportive Care is made up of three core divisions and seven specialty programs.
Divisions
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Cancer Rehabilitation & Survivorship
- Cancer Rehabilitation & Survivorship is about living, surviving and having the best quality of life possible.
- The program provides patients and family members with the information and clinical support they need.
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Palliative Care
- Palliative Care refers to physical, psychosocial and spiritual care that is provided as early as possible in the course of an incurable or life-threatening disease.
- This division provides consult services for patients in ambulatory as well as inpatient units. The focus is to support pain and symptom management, early palliative care, advance care planning and end of life care.
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Psychosocial Oncology
- Psychosocial oncology is a specialty in cancer care focused on the impact of cancer upon the whole person including the social, psychological, emotional, spiritual and functional aspects of the illness experience.
- This division provides direct care for the moderate to severe psychosocial distress and needs of the patients and their families who have cancer-related distress or psychosocial issues. It supports the Princess Margaret oncology teams in managing mild psychosocial distress and needs at the point of care.
Specialty Programs
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Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Program
- The AYA Program provides personalized, supportive care related to concerns common to adolescent and young adults with cancer. These concerns can include fertility, sexual health, body image, mental health, school and work, peer connection, family support and wellness.
- For patients age 39 or younger, the AYA Program can identify your individual needs, provide education and support, link you to other community and hospital services and resources, and help you connect to other patients.
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Cancer Pain Clinic
- Pain is one of the most distressing symptoms reported by individuals living with cancer. Unfortunately, many cancer patients develop significant pain during the course of their illness that requires ongoing evaluation and treatment. Complex chronic pain syndromes may also develop as a result of cancer or cancer treatment, which require advanced knowledge and skills to assess and manage.
- Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and other treatments, in combination or alone, have the potential to lead to severe persistent pain syndromes. These painful syndromes can negatively impact quality of life, and may reduce adherence to potentially curative therapies.
- The Cancer Pain Clinic is a consultation service available to help patients and the health care team by performing a comprehensive holistic evaluation and developing a pain management plan, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches.
- Referral information can be found on the UHN Intranet
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Caregiver Clinic
- Caring for a family member with cancer can be extremely stressful. Research studies have shown that family caregivers often report the same emotional distress as cancer patients themselves, if not more. To address the needs of family caregivers, the Caregiver Clinic was founded in 2017.
- The Caregiver Clinic was created to provide clinical care, research and education to meet the needs of family caregivers.
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Music Therapy Program
- The Music Therapy Program involves Certified Music Therapists (MTAs) using music within therapeutic relationships to support development, health, and well-being. They address cognitive, communicative, emotional, musical, physical, social, and spiritual needs. MTAs support patients, families, and caregivers through any stage of cancer, offering pain and symptom management, as well as emotional and psychosocial support. They use various musical options, including live music, instruments, song-writing, lyric analysis, and verbal psychotherapy.
- Music therapy is available to inpatients at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. No previous musical experience is required.
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Older Adults with Cancer Clinic (OACC)
- The clinical team at the Older Adults with Cancer Clinic identifies the unique needs of older people with cancer. The goal of the OACC clinical team is to help you maintain function, independence and quality of life as much as possible before, during or after treatment.
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Sexual and Gender Diversity in Cancer (SGDc) Program
- The Princess Margaret Cancer Program (PM) takes pride in caring for patients who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and (+) any gender identities or sexual orientations not included in this acronym) and their chosen families.
- The Sexual and Gender Diversity in Cancer Care (SGDc) Program welcomes and supports you during your time at the Princess Margaret.
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Sexual Health Clinic
- The Sexual Health Clinic (SHC) provides treatment for the cancer-related sexual health concerns. The SHC is dedicated to assisting cancer patients/couples in re-establishing optimal sexual function, intimacy, and satisfaction.
- After a cancer diagnosis or cancer treatment many patients will experience a wide range of both physical and psychosocial symptoms of sexual dysfunction including erectile dysfunction, problems with orgasm, urinary incontinence, vaginal dryness, sexual pain, early menopause, loss of sexual desire, body image concerns, sexual performance anxiety, relationship issues, and losses in feelings of masculinity, femininity, and sexual identity.
- The SHC combines the benefits of both virtual and in-person care to provide treatment for these cancer-related sexual health concerns. Our multidisciplinary team includes sexual medicine physicians, psychologists, nurses and sexual health counsellors.
We are dedicated to assisting those who are affected by cancer by providing programs and services that focus on addressing the physical, emotional, psychological and social needs throughout the cancer journey; from diagnosis through to survivorship and followup phases.
Together, we are committed to achieving our vision of being a local, national and international centre of excellence in clinical care, research and education in Supportive Care.