What is PC⁴?

PC⁴ is the Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group.

PC⁴ includes consumers and people who research and practise in allied health, nursing, general practice and public health.

Our activities span primary prevention, early detection, screening, diagnosis, treatment, follow‐up, palliative care and support for carers and families.

We work in partnership with practice based research networks including the Victorian Primary Care Practice‐Based Research Network (VicReN), Cancer Australia Cooperative Oncology Groups and our Australian and international collaborators.

We are supported by the Clinical Trials Development Unit and the Cancer Australia Chair in Cancer Quality of Life.

Our vision

To prevent cancer in the community.

To improve care and outcomes for people affected by cancer.

To influence health care policy.

To promote best practice cancer care.

Our guiding philosophy and values

We recognise:

• the delivery of high quality cancer care must be based on sound research evidence and a robust primary health care system
• the growing impact of cancer on individuals, their families, friends, colleagues and the community
• the need to consider a person’s whole experience and wellbeing as well as the treatment of the cancer
• people affected by cancer receive most of their health care in the community
• optimal cancer care requires effective communication, coordination and collaboration between specialist services, consumers and primary health care providers
• excellence in primary health care cancer research requires effective communication, coordination and collaboration between cancer and primary care researchers, clinicians and consumers.

Our strategic goals 2009‐2012

1. Identify and prioritise unanswered questions about cancer care in the community
2. Develop and conduct pre‐trial and large‐scale, multi‐site studies
3. Build research capacity and infrastructure in primary care
4. Disseminate the findings of our research
5. Develop PC⁴ as a strong, productive and sustainable organisation to support primary care cancer research.