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From L to R – R: Radiation Oncologist, Dr Michelle Grogan; Nadine Gowen; Icon Group CEO, Mark Middleton OAM; Oli Steele; Medical Oncologist, Dr Rick Abraham; Icon Group Global Director – Icon Cancer Centre, Ross Koscharsky; Radiation Oncologist, A/Prof Jim Jackson; and Radiation Oncologist, Dr Minjae Lah.
World-class care, closer to home
St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside CEO Oli Steele said the new service would enable better access for cancer patients, providing them with the choice to have all their treatment from surgery to chemotherapy and radiation on the hospital campus.
“Increasingly for cancer patients, it’s not just one modality of treatment – like surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. It’s usually a combination of therapies,” said Mr Steele.
“Around 50% of all patients diagnosed with cancer require radiation oncology treatment and to date, those needing that treatment haven’t been able to be treated here at St Vincent’s Northside.
“At St Vincent’s, our patients always come first. We’re delighted to partner with Icon Cancer Centre who have exceptional credentials in designing and building world-class radiation oncology centres and delivering exceptional cancer care.
“This announcement takes us one big step closer to providing the highest level of integrated and holistic care for vulnerable cancer patients and their families.”
Proven technology
Icon Group CEO, Mark Middleton said his team would partner with St Vincent’s to provide the latest in radiation therapy treatment including Varian’s HyperArc – the latest treatment for advanced brain cancer and IDENTIFY technology – Surface Guided Radiation Therapy (SGRT), tattoo-free advanced radiation therapy.
“The centre will be equipped with a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator, the latest in radiation therapy technology with the capacity to deliver 18,000 radiation therapy treatments annually, including the latest techniques to treat a wide range of cancers for Brisbane’s inner north,” Mr Middleton said.
“We’re proud to be able to bring world-class cancer care to more communities, ensuring people have access to life-saving treatment closer to home.”
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Patient focused, clinical collaboration
Dr Rick Abraham, a medical oncologist at St Vincents Northside and with Icon, said establishing an on-site radiation facility was a vital part of providing better choice and access for patients.
“Many patients going through chemotherapy are quite unwell and with those patients that also require radiation treatment it’s extremely beneficial to provide on-site, integrated cancer care,” said Dr Abraham.
“We can now offer something that’s special through this partnership with a great multidisciplinary team, great facilities and strong collaboration. I’m confident we can build a service that’s going to make a difference to patients on Brisbane’s northside.”
Radiation therapy is a highly targeted, safe, and effective treatment used to treat a wide range of cancers including, but not limited to, breast, prostate, skin, lung, and brain cancer and is often used in combination with other treatments, like chemotherapy. Radiation therapy treatment is usually given in daily intervals over several weeks with every course unique to each patient’s condition.
Subject to regulatory approvals, the new radiation therapy service is expected to be up and running at St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside by late 2024.
