Local brain cancer patients set to benefit from new specialist brain cancer service on their doorstep
GenesisCare doctors don beanies in support of Mark Hughes Foundation
Maitland, New South Wales – Local brain cancer patients in Maitland will no longer have to travel to Newcastle for radiation therapy and chemotherapy, thanks to a new specialist integrated cancer centre due to open in Maitland later this year.
On average, approximately 1970 brain cancers are diagnosed each year in Australia, that is roughly 1 person diagnosed with brain cancer every 5 hours.1
To coincide with Mark Hughes Foundation’s Beanie for Brain Cancer Week, GenesisCare doctors and local brain cancer patient and Mark Hughes Ambassador, Jason Crawley, are gathering on site at GenesisCare’s new cancer centre in Maitland to raise awareness of brain cancer and the new integrated cancer centre in the local community.
GenesisCare Radiation Oncologist specialising in brain cancer and Mark Hughes Fellow, Dr Mike Fay, said: “Brain tumours are particularly challenging to treat because of the complexity of the brain which is why research into the structure and nature of brain cancer is so important.”
“The annual Beanie for Brain Cancer week seeks to raise awareness of the burden of brain cancer in Australia and raise funds for critical potentially life-saving research,” said Dr Fay.
“Thanks to the ongoing support of Mark Hughes Foundation and tissue from the MHF Brain Cancer Biobank, I’ve been able to carry out a number of critical research projects, including most recently a project that looks at how DNA from brain cancers can be captured from blood and used as a diagnostic tool to help develop better treatment options for brain cancer patients.”
Dr Mike Fay has been seeing local brain cancer patients from Maitland for over six years and will be joining the multidisciplinary team of specialists at Maitland’s new integrated cancer centre.
GenesisCare Maitland will offer brain cancer patients access to radiation therapy, medical oncology, sophisticated imaging, pathology, and allied health services in one custom-built space.
NSW General Manager at GenesisCare, Fergus Rourke, said: “Our new centre in Maitland will be an extension of our longstanding cancer service at the Hunter Cancer Centre in Gateshead. Our specialists have provided care for Maitland and Lower Hunter communities for years at Gateshead and it is fantastic that we will soon be able to provide them with the same high quality care closer to home.”
“Patients will be seen by the same doctors they know and trust, but this service will take away the burden of traveling into Newcastle during their radiation therapy and chemotherapy.”
The specialist team will have the capacity to care for over 1,500 cancer patients a year at the facility, opening its doors to patients in late 2021. The facility will be located adjacent to the new Maitland Hospital, which is expected to open in mid-2022.
