TECHNOLOGY GIVES HOPE TO COAST CANCER PATIENTS
FOUR weeks ago Gold Coast single mum Philippa Douglas went to the doctor because she had a “little cough”.
A day later she learned she had melanoma, with tumours in her liver, lungs, lymph nodes and brain.
Since then, the Gold Coast Private Hospital patient has become the first Australian to receive a treatment called Varian HyperArc technology.
Rather than targeting the whole brain, the automated technology targets specific tumours with radiation.
Treatment is usually three 10-minute sessions.
“To be honest a few years ago they (brain tumours) were a death sentence,” Ms Douglas said.
“But treatment has really come along a lot in the past couple of years and this machine is the icing on the cake.”
Ms Douglas said she was even well enough to go shopping immediately after the therapy.
“I feel really good, I haven’t had a bad day yet, I don’t feel sick, there are people who survive this, who go into remission,” she said. “It’s absolutely painless.”
Ann Maguire, of Icon Group, the company that offers the technology in Australia, said the device put the Gold Coast at the forefront of cancer care.
“With more than 3600 new cancer diagnoses each year on the Gold Coast alone, providing the latest technology is vital to give people the best possible treatment outcomes,” Ms Maguire said.
The treatment is offset by a Medicare rebate and costs vary depending on the complexity of the treatment.