Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy
Our Radiation Oncology Team includes radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, medical physicists and nursing. We provide patient care in a multidisciplinary team environment, working closely with other oncology specialties including allied health, pathologist, radiologist and surgeons.
Radiation Oncology Clinics are also provided at The Prince Charles Hospital, Redcliffe Hospital, Caboolture Hospital and the North Lakes Health Precinct.
Specialty services
TomoTherapy combines an advanced form of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) scanning technology in one machine.
This advanced technology can create powerful and precise radiation plans that treat hard to reach and complex tumours. It uses a built in CT scanner to confirm the shape and position of the tumour prior to each treatment. It also expertly reduces radiation exposure to healthy and critical tissues and organs.
SABR is a type of radiation therapy delivered to small, well-defined tumours using very high doses of radiation
(significantly higher than conventional radiation therapy).
It is typically used in the treatment of inoperable tumours and well-defined secondary tumours.
It offers a non-invasive treatment with a high probability of eradicating the targeted sites of disease.
DIBH is a breath hold technique incorporated into daily radiation treatment where a reduction of radiation dose to the heart is beneficial. Your consultant will consider if this technique is appropriate for you.
Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that delivers a precisely focused treatment plan in a significantly shorter time.
VMAT delivers a continuous beam (arc) of radiation as the linear accelerator rotates around you. Unlike conventional IMRT treatments, during which the machine must make repeated stops to treat the tumour from a number of different angles, VMAT can deliver the dose to the entire tumour in a 360 degree rotation.
IMRT is an advanced mode of high precision radiation therapy that uses computer controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to a tumour.
It allows for the radiation dose to conform more precisely to the three dimensional shape of the tumour by modulating (controlling) the intensity of the radiation beam, whilst minimising the dose to surrounding normal cells.
Also known as internal or sealed source radiotherapy, brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy where a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment.
It is commonly used in our department as an effective treatment for gynaecological and prostate cancers.
Brachytherapy can be used alone or in combination with other therapies such as surgery, external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and chemotherapy.
TBI is a form of radiation therapy used primarily as part of the preparative regimen for bone marrow transplantation.
As the name implies, TBI involves irradiation of the entire body.
The technique serves to destroy or suppress the recipient’s immune system, preventing rejection of the transplanted donor bone marrow or blood stem cells.
It can also eradicate residual cancer cells in the transplant recipient, increasing the likelihood of transplant success.
TSET is a technique used to treat mycosis fungoides, the most common type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
The technique involves treating the entire skin surface using low energy electron beams generated by a linear
accelerator.
Because electrons only penetrate the skin, this therapy spares deeper tissues and organs from radiation.
Four-dimensional computed tomography represents (4DCT) the next step in imaging.
4DCT takes images that not only capture the location of your tumour, but also its movement and the movement of your body’s organs over time.
This is valuable for accurately treating tumours located on or near organs that move, such as those in the chest or abdomen.
4DCT allows us to design more accurate treatments for moving tumours, better target them, and reduce the risk of side effects.
IGRT is the process of frequent two and three-dimensional imaging during a course of radiation therapy.
Examples of IGRT include cone beam CT (CBCT), kilovoltage (kV) radiographs or megavoltage (MV) images.
Some prostate patients will have gold seeds implanted which are used in conjunction with IGRT to precisely target the tumour each day.
Radiation Oncologists
| Staff | Speciality |
|---|---|
| Dr Penny Mackenzie (Director) | Breast cancer Head and neck cancer and complex skin cancers Haematological malignancies |
| Dr Benjamin Chua | Head and neck, including skin cancer Neuro-oncology Lymphoma |
| Dr Catherine Bettington | Lung Neuro-oncology Special techniques: stereotactic radiotherapy |
| Dr Charles Lin | Head and neck, including skin cancer Urological cancer |
| Dr Gary Pratt | Breast Lymphoma Lung Urological cancers Special techniques: stereotactic radiotherapy, TBI |
| Dr Lizbeth Kenny | Breast Head and neck, including skin cancer |
| Dr Michelle Grogan | Breast Gastrointestinal cancers Gynaecological cancer Urological cancers Special techniques: brachytherapy |
| Dr Philip Chan | Breast Gastrointestinal cancers Gynaecological cancer Lung Urological cancers Special techniques: brachytherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy |
| Dr Rachel Effeney | Neuro-oncology Thyroid Urological cancers Lymphoma Special techniques: stereotactic radiotherapy |
| Dr Robyn Cheuk | Breast Gynaecological cancer Neuro-oncology Paediatrics Urological cancers Special techniques: brachytherapy, TBI |
| Dr Samantha McLaughlin | GI cancers Breast cancer Urological cancer Hepatobiliary cancer Special technique: stereotactic radiotherapy |