As Shepparton grows, so does its access to world class medical services. Cancer patients will no longer have to travel to Bendigo, Wodonga or Melbourne to receive life saving radiation treatment thanks to a new $11 million cancer care centre unveiled at an official opening ceremony on Monday.
The GenesisCare cancer treatment centre, which began delivering care to patients before Christmas, is open to both public and privately insured patients, and has capacity to treat more than 500 patients every year.
The facility provides comprehensive radiation therapy services using an advanced Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator machine to deliver highly targeted doses of radiation to tumours using Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). International guidelines recommend radiation therapy in the treatment of half of all cancer cases.
Federal Member for Nicholls, Damian Drum said: “The official opening of the new centre is a huge step forward for cancer care in the Goulburn Valley region and for regional Victoria. The Federal Government is very proud to have assisted with the purchase of the advanced linear accelerator machine, which is now being used to deliver radiation therapy for local patients.”
Dr Grace Ong, GenesisCare Shepparton radiation oncologist, said: “The entire team here at GenesisCare in Shepparton is incredibly passionate about improving the health outcomes of people living in the Goulburn Valley.
The first patient to be treated at the facility was Shepparton resident, Stephen Finch. Stephen is being treated for prostate cancer and has previously had to travel to Bendigo involving an overnight stay to get his treatment. “It is easy to get to the treatment centre. I can have a cup of coffee, spend 12 minutes getting treated, have another cup of coffee and be home before the morning is over.”
