North Coast Cancer Institute turns ten

The highly-regarded, Lismore headquartered North Coast Cancer Institute is marking a decade of providing state-of-the-art cancer care to patients in the Northern Rivers.

The facility adjacent to Lismore Base Hospital opened in July 2010 at a cost of $27 million, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and NSW governments. The service model was to offer co-located radiation oncology, medical oncology and haematology.

Since then the centre has grown to meet the expanding demand for cancer services in the region, providing more than 5100 courses of Radiation Oncology over the decade, offering patients locally-based expert care and employing more than 40 staff including specialists, nursing, allied health and support staff.

A new Surface Guided Radiation Therapy system was installed in July, with NCCI being the first cancer treatment centre in NSW to have this technology.

Radiation Oncologist Dr Julan Amalaseelan said the new system was a great advancement: “It uses a combination of projected light and cameras to provide a three-dimensional image of the patient’s body surface, instead of using ionising radiation as other imaging methods do.”

“The North Coast Cancer Institute is an integral part of our health network and the calibre of our staff is second-tonone,” added Lynne Weir, Director Clinical Operations, Northern NSW LHD.

NCCI staff and student with the new Surface Guided Radiation Therapy System, installed in July. L-R: Radiation Oncologist Dr Shreya Armstrong, Radiation Therapist Deanne Younger, University of Newcastle student Daniel Lowe and NCCI Chief Radiation Therapist Stephen Manley.

Dr Julan Amalaseelan, Radiation Oncologist

“Our staff take pride in providing an excellent standard of care to patients, while furthering their knowledge and profession through research and innovation. Our staff have featured in peer-reviewed journal publications, local and international conferences, and received international recognition.”

The NCCI staff receive support from an army of volunteers who are dedicated to improving patients’ experience of care and journey through cancer diagnosis and treatment. They include the Cancer Council of NSW, to palliative care volunteers, Delta therapy dogs, local charity organisations, church groups, Rotary clubs, sporting events, individual community members.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have so many dedicated volunteers giving their time and efforts to help others,” Ms Weir said.

This year, to keep staff and patients safe during the pandemic, the team at NCCI have implemented a range of measures to minimise risk of COVID-19 transmission, including rotating team members in separate work cohorts.