‘There’s A Lot Of Myths About Radiation Therapy’

Targeting Cancer Working and Advisory Group Chair Dr Lucinda Morris recently appeared on ABC South East NSW’s Mornings show to  discuss the lack of knowledge of radiation therapy among cancer patients and the wider community and the efforts to address this.

Dr Morris, a radiation oncologist based at Westmead Hospital is Sydney’s west, explained the potential effectiveness of radiation therapy as a treatment option for a range of cancers and some of the misunderstandings that still exist about how it works.

“Education is still a problem,” Dr Morris said.  “Many people think it’s a dangerous treatment (but) certainly radiation therapy is a vital and highly effective treatment for cancer (which) contributes to nearly half of all cancer cures.

“Unfortunately due to myths and misconceptions  about radiation therapy,  many people are missing out on radiation therapy so that is what we are working on addressing.”

Dr Morris is currently working on a groundbreaking study plotting the best course of radiation oncology treatment for  older cancer patients across the world.

The study will see medical specialists treating older cancer patients in various fields invited to share their knowledge and expertise, which will be fed into a final curriculum aimed at radiation oncology and clinical oncology trainees around the world.

“We aim to develop a learning curriculum for radiation oncologists – the first ever of its kind – which will ensure older cancer patients receive the best possible treatment plan,” Dr Morris said.

“By setting out geriatric learning guidelines we can ensure that future radiation oncologists are able to provide high quality and appropriate care to the rapidly increasing numbers of older cancer patients across the world.

“No existing curricula in the world offer teaching about geriatric radiation oncology, making this study a vital and potentially game-changing moment in future cancer treatment.”

To listen to the interview, click here.  Many thanks to ABC South East NSW for providing a link to the interview.

For more details on how radiation therapy works and how it can treat cancer, click here.

For more information on the Targeting Cancer campaign, click here.