Photo: HANK VAN STUIVENBERG

WOMEN in the Shoalhaven and further south are choosing to have breasts removed through mastectomies rather than suffer the inconvenience of travelling to and from Wollongong for radiotherapy treatment, according to one of the region’s leading cancer specialists.

Medical oncologist and Wollongong University clinical professor Phil Clingan revealed the percentage of breast cancer sufferers in the Shoalhaven and further south seeking radiotherapy treatment was well below the state average.

“People are electing to have mastectomies because it’s too inconvenient to have radiation,” Professor Clingan said.

“Lots of people from the Shoalhaven are not taking up radiation treatment because it’s too difficult for them to travel to and from Wollongong.”

To make matters worse those deciding to make the treatment trek faced delays of up to 10 weeks because the Wollongong services were in such heavy demand.

However, there is hope for the Shoalhaven’s cancer sufferers, with Professor Clingan targeting money made available in the Federal Budget to build new regional cancer care centres.

The budget set aside $560 million to build 10 new regional cancer care centres, and Professor Clingan is pulling together a wide range of personnel and resources in an effort to get some of that money for the Shoalhaven.

The number of people foregoing treatment was part of the “compelling argument” for establishing a new cancer care centre in the Shoalhaven, according to Professor Clingan.

The South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Health’s southern region recorded an average of 1349 new cancer cases each year, which under Health Department guidelines pointed to the region needing three linear accelerators.\

Two are located in Wollongong, and Professor Clingan said, “The most logical place to put a third machine is in the Shoalhaven.”

“We really need something in the Shoalhaven,” he added.

While the need for radiotherapy services in the Shoalhaven has long been recognised, the federal funds at last provide a chance to obtain the money needed to establish a linear accelerator in a properly staffed and equipped cancer centre.

“One of the biggest problems we’ve faced is everyone recognises we need radiotherapy services there, but no one is prepared to fund it,” Professor Clingan said.

The Shoalhaven community is continuing to raise funds for a linear accelerator with the appeal pushing towards $900,000, but Professor Clingan said more than $25 million was needed for a properly integrated cancer care service.

He is trying to pull together the university, area health service, the medical fraternity, all levels of government and the community in a bid for part of the federal funds.

Terms of reference for the money are expected to be released in November, and Professor Clingan was hoping to have a committee together and a site, staffing and plans organised by that time so a solid and competitive bid could be made.

“All of us have got to be together to make this thing work,” he said.

Having campaigned for 10 years to have some form of radiotherapy services established in the Shoalhaven, Professor Clingan said the money set aside in the federal budget provided a “light at the end of the tunnel”.

“This is the first time we actually look like we could get somewhere,” he said.

But to succeed “We’ve got to make sure our argument is compelling so we don’t miss out,” he added.

The region’s rural cancer coordinator Bill Jansen described the funding and Professor Clingan’s response as “a big step forward”, particularly as it seemed to have support from the area health service.

South Easter Sydney Illawarra Health acting chief executive Elizabeth Koff, confirmed the Illawarra and Shoalhaven had been identified as a geographic priority area for radiotherapy services “and we understand the strong local community support for a linear accelerator in Nowra”.

“As the details become clearer, should any opportunities arise through the Commonwealth budget initiative for regional cancer centres, the area health service has been advised that NSW Health will submit appropriate proposals,” Ms Koff added.