By KATRINA BRANDON

 

DONATIONS have opened up opportunities at Latrobe Regional Hospital (LRH) thanks to Latrobe’s Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ.

Delivering a prostate cancer clinical trial to the region, the charity aims to support new ways of treating prostate cancer that are less invasive, and bring awareness and support for ongoing research in prostate cancer.

“We’ve raised in excess of a million dollars over about a decade,” Latrobe’s Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ Chair, Ian Nethercote, told the Express.

“Over that time, we have contributed to all sorts of things – things like awareness campaigns through advertising on the back of buses, pamphlets, support groups, barbecue groups and more.

“We have also been involved in a lot of different research activities, looking at why the incidence of prostate cancer in regional areas, particularly in Latrobe Valley and Gippsland, is higher than anywhere else.”

Mr Nethercote said that the charity has funded research investigating blood markers and other factors to identify the cancer type to help determine the best course of treatment.

Latrobe’s Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ has been working with hospitals such as the Alfred and LRH to get clinical trials in the area.

Late general manager of the Latrobe Valley Express, Bruce Ellen, was chair of Latrobe’s Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ for many years.

More recently, funding from Latrobe’s Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ has helped bring novel prostate cancer clinical trials and radiation therapy techniques to the region, giving local men access to cutting-edge treatment closer to home.

The community-driven fundraiser is supporting doctors such as Dr Therese Kang, a part-time Radiation Oncologist and a Prostate Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) fellow at LRH and the Alfred Hospital.

Through their support, Dr Kang’s clinical research fellowship – supervised by Professor Ong, an internationally recognised Radiation Oncologist in prostate cancer based at the Alfred and LRH – is enabling advanced radiation treatment and prostate cancer research to be delivered locally.

“For patients in regional areas, one of the biggest challenges is access to novel clinical trials. Thanks to support from Latrobe’s Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ support, we’ve been able to introduce prostate SABR and bring innovative prostate SABR trials to the Gippsland region, so that men with prostate cancer in the region have easier access to novel treatments,” Prof. Ong explained.

“Prostate SABR involves the delivery of a highly focused ablative dose of radiation to the prostate, while minimising radiation to surrounding healthy tissues. As part of my fellowship, we have introduced a five-session prostate SABR at LRH as a standard treatment option for men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer. This significantly reduces the treatment burden compared with traditional radiotherapy, which historically requires daily sessions over four to eight weeks.

“For patients and their families, this means fewer trips away from home and less disruption to work and daily life. Importantly, LRH is the first public regional centre in Victoria to offer prostate SABR treatment – a milestone made possible through Latrobe’s Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ support.

“Additionally, we have recently opened a new clinical trial at LRH, offering prostate SABR to patients who have had previous prostate radiotherapy and now have recurrent cancer confined to the prostate.”

In the past, these patients would have been deemed incurable and have limited or no other treatments available to them.

This trial is co-led by Dr Kang and Prof Ong.

On February 6, Bairnsdale man, Gerrit Van Rijswijk, completed his five-session prostate SABR treatment in the clinical trial. Gerrit is the first patient at LRH enrolled in this clinical trial.

Gerrit was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 through a routine blood test, after which he undertook eight weeks of radiotherapy at LRH.

Gerrit’s follow-up blood tests showed the prostate cancer was under control for many years until 2022, when the PSA blood tests suggested it had reoccurred.

After further investigations, including scans and biopsy, the cancer recurrence was confirmed to be confined to the prostate.

“In Gerrit’s case, the cancer is still localised to the prostate, and prostate SABR allows us to give more concentrated doses of radiotherapy to the prostate, which in the past was not possible,” Prof Ong said.

“We will keep following Gerrit’s progress upon completion of treatment with regular blood tests and scans as required.”

Given that the trial is now open in Gippsland, Gerrit said he was happy it was so close to home, and felt much more comfortable getting treatment at LRH, instead of having to travel to Melbourne.

Latrobe’s Biggest Ever Blokes BBQ holds an annual event and many smaller fundraisers throughout the year to raise awareness of prostate cancer causes and treatment options.

While they understand that there isn’t one size fits all for cancers, they hope to advance research to help fight them and catch them early.