A new centre backed by the Victorian Government is leading the nation’s fight against brain cancer and bringing fresh hope to brain cancer patients and their families.
Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a $16 million investment in The Brain Cancer Centre to forge new frontiers in brain cancer research that he says will significantly improve treatments and outcomes for patients now and for future generations.
“For patients and their families, we simply must find more effective treatments for brain cancers – that’s what this new centre is all about,” the Premier said.
Brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease and has the lowest survival rates of almost any cancer, with four out of every five patients dying within five years of diagnosis.
The funding will help deliver the globally unique Brain Perioperative Clinical Trial Program (Brain-POP), to improve brain cancer diagnosis and prognosis for paediatric, adolescent and adult patients. The trial will run over four years, providing hope for those diagnosed with primary brain cancer and brain metastases.
For patients like Nicole Fenton, a 42-year-old mother of two living with a non-curable form of brain cancer, the Centre provides hope that research can help everyone affected by brain cancer.
“It’s absolutely essential to do whatever we can to further the research and treatment of brain cancer and I’m so excited and grateful that steps are finally being taken to address this disease which has affected me and my family,” said Ms Fenton.
The new Centre will position Victoria at the forefront of brain cancer research and builds on existing strengths in health and biomedical research.
“The Brain Cancer Centre is helping us to attract the best and brightest talent and build our local capabilities in brain cancer research to make the discoveries that will have a real impact on brain cancer patients, now and in the future,” said Walter and Eliza Hall Institute director, Professor Doug Hilton.
In the past year the Government has invested more than $590 million in medical research – including up to $400 million for a new Australian Institute of Infectious Disease to lead the fight against future pandemics – and allocated $50 million for mRNA Victoria to develop the state’s mRNA manufacturing capability.
