Dying gift from philanthropist Kay Van Norton Poche establishes cancer trial hub in Sydney
Local health officials have launched a new global partnership that will give Australian cancer patients greater access to world-class clinical trials. A Sydney health district has teamed up with a New York cancer centre in an initiative that could eventually go nation-wide.
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00:00Rebecca Talbott had limited treatment options when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer
00:07four years ago.
00:09My type of cancer is rare and it doesn't respond to chemotherapy so that was not an option
00:14for me.
00:15The Gold Coast mother joined a Facebook group where she was referred to a Sydney doctor
00:19who was able to enrol her in a life-saving clinical trial.
00:24My options would have been a lot more surgery or radiation or I possibly wouldn't be here
00:29at all.
00:30Accessing overseas clinical trials will soon be much easier for cancer patients, thanks
00:35to a new partnership between Northern Sydney Local Health District and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering
00:40Cancer Centre in New York.
00:43It will enable them to get access to trials that might help prolong or even save their
00:48lives that they today would not have access to.
00:52It also helps to ease the frustration that they have that they can see that there is
00:56treatment available to them in other parts of the world, particularly North America,
01:00that's not available to them here.
01:02It's the result of a $20 million donation from philanthropist Kay Van Norton-Poach who
01:08died of a rare cancer in June.
01:11That will mean their expertise and the research can be brought together to give the best care
01:17to those in need globally.
01:20It's that equity of access that our donor and we want to try to solve.
01:25Cancer patients can access clinical trials at hospitals here in Sydney's North Shore
01:30or via telehealth for those living in regional New South Wales.
01:35The hope is to eventually expand the program by partnering with more hospitals across the
01:40country.
01:41For Rebecca Talbot, access to more clinical trials gives her hope.
01:46I think having that in Australia will make the world of difference.
01:49Providing patients with a better chance of fighting cancer.
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