Wollongong Hospital’s cancer research unit has received an accolade for its performance and work in supporting local communities living with cancer, at this morning’s NSW Premier’s Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research.

The hospital received the Outstanding Cancer Clinical Trials Unit award for its work, which includes a world first clinical trial for adults with multiple myeloma.

The Cancer Clinical Trials Unit at Wollongong Hospital is driving healthcare improvement through clinical trials in Haematology, Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology, positively impacting patient outcomes.

The Cancer Clinical Trials Unit has achieved remarkable milestones for the local cancer community including:

• Structured expansion of a self-funded trials unit in a regional public health organisation under the guidance of an experienced Cancer Clinical Trials Manager.
• Ten-fold increase in the number of clinical trials conducted over 8 years, now with more than 75 active cancer clinical trials.
• Establishment of a diverse workforce of 26 staff in the self-funded trial unit who have come from science, physics, nursing, pathology and business backgrounds.
• Provided access to trial treatments for more than 100 patients in 2022 alone.
• Development of partnerships with pharmaceutical and academic partners driving business development opportunities.
• Initiating clinical trials in rural Cancer Care Centres resulting in 10 active trials aiming to reduce disparity in access to clinical trials for regional and rural communities.
• Increasing the diversity of trials, treating more than 23 different cancer types.

The Cancer Clinical Trials Unit at Wollongong Hospital treated the very first patient in a new clinical trial for adults with multiple myelomas. The trial tests an innovative, new class of drug for myeloma and provides a treatment option for myeloma patients whose previous treatments have not worked, or their disease has come back.

The Unit’s involvement in this trial for patients is an enormous achievement for the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and is a testament to the level of expertise and high-quality research being made available locally to patients.

Minister for Health, Ryan Park and Minister for Medical Research, David Harris helped hand out the awards at today’s annual event, which celebrate the research achievements of individuals and teams working to improve cancer outcomes in NSW.

The NSW Government, through the Cancer Institute NSW, has awarded more than $324 million in cancer research over the last decade. For more detailed information on award recipients, visit the Cancer Institute NSW​ website​​.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“Cancer touches all of us, with one person in NSW diagnosed with cancer every 10 minutes.

“Helping more people survive cancer is impossible without the passion, dedication and commitment and I’d like to thank every person working behind the scenes to reduce the impact of cancer.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Wollongong Paul Scully:

“Wollongong is continuing to grow as the city of innovation and scientific endeavour and I am so proud that our community is home to a world leader in cancer research.

“I want to congratulate the remarkable achievements of Wollongong Hospital in its work to provide better health outcomes around the world.”

Quotes attributable to NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of Cancer Institute NSW, Professor Tracey O’Brien:

“NSW has some of the best cancer survival rates in the world and our excellence in cancer research is a key reason for these outstanding outcomes.

“Unfortunately cancer still takes the lives of more children and adults in NSW, than any other disease. Thanks to research and innovation, we know NSW will be on the forefront of discoveries that will save lives and keep families and communities safe and supported.”