Specialist equipment enabling faster diagnosis of lung cancer is now accessible in regional Victoria thanks to the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust Fund.
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This gives the opportunity to improve time to diagnosis and hopefully slow the progress (of cancer)
- Albury Wodonga Health respiratory and sleep physician James Robertson
Wodonga hospital has purchased endoscopic gear previously only available in Melbourne with a $175,000 grant from the trust fund.
Albury Wodonga Health respiratory and sleep physician Dr James Robertson said the equipment would allow doctors to safely access tissue close to the heart, aorta and other vessels to conduct biopsies.
“It’s an endobronchial ultrasound which goes on the end of a fiberoptic camera called a bronchoscope,” he said.
“We pass that through the mouth and down through the vocal cords into the windpipe.
“The ultrasound probe allows us to take high fidelity pictures of the internal workings of the chest.
“We wouldn’t have been able to get it without the trust fund – we’re very grateful for the money.”
Dr Robertson, who started on at the hospital to provide the new service, said what previously could be a three-week journey to diagnosis would now be sped up.
“It will mean locals – we’ll be servicing people from Albury, Wodonga, Wangaratta and Wagga – have timely access to care without leaving the hospital,” he said.
“With cancer, we know it’s important a timely diagnosis is made and this gives the opportunity to improve time to diagnosis and hopefully slow the progress.
“People relish the opportunity to have their care delivered close to home.”
The importance of accessibility was something Ron Paech could attest to as the first patient to undergo the procedure with the new equipment on Monday.
“I’ve had blood poisoning and they’re still trying to find out the cause of it,” he said.
“At the moment I’m 31 days out of hospital.”
The Albury man has been in and out of hospital for the past three years and has travelled to Melbourne to have the ultrasound done.
“It’s a day trip there to have the procedure done, and you stay the night, whereas this is a couple of hours – it makes things a lot easier and cheaper,” he said.
The equipment can also later be used to diagnose upper gastrointestinal tract cancers, including of the stomach and pancreas.
Trust Fund fundraising manager Jane Evans said the equipment showed the importance of the Border’s ongoing support.
“Without funding from the trust, it may have been years before this endoscopic equipment was available to our region,” she said.
“This is just one example of the fantastic things that we can achieve with the help of the community.”
