Albury-Wodonga Health prostate cancer equipment receives $307,000 boost

Tony and Jenny Horne donated $256,500 to Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust Fund that, along with $50,000 given by disability services provider Murray Valley Centre, will upgrade machinery at Wodonga hospital.

Trust fund deputy chair John Watson yesterday thanked both parties for their contributions.

"I think the Horne family are amazing, along with every other person who donates $5 to whatever amount," he said.

"The Hornes have probably started something off to take us into a new era in our local area of philanthropic donations."

A new ultrasound machine, applications and transducers will reduce the time taken to diagnose and treat prostate cancer patients while a stepper and stabiliser package will allow for ultimate image guidance.

Urologist Jonathan Lewin said the existing equipment, bought 10 to 12 years ago, had reached the end of its lifespan and if it broke down patients would have to travel to be diagnosed.

The new machine would provide much better pictures.

"And when we're dealing with biopsies that need to be millimetre perfect, to get clearer images is going to make a significant improvement for us as clinicians," Dr Lewin said.

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The upgrade may also allow Albury Wodonga Health to do Barrigel insertion, where a barrier gel is injected between the rectum and prostate to project the former from radiotherapy side effects.

"So to be able to offer that on top of improved diagnostic capabilities I think is really important for us," the urologist said.

Asked about what Border cancer services needed next, Dr Lewin replied "we need a new hospital that's fit for purpose to allow us to put the equipment in it, which we don't have at the moment".

"All I can say is people need to get on to their local politicians and make it an important issue for them," he said.

"If they feel as strongly as most of the clinicians on the Border here do, they need to start advocating."

Dr Lewin's other message was "for men to stop hiding their heads in the sand" in terms of their health.

"We have spent two years worrying about COVID, we actually need to start worrying about other things, like cancer, men's health, mental health, cardiac health," he said.

"All the other things that people have put aside and not worried about, they're all still there and for the majority of us clinicians we're worried that we're going to see a wave or a tsunami of cases now over the next six to 12 months of people who have put off their health over the last two years."

Murray Valley Centre chief executive David Martin said the centre committee had been pleased to support the prostate cancer equipment project from funds raised over the years through regular bingo sessions.

"Cancer has such a big impact on individuals and also on the community," Mr Martin said.

"We saw being able to contribute towards the cancer treatment operations in Albury-Wodonga as something very important to the clients, the parents and the carers who attend Murray Valley Centre."

The new equipment has been purchased and Albury Wodonga Health hopes it will arrive within three months.

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