The inaugural Unicorn Foundation NET Patient Symposium will be held on Sunday November 6 at the fantastic new facilities of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC). This will also be a celebration of 20 years of PRRT and PET at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Known as the new Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre the facilities boast world class technology bringing together the best in cancer treatments and specialists. We are excited to announce our program for the day will include leaders in NETs from around Australia and New Zealand. They will include:
Prof Rodney Hicks MBBS (Hons), MD,
FRACP, FAHMS –Â Latest developments in PRRT and PET, celebrating 20 years of treatment at Peter MacCallum
Rod is a Professor of Medicine and Radiology at the University of Melbourne and Director of the Centre for Cancer Imaging at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Peter Mac installed the first PET/CT outside Europe and North America in 2001 and now has an experience of over 75,000 PET studies performed in the facility founded by him in 1996.He received a prestigious National Health and Medical Research Council Program Grant in 2013 and an NHMRC Practitioner Fellowship in 2015. He was also induced as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science in 2015.
A/Prof Michael Michael –Â Update on research from around Australia
Associate Professor Michael is the Trial/Medical Lead of the Upper Gastrointestinal Service and Co-Chair of the Neuroendocrine Unit at Peter Mac. He graduated with honours in Medicine from Monash University, and undertook medical oncology training at Peter Mac and overseas. His major clinical and research interests are new therapies in  gastrointestinal and neuroendocrine oncology.
Dr Ben Lawrence MBChB MSc FRACP– Genomics and NETs
Clinical Senior Research Fellow, University of Auckland and Medical Oncology Consultant, Auckland District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand. Ben undertakes multi-level genomic profiling of Neuroendocrine Tumours using cutting-edge gene sequencing technologies. The research finds the unique combination of abnormal genes that drive each person’s cancer, and then will choose a treatment strategy that matches the exact changes.
A/Prof Benjamin Thomson  MBBS, DMedSc, FRACS – Surgery and NET Cancers
A/Professor Benjamin Thomson is a General Surgeon specialising in Hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) surgery. He treats gallbladder & gallstone disease as well as benign and malignant tumours of the liver, gallbladder, bile duct and pancreas including neuroendocrine tumors. Ben is the Head of the Department of General Surgical Specialties at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Director of the Upper GI Tumour Stream for The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Women’s Hospital.
UF NET Nurse Kate Wakelin –Â Patient Support and NETs
Kate Wakelin is a Registered Nurse with a Graduate Diploma in Psycho-Oncology. She has been caring for people affected by cancer for over 20 years, in areas including palliative care, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, research and supportive care.
Panel discussion and Question and Answers from the audience. If you would like to submit a question to any of the speakers please send to linda.ryding@neuroendocrine.org.au.
Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AM Governor of Victoria will open proceedings and we are so pleased to have her present at the event. Linda is a past board member of the Unicorn Foundation and is passionate about cancer patient care.
We look forward to welcoming patients and carers and interested people to our NET Patient Symposium from around the country. A webcast will be avilable with details to follow. Registration is free so book now to avoid missing out!
We will be holding a Unicorn Foundation cocktail party fundraiser on Saturday November 5 at the Botanical South Yarra so please join us as we raise funds for much needed NET Cancer Research.
