Medical Oncology

The medical oncology department at the Canberra Region Cancer Centre (CRCC) focuses on the care, treatment and management of patients with cancer.

The medical oncology department at the Canberra Region Cancer Centre (CRCC) focuses on the care, treatment and management of patients with cancer.

This includes managing solid tumours from various cancers through the provision of chemotherapy and supportive care in a multidisciplinary environment.

Our outpatient clinics take place at a number of locations in Canberra and rural NSW. The main treatment location is the CRCC. Specialist outpatient clinics are held every day.

Please call the cancer central access number for more information on 02 5124 8444.

Refer a patient

Patients can only access our services with a valid referral to a named specialist from a GP or specialist. Please ensure all results from previous medical tests are included to assist in the triage and assessment of referrals.

You can fax referrals to us on 02 5124 4266.

HealthLink SmartForms eReferrals will be available in September 2019.

Contact HealthLink on 1800 125 036 or email helpdesk@healthlink.net for more information.

Our specialists

Our medical oncology team is made up of various cutting-edge oncology specialists that deliver best practice cancer medicine. Your GP can access a list of our medical oncology staff specialists through the GP Healthnet.

 

Professor Desmond Yip

Clinical Director and Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, FRACP

Roles:
Professor, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Colon
Rectum
Stomach
Pancreas
Gastroenterological
Renal
Neuroendocrine
Carcinoid 

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital and Calvary Public Hospital Bruce

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 2220

Publications:
https://publons.com/researcher/1187988/desmond-yip/


Associate Professor Paul Craft

Clinical Director Division of Cancer and Ambulatory Support
Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, MPH, FRACP

Roles:
Associate Professor, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Breast
Testis
Prostate
Sarcoma

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 8559

Publications:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul_Craft

 

Alison Davis

Dr Alison Davis

Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, MSc, FRACP

Roles:
Senior Lecturer, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Breast
Gynaecological Cancer (ovarian, cervix, endometrial, vaginal/vulval etc) 

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 2220

Publications:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alison_Davis3

 

Dr Divyanshu Dua

Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, FAGE, FRACP

Roles:
Clinical Lecturer, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Lung
Testis
Prostate
Sarcoma
CNS & Brain 

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital, Calvary Public Hospital Bruce and Moruya District Hospital

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 8559

Publications:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Divyanshu_Dua

 

Dr Nicole Gorddard

Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, FRACP

Roles:
Lecturer, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Breast
Head and Neck
Thyroid

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 8559

 

Dr Ankit Jain

Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MD, DM, DNB, FRACP, M.CLAM

Roles:
Clinical Lecturer, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Colon
Rectum
Stomach
Pancreas
Gastroenterological
Head and Neck
Neuroendocrine
Carcinoid 

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 8490

 

Dr Yada Kanjanapan

Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, FRACP

Roles:
Clinical Lecturer, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Breast 
Gynaecological 
Melanoma 

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital and Goulburn Base Hospital

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 2220

Publications:
https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=htt7hwwAAAAJ&hl=en

 

Dr David Leong

Senior Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, FRACP

Roles:
Senior Lecturer, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Lung
Colon
Rectum
CNS & Brain (only if on call)

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital and Moruya District Hospital

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 8490

Publications:
https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/38696085_David_C_Leong

 

Dr Laeeq Malik

Director, Medical Oncology Clinical Trials Unit
Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, FRACP

Roles:
Lecturer, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Breast
Testis
Prostate
Renal Cancer
Bladder

Clinics located at The Canberra Hospital, Calvary Public Hospital Bruce and South East Regional Hospital (Bega).

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 8490

Publications:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Ra7GDvQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

 

Dr Geoffrey Peters

Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, FRACP, B.Pharm

Roles:
Clinical Lecturer, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Melanoma
Lung

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital and Goulburn Base Hospital

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 8559

 

Dr Ganesalingam Pranavan

Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, FRACP

Roles:
Lecturer, ANU Medical School

Areas of Interest:
Testis
Prostate
Renal
CNS and Brain Cancer

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 8490

Publications:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ganes_Pranavan

 

Dr Thiru Prasanna

Staff Specialist, Department of Medical Oncology
MBBS, FRACP

Roles:
Associate Clinical Lecturer, ANU Medical School
PhD Candidate in Science, University of Canberra

Areas of Interest:
Gastrointestinal
Lung
Melanoma

Clinics located at Canberra Hospital and South East Regional Hospital (Bega)

Contact Details:
(02) 5124 2220

Publications:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thiru_Prasanna
 

Clinical Trials
Trial name Title Indication Principal investigator
ALT GIST A randomized phase II trial of imatinib alternating with regorafenib compared to imatinib alone for the first line treatment of advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMOR Prof. Desmond Yip
APACT A phase 3, multicenter, open-label, randomized study of nab®-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine versus gemcitabine alone as adjuvant therapy in subjects with surgically resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma. PANCREATIC ADENOCARCINOMA Prof. Desmond Yip
BR-31 A phase III prospective double-blind placebo controlled randomized study of adjuvant MEDI4736 in completely resected non-small cell lung cancer NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER Dr. David Leong
CFA Phase I Study of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) in Patients with Refractory and Relapsed Solid Tumours SOLID TUMORS Prof. Desmond Yip
CHECKMATE CA209-227 An Open-Label, Randomized Phase 3 Trial of Nivolumab, or Nivolumab plus Ipilimumab, or Nivolumab plus platinum doublet chemotherapy versus platinum doublet chemotherapy in Subjects with Chemotherapy-Naïve Stage IV or Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER Dr. David Leong
DYNAMIC- COLON Circulating Tumour DNA Analysis Informing Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage II Colon Cancer (DYNAMIC) COLON CANCER Prof. Desmond Yip
ICON-9 An international phase III randomised study to evaluate the efficacy of maintenance therapy with olaparib and cediranib or olaparib alone in patients with relapsed platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer following a response to platinum-based chemotherapy. OVARIAN CANCER Dr. Alison Davis
INTEGRATE-II A Randomised Phase III Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study of regorafenib in Refractory Advanced Gastro-Oesophageal Cancer (AGOC) GASTRO- OESOPHAGEAL CANCER Prof. Desmond Yip
PACIFIC-Real World First real-world data on unresectable stage III NSCLC patients treated with durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER Dr. Geoffrey Peters
PATINA A Randomized, Open Label, Phase III Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Palbociclib + AntiHER2 Therapy + Endocrine Therapy vs. Anti-HER2 Therapy + Endocrine Therapy after Induction Treatment for Hormone Receptor Positive (HR+)/HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer. BREAST CANCER Dr. Nicole Gorddard
PROSPER A Multinational, Phase3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Efficacy and Safety Study of Enzalutamide in Patients With Nonmetastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer PROSTATE CANCER Prof. Paul Craft
SAUL An open label, single arm, multicenter, safety study of Atezolizumab in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial or non-urothelial carcinoma of the urinary tract UROTHELIAL CANCER Dr. Laeeq Malik
SOFT A Phase III Trial Evaluating the Role of Ovarian Function Suppression and the Role of Exemestane as Adjuvant Therapies for Premenopausal Women with Endocrine Responsive Breast Cancer. BREAST CANCER Dr. Alison Davis
DYNAMIC RECTAL Circulating Tumour DNA Analysis Informing Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: A Multicentre Randomised Study RECTAL CANCER Prof. Desmond Yip

Clinical Research Staff

Dr Laeeq Malik, Director, Medical Oncology Clinical Trials
Prof. Desmond Yip, Clinical Director
Katherine Johnson, Manager
Anne Ryan, Clinical Trials Coordinator
Bibin George, Clinical Trials Coordinator 
Mary Morkel, Clinical Trials Coordinator 
Meaghann Nance, Clinical Trials Coordinator

Phone (02) 5124 5322

Collaborative Associates

A/Professor Christine Hemmings RGON, BHB, MBChB, FRCPA, St John of God Pathology, Subiaco WA.

Dr Alesia Ivashkevich, MSc, PhD, Cancer Research Laboratory, Department of Radiation Oncology, Canberra Hospital.

Dr Anneke Blackburn, BSc PhD, John Curtin School of Medical Research

Professor Sudha Rao, BSc PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centre for Research in Therapeutics Solutions, University of Canberra

A/Professor Kate Pumpa,BSc MSc PhD, Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra.

Professor Afaf Girgis, Translation Cancer Research Centre, Ingham Insitute for Applied Medical Research, University of NSW.

Research Grants Held

Prof R. Stuart-Harris. Prospective evaluation of cognitive impairment in women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer. The Canberra Region Medical Foundation

Stuart-Harris R. The Development of a Clinical Palliative Index for the Treatment of Advanced Cancer. The Private Practice Fund, The Canberra Hospital

Stuart-Harris R. Coping Styles and Severity of Toxicity from Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Early Breast Cancer or Colorectal Cancer. Cancer Council ACT.

Yip D. A Cancer Clinical Trials Research Programme in the ACT. Cancer Council ACT.

Yip D, Budge M, Taupin D, Nolan C. Installation and implementation of Bio21:MMIM (Molecular Medicine Informatics Model now known as BioGrid Australia) in Canberra. TCH Radiation Oncology Private Practice Trust Fund.

Haydon A, Zalcberg J, Walpole E, Yip D, Price T, Howard K, Jefford M. Short Course Oncology Therapy- A study of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Colorectal Cancer by the CACTUS and OCTO Groups. Cancer Australia Priority driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme.

Yip D, Dahlstrom J, Jain S, Barry P, Carpenter J, Clarke C. Westmead Millenium Institute, University of Sydney. The Breast Cancer Tissue Bank: establishment of collection site for collection, storage and transfer of human blood and tissue samples in the ACT.

Rao S, Jans D, Forward J, Dahlstrom J, Yip D. Epigenetic regulation by PKC-theta in human breast cancer stem cells. NHMRC Project Grant

Scott R, Balleine R,Clarke C, Dahlstrom J, Forbes J, Marsh D, Pathmanathan N, Simpson P,Yip D, Zeps N.  Extending the strategic importance of the Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank to facilitate breast cancer research. National Breast Cancer Foundation National Infrastructure Grant

Identification of Melanoma Circulating Tumour Cells (CTC)/Cancer Stem Cells (CSC) burden and the role of novel epigenetic enzymes in melanoma cancer biology

Research

Our team focuses on research for the advancement of ACT Health’s medical oncology services.

We contribute data to the ACT and southeast NSW Breast Cancer Treatment Group, as well as the national neuroendocrine tumour registry for further study.

We also participate in the ACT CanNET Project that helps link regional and metropolitan cancer services to quality and clinically-effective cancer services.

Our team supports an active clinical trials program and is involved with collaboration research across different areas of oncology. We also conduct many in-house projects.

Please see the Medical Oncology Research page for more information about our research program and publications.

Teaching

We are an academic unit of the Australian National University (ANU) Medical School and part of the Division of Cancer, Ambulatory and Community Health Support.

Our staff participate in student teaching, examinations, registrar training, curriculum development and supervision of research projects. Medical student placements are available for students of interstate or overseas universities.

Our department has various medical oncology, radiation oncology and palliative care teaching accreditations. We also offer experience in all subspecialties of medical oncology in a multidisciplinary setting.

Advanced trainees participate in outpatient clinics at The Canberra Hospital as well as the Zita Mary Clinic at Calvary Hospital. They are supervised in quality assurance projects, clinical research and  preparation for mortality and morbidity meetings.

Page last updated on: 18 May 2020