Breakthroughs in cancer and its treatment will be the focus of a forum of top scientific, medical and academic minds in Brisbane today.

Leading health professionals, researchers and academics are presenting on comprehensive cancer care on the final day of the Diamantina Health Partners Meeting of Minds forum at Woolloongabba.

Diamantina Health Partners Chairman Dr David Theile said there were many highlights for the day, including a presentation from co-creator of the technology for the cervical cancer vaccine and Queensland’s own Professor Ian Frazer.

“Professor Frazer has indicated that the cost of cancer care to the community could be reduced by 30 percent through behavioural modification,” he said.

“We will also hear about how our addictions to our smartphones may save our life through early diagnosis of melanomas.

“Diamantina Health Partners Comprehensive Cancer Centre Theme Leader Dr Euan Walpole will showcase how Queensland fares in relation to the rest of the world with the incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ, a possible precursor to breast cancer and its treatment.”

Dr Theile said the winner of the $10,000 Research and Innovation Ideas Award would be presented at the close of the forum at 5pm.

The PA Research Foundation and the Diamantina Health Partners joined to host a pre-forum symposium at which one presentation was chosen to receive the grant.

Dr Theile said international keynote speaker Dr David S. Alberts was speaking via a pre-recorded message on building a comprehensive cancer centre in the 21st century.

“Dr Alberts has had a distinguished career in this field and is Director Emeritus of the University of Arizona Cancer Centre (UACC),” Dr Theile said.

“Clinically, he has pioneered new treatments for advanced ovarian cancers. The UACC has an extensive research portfolio and includes more than $50 million in annual research funding.”

Diamantina Health Partners is a partnership between the Translational Research Institute, the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Mater Health Services, University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Metro South Addiction and Medical Health Services, University of Queensland Health Care and Inala Indigenous Health Services.

For more information on Diamantina Health Partners visit www.diamantina.org.au.

Ends

For more information:  
Michelle Bordignon, I AM Events
0402 315 944

Directions:         

Translational Research Institute, 37 Kent Street, Woolloongabba (within Princess Alexandra Hospital Campus). Reception and taxi drop-off: Diamantina Rd West, (enter via O’Keefe St), Woolloongabba