Director of Cancer Clinical Trials, Professor Hui Gan, wants you to know the signs of lymphoma and seek medical help as soon as possible.
“Our hospital is a safe place. The GP Clinic is a safe place. We are all taking precautions to ensure that everyone is protected and the ONJ Centre is COVID-19 free," says Professor Gan.
“You can also opt to do a telehealth consultation, which means you can speak to a doctor or specialist over the phone or through video call.
“So please don’t delay visiting your GP or hospital out of fear of COVID-19.
"It's important that you seek medical support as soon as possible to ensure that any symptoms you may have are assessed and managed by your GP or specialist," says Professor Gan.
Some of the general signs of lymphoma can include:
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss
- Night sweats
- Itching
- Persistant cough or shortness of breath.
We’ve also recently launched an important trial to improve treatment of those with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).
Chief Investigator, A/Prof Eliza Hawkes will be leading the four-year trial that is running across 20 regional and metropolitan sites around Australia.
The trial is testing a new treatment for MCL called acalabrutinib and looking at the impact of the medication on stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells when combined with other treatments such as chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.
“I’m pleased to be contributing to the global efforts to improve outcomes in this rare disease and I’m really excited to be working with my colleagues at rural and remote centres on this novel Telehealth model so we can reach Australian Haematology patients who usually face travelling impossible distances to participate in a clinical trial,” says A/Prof Hawkes.
Find out more about Clinical Trials at the ONJ Centre: www.onjcancercentre.org/research/clinical-trials