Health Matters - Sydney Local Health District

RESEARCH M A T T E R SGoing dry for JulyPutting patient outcomes firstProfessor Michael Solomon is considered a world authority onexenterative techniques and has dedicated his distinguishedcareer to advancing surgical outcomes to improve the quality oflife for patients.Mastering one of the most complex surgical procedures, known as pelvic exenteration, ProfessorSolomon has played a significant role in reducing the operative mortality of this procedurefrom about 10-30 per cent to just under one per cent in most Australian hospitals where theprocedure is undertaken including at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where the Professor does thebulk of his work.The procedure is targeted to patients who experience locally recurrent rectal cancer that has notspread by removing all malignant tissue within the pelvis. The main objective is to achieve aclear margin when removing the cancer, which may involve the removal of the bladder, uterusand fallopian tubes, pelvic vessels and nerves, and components of the pelvic bone, but eachcase is different.Professor Solomon leads 45 to 52 exenteration procedures a year at RPA which currentlyexperiences a 75 per cent success rate in achieving a clear margin in the removal of malignanttissue – the highest rate of any hospital. The high rate of success has led to improved outcomesfor patients with an increased life span of up to five years.The Professor has made patient quality of life a priority not only through surgical skill, but viahis research endeavour, the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), which he foundedin 2002.This research partnership between Sydney Local Health District and the University of Sydneyaims to advance surgical outcomes to ultimately improve outcomes for patients.One of the team’s more recent studies has looked at devising criteria for doctors to assesspatient suitability for pelvic exenteration. This will help increase referrals of patients that aresuitable for the procedure to increase equity of access and care, and ultimately better the lives ofthose living with this devastating condition.Professor Solomon was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeonsin Ireland. This is only the second time the College has afforded such an honour, which isusually bestowed posthumously. With more than 200 publications on all aspects of colorectalsurgery and more than nine million dollars obtained in peer reviewed research grants, ProfessorSolomon is making strides in both research and surgical practices for patient quality of life.Academic head of colorectal surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the founding director and head of theSurgical Outcomes Research Centre, Professor Michael Solomon.Support the Concord Cancer Centre… Director of cancerservices Associate Professor, Philip Beale, clinicalmanager of cancer services Anne Lofaro, palliative careservice development manager Eleni Naude, cancer servicedevelopment manager Merran Findlay, and Shiraz Abdulla.With a name like Shiraz, it was onlya matter of time before she becameinvolved in the Dry July campaign,a fundraising campaign whereparticipants are sponsored to abstainfrom alcohol for a month.Shiraz Abdulla, the systems innovation managerfor Cancer Services at Concord Hospital, isbehind a push to raise $50,000 for the ConcordCancer Centre and is encouraging everyone tojoin the hospital’s acting general manager, TimSinclair, director of Cancer Services AssociateProfessor Philip Beale, and Balmain’s operationalnurse manager Fran O’Brien in pledging theirsupport.The fundraiser was a fun way of getting healthyand raising money to benefit patients by creatinga more comfortable environment at the centre,Ms Abdulla said.“It is also a great way to connect with thecommunity and partner with them for aworthwhile cause, and I’ve heard it does wondersfor your skin.”A staff barbecue will be held on Friday 14 Juneon the terrace of the Concord Cancer Centre.All staff are invited and further details will beavailable on the intranet.To help the team achieve its goal, please donateonline at www.dryjuly.com and look for theConcord Cancer Centre team members.4 HealthMatters Sydney – it’s your local health district

RESEARCH M A T T E R SGoing dry for JulyPutting patient outcomes firstProfessor Michael Solomon is considered a world authority onexenterative techniques and has dedicated his distinguishedcareer to advancing surgical outcomes to improve the quality oflife for patients.Mastering one of the most complex surgical procedures, known as pelvic exenteration, ProfessorSolomon has played a significant role in reducing the operative mortality of this procedurefrom about 10-30 per cent to just under one per cent in most Australian hospitals where theprocedure is undertaken including at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where the Professor does thebulk of his work.The procedure is targeted to patients who experience locally recurrent rectal cancer that has notspread by removing all malignant tissue within the pelvis. The main objective is to achieve aclear margin when removing the cancer, which may involve the removal of the bladder, uterusand fallopian tubes, pelvic vessels and nerves, and components of the pelvic bone, but eachcase is different.Professor Solomon leads 45 to 52 exenteration procedures a year at RPA which currentlyexperiences a 75 per cent success rate in achieving a clear margin in the removal of malignanttissue – the highest rate of any hospital. The high rate of success has led to improved outcomesfor patients with an increased life span of up to five years.The Professor has made patient quality of life a priority not only through surgical skill, but viahis research endeavour, the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), which he foundedin 2002.This research partnership between Sydney Local Health District and the University of Sydneyaims to advance surgical outcomes to ultimately improve outcomes for patients.One of the team’s more recent studies has looked at devising criteria for doctors to assesspatient suitability for pelvic exenteration. This will help increase referrals of patients that aresuitable for the procedure to increase equity of access and care, and ultimately better the lives ofthose living with this devastating condition.Professor Solomon was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeonsin Ireland. This is only the second time the College has afforded such an honour, which isusually bestowed posthumously. With more than 200 publications on all aspects of colorectalsurgery and more than nine million dollars obtained in peer reviewed research grants, ProfessorSolomon is making strides in both research and surgical practices for patient quality of life.Academic head of colorectal surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the founding director and head of theSurgical Outcomes Research Centre, Professor Michael Solomon.Support the Concord Cancer Centre… Director of cancerservices Associate Professor, Philip Beale, clinicalmanager of cancer services Anne Lofaro, palliative careservice development manager Eleni Naude, cancer servicedevelopment manager Merran Findlay, and Shiraz Abdulla.With a name like Shiraz, it was onlya matter of time before she becameinvolved in the Dry July campaign,a fundraising campaign whereparticipants are sponsored to abstainfrom alcohol for a month.Shiraz Abdulla, the systems innovation managerfor Cancer Services at Concord Hospital, isbehind a push to raise $50,000 for the ConcordCancer Centre and is encouraging everyone tojoin the hospital’s acting general manager, TimSinclair, director of Cancer Services AssociateProfessor Philip Beale, and Balmain’s operationalnurse manager Fran O’Brien in pledging theirsupport.The fundraiser was a fun way of getting healthyand raising money to benefit patients by creatinga more comfortable environment at the centre,Ms Abdulla said.“It is also a great way to connect with thecommunity and partner with them for aworthwhile cause, and I’ve heard it does wondersfor your skin.”A staff barbecue will be held on Friday 14 Juneon the terrace of the Concord Cancer Centre.All staff are invited and further details will beavailable on the intranet.To help the team achieve its goal, please donateonline at www.dryjuly.com and look for theConcord Cancer Centre team members.4 HealthMatters Sydney – it’s your local health district

RESEARCH M A T T E R SGoing dry for JulyPutting patient outcomes firstProfessor Michael Solomon is considered a world authority onexenterative techniques and has dedicated his distinguishedcareer to advancing surgical outcomes to improve the quality oflife for patients.Mastering one of the most complex surgical procedures, known as pelvic exenteration, ProfessorSolomon has played a significant role in reducing the operative mortality of this procedurefrom about 10-30 per cent to just under one per cent in most Australian hospitals where theprocedure is undertaken including at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where the Professor does thebulk of his work.The procedure is targeted to patients who experience locally recurrent rectal cancer that has notspread by removing all malignant tissue within the pelvis. The main objective is to achieve aclear margin when removing the cancer, which may involve the removal of the bladder, uterusand fallopian tubes, pelvic vessels and nerves, and components of the pelvic bone, but eachcase is different.Professor Solomon leads 45 to 52 exenteration procedures a year at RPA which currentlyexperiences a 75 per cent success rate in achieving a clear margin in the removal of malignanttissue – the highest rate of any hospital. The high rate of success has led to improved outcomesfor patients with an increased life span of up to five years.The Professor has made patient quality of life a priority not only through surgical skill, but viahis research endeavour, the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), which he foundedin 2002.This research partnership between Sydney Local Health District and the University of Sydneyaims to advance surgical outcomes to ultimately improve outcomes for patients.One of the team’s more recent studies has looked at devising criteria for doctors to assesspatient suitability for pelvic exenteration. This will help increase referrals of patients that aresuitable for the procedure to increase equity of access and care, and ultimately better the lives ofthose living with this devastating condition.Professor Solomon was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeonsin Ireland. This is only the second time the College has afforded such an honour, which isusually bestowed posthumously. With more than 200 publications on all aspects of colorectalsurgery and more than nine million dollars obtained in peer reviewed research grants, ProfessorSolomon is making strides in both research and surgical practices for patient quality of life.Academic head of colorectal surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the founding director and head of theSurgical Outcomes Research Centre, Professor Michael Solomon.Support the Concord Cancer Centre… Director of cancerservices Associate Professor, Philip Beale, clinicalmanager of cancer services Anne Lofaro, palliative careservice development manager Eleni Naude, cancer servicedevelopment manager Merran Findlay, and Shiraz Abdulla.With a name like Shiraz, it was onlya matter of time before she becameinvolved in the Dry July campaign,a fundraising campaign whereparticipants are sponsored to abstainfrom alcohol for a month.Shiraz Abdulla, the systems innovation managerfor Cancer Services at Concord Hospital, isbehind a push to raise $50,000 for the ConcordCancer Centre and is encouraging everyone tojoin the hospital’s acting general manager, TimSinclair, director of Cancer Services AssociateProfessor Philip Beale, and Balmain’s operationalnurse manager Fran O’Brien in pledging theirsupport.The fundraiser was a fun way of getting healthyand raising money to benefit patients by creatinga more comfortable environment at the centre,Ms Abdulla said.“It is also a great way to connect with thecommunity and partner with them for aworthwhile cause, and I’ve heard it does wondersfor your skin.”A staff barbecue will be held on Friday 14 Juneon the terrace of the Concord Cancer Centre.All staff are invited and further details will beavailable on the intranet.To help the team achieve its goal, please donateonline at www.dryjuly.com and look for theConcord Cancer Centre team members.4 HealthMatters Sydney – it’s your local health district

RESEARCH M A T T E R SGoing dry for JulyPutting patient outcomes firstProfessor Michael Solomon is considered a world authority onexenterative techniques and has dedicated his distinguishedcareer to advancing surgical outcomes to improve the quality oflife for patients.Mastering one of the most complex surgical procedures, known as pelvic exenteration, ProfessorSolomon has played a significant role in reducing the operative mortality of this procedurefrom about 10-30 per cent to just under one per cent in most Australian hospitals where theprocedure is undertaken including at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where the Professor does thebulk of his work.The procedure is targeted to patients who experience locally recurrent rectal cancer that has notspread by removing all malignant tissue within the pelvis. The main objective is to achieve aclear margin when removing the cancer, which may involve the removal of the bladder, uterusand fallopian tubes, pelvic vessels and nerves, and components of the pelvic bone, but eachcase is different.Professor Solomon leads 45 to 52 exenteration procedures a year at RPA which currentlyexperiences a 75 per cent success rate in achieving a clear margin in the removal of malignanttissue – the highest rate of any hospital. The high rate of success has led to improved outcomesfor patients with an increased life span of up to five years.The Professor has made patient quality of life a priority not only through surgical skill, but viahis research endeavour, the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), which he foundedin 2002.This research partnership between Sydney Local Health District and the University of Sydneyaims to advance surgical outcomes to ultimately improve outcomes for patients.One of the team’s more recent studies has looked at devising criteria for doctors to assesspatient suitability for pelvic exenteration. This will help increase referrals of patients that aresuitable for the procedure to increase equity of access and care, and ultimately better the lives ofthose living with this devastating condition.Professor Solomon was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeonsin Ireland. This is only the second time the College has afforded such an honour, which isusually bestowed posthumously. With more than 200 publications on all aspects of colorectalsurgery and more than nine million dollars obtained in peer reviewed research grants, ProfessorSolomon is making strides in both research and surgical practices for patient quality of life.Academic head of colorectal surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the founding director and head of theSurgical Outcomes Research Centre, Professor Michael Solomon.Support the Concord Cancer Centre… Director of cancerservices Associate Professor, Philip Beale, clinicalmanager of cancer services Anne Lofaro, palliative careservice development manager Eleni Naude, cancer servicedevelopment manager Merran Findlay, and Shiraz Abdulla.With a name like Shiraz, it was onlya matter of time before she becameinvolved in the Dry July campaign,a fundraising campaign whereparticipants are sponsored to abstainfrom alcohol for a month.Shiraz Abdulla, the systems innovation managerfor Cancer Services at Concord Hospital, isbehind a push to raise $50,000 for the ConcordCancer Centre and is encouraging everyone tojoin the hospital’s acting general manager, TimSinclair, director of Cancer Services AssociateProfessor Philip Beale, and Balmain’s operationalnurse manager Fran O’Brien in pledging theirsupport.The fundraiser was a fun way of getting healthyand raising money to benefit patients by creatinga more comfortable environment at the centre,Ms Abdulla said.“It is also a great way to connect with thecommunity and partner with them for aworthwhile cause, and I’ve heard it does wondersfor your skin.”A staff barbecue will be held on Friday 14 Juneon the terrace of the Concord Cancer Centre.All staff are invited and further details will beavailable on the intranet.To help the team achieve its goal, please donateonline at www.dryjuly.com and look for theConcord Cancer Centre team members.4 HealthMatters Sydney – it’s your local health district

RESEARCH M A T T E R SGoing dry for JulyPutting patient outcomes firstProfessor Michael Solomon is considered a world authority onexenterative techniques and has dedicated his distinguishedcareer to advancing surgical outcomes to improve the quality oflife for patients.Mastering one of the most complex surgical procedures, known as pelvic exenteration, ProfessorSolomon has played a significant role in reducing the operative mortality of this procedurefrom about 10-30 per cent to just under one per cent in most Australian hospitals where theprocedure is undertaken including at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where the Professor does thebulk of his work.The procedure is targeted to patients who experience locally recurrent rectal cancer that has notspread by removing all malignant tissue within the pelvis. The main objective is to achieve aclear margin when removing the cancer, which may involve the removal of the bladder, uterusand fallopian tubes, pelvic vessels and nerves, and components of the pelvic bone, but eachcase is different.Professor Solomon leads 45 to 52 exenteration procedures a year at RPA which currentlyexperiences a 75 per cent success rate in achieving a clear margin in the removal of malignanttissue – the highest rate of any hospital. The high rate of success has led to improved outcomesfor patients with an increased life span of up to five years.The Professor has made patient quality of life a priority not only through surgical skill, but viahis research endeavour, the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), which he foundedin 2002.This research partnership between Sydney Local Health District and the University of Sydneyaims to advance surgical outcomes to ultimately improve outcomes for patients.One of the team’s more recent studies has looked at devising criteria for doctors to assesspatient suitability for pelvic exenteration. This will help increase referrals of patients that aresuitable for the procedure to increase equity of access and care, and ultimately better the lives ofthose living with this devastating condition.Professor Solomon was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeonsin Ireland. This is only the second time the College has afforded such an honour, which isusually bestowed posthumously. With more than 200 publications on all aspects of colorectalsurgery and more than nine million dollars obtained in peer reviewed research grants, ProfessorSolomon is making strides in both research and surgical practices for patient quality of life.Academic head of colorectal surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the founding director and head of theSurgical Outcomes Research Centre, Professor Michael Solomon.Support the Concord Cancer Centre… Director of cancerservices Associate Professor, Philip Beale, clinicalmanager of cancer services Anne Lofaro, palliative careservice development manager Eleni Naude, cancer servicedevelopment manager Merran Findlay, and Shiraz Abdulla.With a name like Shiraz, it was onlya matter of time before she becameinvolved in the Dry July campaign,a fundraising campaign whereparticipants are sponsored to abstainfrom alcohol for a month.Shiraz Abdulla, the systems innovation managerfor Cancer Services at Concord Hospital, isbehind a push to raise $50,000 for the ConcordCancer Centre and is encouraging everyone tojoin the hospital’s acting general manager, TimSinclair, director of Cancer Services AssociateProfessor Philip Beale, and Balmain’s operationalnurse manager Fran O’Brien in pledging theirsupport.The fundraiser was a fun way of getting healthyand raising money to benefit patients by creatinga more comfortable environment at the centre,Ms Abdulla said.“It is also a great way to connect with thecommunity and partner with them for aworthwhile cause, and I’ve heard it does wondersfor your skin.”A staff barbecue will be held on Friday 14 Juneon the terrace of the Concord Cancer Centre.All staff are invited and further details will beavailable on the intranet.To help the team achieve its goal, please donateonline at www.dryjuly.com and look for theConcord Cancer Centre team members.4 HealthMatters Sydney – it’s your local health district