This month marks 10 years since the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre (ONJ Centre) began offering gynaecological brachytherapy, a specialised form of radiation treatment used to treat women with cancers such as cervical and endometrial cancer. 

Established in partnership with Mercy Health's gynaecological oncology team in 2016, the service treated seven patients in its first year. By 2025, that number had grown to 33 patients annually, which shows the increasing demand for specialised brachytherapy across Victoria. Over the past decade, 241 women have received treatment through the service. 

Patients are referred to the ONJ Centre from health services across Victoria. Many are able to continue receiving care from their local treating team while accessing specialised brachytherapy at the ONJ Centre when required. This helps patients remain closer to home and their support networks during treatment. 

Over the past 10 years, the team has expanded and refined the treatment techniques available to patients, allowing care to be tailored more closely to each person's cancer and individual circumstances. 

Today, the ONJ Centre is the only service in Victoria to use MRI-guided brachytherapy for every treatment. This approach is considered the international standard for cervical cancer brachytherapy and helps clinicians plan treatment as accurately as possible for each patient. 

Program Lead Dr Adeline Lim said the milestone reflected a decade of innovation and collaboration focused on improving outcomes for women with cancer. 

“Over the past ten years, the brachytherapy team has worked extremely hard to ensure we deliver state of the art, highly personalised patient care. Our team was the first in the world to implement a new brachytherapy technique, reflecting our commitment to advancing cancer treatment and ensuring patients have access to the latest, most effective care,” Dr Lim said. 

“It is gratifying to look back at the last 10 years, knowing that the programme has reduced inequities in access to brachytherapy and contributed to improved outcomes for women with cervical cancer across Victoria." 

Director of Radiation Oncology Professor Farshad Foroudi said the partnership between Austin Health and Mercy Health had helped establish a leading service for Victorian patients. 

"Austin Health in collaboration with Mercy has built up a comprehensive gynaecological brachytherapy program to treat patients with Cervical and Endometrial Cancer over the last 10 years. This growing program allows patients to receive exemplary state of the art treatments close to home." 

The milestone also recognises the contribution of the many radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, medical physicists, nurses, anaesthetists, allied health professionals and administrative staff who have helped shape the service over the past decade. 

Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to the service over the past 10 years and helped support women and their families during treatment.