Medical Oncology

Medical oncology is the specialty concerned with the treatment of cancer using systemic therapies - medicines that travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells wherever they are in the body. Medical oncologists also coordinate supportive care, manage the side effects of treatment, and oversee long-term surveillance after treatment is complete.

For many cancers the best outcomes are achieved when surgery and systemic therapy are combined, and the medical oncologist works alongside your surgeon from the time of diagnosis.

Dr Rosemary Habib has subspecialty expertise in:

• Head and neck cancer, including cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx and salivary glands
• Thyroid cancer, including advanced and radioactive-iodine-refractory disease
• Sarcoma of soft tissue and bone
• Non-melanoma skin cancers, including advanced squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma
• Upper gastrointestinal cancers, including cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver and bile ducts

Chemotherapy

Medicines that kill rapidly dividing cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be given before surgery to shrink a tumour, after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence, or as the main treatment when surgery is not appropriate.

Immunotherapy

Treatments that help your own immune system recognise and attack cancer cells. Immunotherapy has transformed the treatment of many head and neck and skin cancers.

Targeted therapy

Medicines designed to act on specific genetic changes or proteins within a cancer. Testing of your tumour may identify a target that can be treated with one of these drugs.

Clinical trials

Dr Habib is a principal investigator on multiple oncology clinical trials, including early-phase studies, which can provide access to promising new therapies before they are widely available.

Every patient is discussed at a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting where surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, radiologists and pathologists agree on a recommended plan. Treatment may be sequenced as neoadjuvant therapy (before surgery), adjuvant therapy (after surgery), or definitive therapy in combination with radiotherapy.

Because Sydney Surgical Oncology brings surgeons and a medical oncologist together in one practice, your appointments, scans and treatment decisions are coordinated by a single team, reducing delays and duplication.

A referral from your GP or specialist is required. At your first consultation Dr Habib will review your diagnosis, scans and pathology, explain the treatment options and their likely benefits and side effects, and develop a plan that reflects your goals and circumstances. Please bring:

• Your referral letter and Medicare card
• A list of your current medications
• Any recent scan reports and blood test results
• A family member or friend, if you would like support