Cancer centre celebrates first birthday

Cancer Care Moreton Bay is celebrating its first birthday, having helped more than 600 locals access cancer treatment closer to home.

Since opening in Caboolture, the centre has treated 642 patients on site, with approximately 5540 visits for consultations, follow-ups and treatment.

For radiation oncologist Dr Megan Carroll, the milestone is about more than numbers.

"We don't just want to be a service that's easy for people to get to, though that is one of our points of difference," she said.

"We also want to reduce financial stress for our patients."

As the centre celebrates its November 27 anniversary, the team has been reflecting on its first year, including at a celebration attended by Mayor Peter Flannery.

The centre offers bulk-billed radiation therapy with no out-of-pocket costs, alongside private medical oncology and haematology services, helping patients from Caboolture, Bribie Island, Woodford, Beachmere, Burpengary and beyond avoid regular trips to Brisbane.

The opening of the Caboolture cancer care centre was aimed at improving access to treatment for residents across the City of Moreton Bay.

Luke Jenkinson, from Cancer Care Moreton Bay, said the vision from the beginning was to make specialist cancer care more accessible, with free parking, flexible appointments and a familiar team helping ease the burden of treatment.

But it's the relationships formed along the way that have made the biggest impression.

Dr Carroll recalled a young man in his 20s with metastatic cancer whose courage has stayed with her.

"It was a privilege to be part of his journey because he was so brave," she said.

"To provide treatment that could ease his pain and improve the quality of life he had left was a privilege, and to see him with his beautiful family, his dad, together was something pretty special."

"We don't always cure people, but we can help in other ways."

Those personal connections have become part of everyday life at the centre, where one patient recently dropped off homemade apple pies for the team and a group of men attending radiation therapy at similar times have formed their own informal support network.

"Every morning we see a group of guys who have their treatment around the same time. It's like their own little boys' club now," Luke said.

"They're all sharing stories and chuckling. It doesn't feel like you're just another patient in the line."

The first year has also seen the centre grow into a more comprehensive cancer service, with the addition of medical oncology and haematology specialists and a wider network of dietitians, surgeons and lymphoedema specialists.

It now routinely provides advanced stereotactic radiation treatments, giving local patients access to specialised care that would otherwise often mean travelling to a major Brisbane hospital.

For Dr Carroll, the anniversary is also a chance to recognise the community that has embraced the centre and the way patients support one another.

"Our patients talk, they connect, and they look out for each other. That's what I see in our waiting room," she said.

"We're really lucky to be part of this fabulous community."