February 27, 2026
Monday 4 August, 2025
The Andrew Love Cancer Centre (ALCC) has delivered Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) to a patient with kidney cancer for the first time, marking another major milestone in local cancer treatment.
SABR is a newer type of radiotherapy that delivers high doses of radiotherapy over fewer treatment sessions, compared to traditional radiotherapy which is spread over several weeks.
Grovedale resident Raymond Roper became the first patient with kidney cancer to receive the treatment at the ALCC.
With ongoing recovery from kidney cancer treatment, Mr Roper hopes this new kidney treatment will streamline his recovery journey.
“Hopefully I’ll be fit to go again very soon,” Mr Roper said.
“I am also recovering from therapies for leukaemia and continue to receive treatment for that, so I hope I’ll soon be able to carry on as normal thanks to this new faster treatment.”
Receiving treatment locally in Geelong means patients like Mr Roper can spend more time enjoying activities at home, instead of having to travel for treatment.
“Having treatment closer to home means I don’t have to travel to Melbourne which is fantastic,” he said.
“This treatment allows me to spend more time at home where I can grow vegetables in the garden and take part in activities at our retirement home including bar duties during happy hour.”
Radiation oncologist Professor Wee Loon Ong says that SABR is a safe and effective treatment option.
“Kidney cancer has historically been considered radioresistant, however, based on strong clinical evidence, SABR is now a safe and effective treatment for patients with localised kidney cancer,” he said.
“SABR is commonly used to treat other cancer sites such as the lungs and brain metastases.
“We rolled out SABR treatment for primary prostate cancer in 2024 and there is a plan to continue rolling out this treatment for other cancer types such as liver cancer.
“The rollout of the kidney SABR program at Barwon Health is co-led by radiation oncologist, Dr Therese Kang and is not possible without a strong multidisciplinary team of radiation therapists and radiation oncology medial physicists, as well as our close collaboration with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.”