Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation

25/11/2025

Lung cancer is currently the fifth most diagnosed cancer – and the most common cause of cancer death – in Australia.

For Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we are pleased to highlight the efforts of Peter Mac researchers Professor Steven Stacker, Dr Aadya Nagpal and Dr Rae Farnsworth in pursuing new pathways for treating this devastating disease.

Prof Stacker, Dr Nagpal and Dr Farnsworth are hard at work using innovative techniques to better understand how tumour cells can enable both primary and secondary lung cancer. Their key projects explore:

🔬 How cancer cells evolve to resist chemotherapy

🔬 How tumours that start in other parts of the body spread to the lungs

Having already made important breakthroughs, our researchers are now poised to make discoveries that can transform the future of lung cancer treatment. Their work has the potential to improve outcomes and save the lives of the many people diagnosed with cancer.

Read more about this incredible research here: https://foundation.petermac.org/about-us/news/details/unlocking-powerful-new-insights-in-lung-cancer

18/11/2025

It started with a knock to the stomach. It ended with a diagnosis Charles never saw coming.

At 20, Charles was a strong and ambitious athlete, with his sights set on becoming a footy star in Melbourne.

But during a game he took a light knock to the tummy, the kind he’d brushed off countless times before.

This time, however, something was very wrong. He doubled over in agony.

In the emergency room, doctors ran test after test until the diagnosis came: testicular cancer. And it was aggressive.

“It was a very traumatic experience… You go from being young, fit and healthy… to losing your strength, your sense of self and even your self-confidence,” Charles says.

Over the coming months, Charles’s strength was tested – nothing was easy. He lost his hair, became gaunt, and was unrecognisable to himself.

Cue Peter Mac’s Associate Professor Ben Tran – an oncologist and expert in testicular cancer. He set up Charles with the best treatment available.

‘It’s because of cancer research, and because of people who cared enough to support it, that I’m still alive’, says Charles.

This Christmas, make cancer just a footnote in someone’s life, rather than a defining chapter.

Read more: foundation.petermac.org/charles

13/11/2025

After being treated for a rare cancer called leiomyosarcoma at Peter Mac, Rowaa was determined to get back on her feet and show her gratitude.

She managed to do just that by running for Peter Mac in Run Melbourne 2025 – a mere three days after completing her final radiation therapy treatment. Rowaa describes the feeling of crossing the finish line as ‘incredible’.

“It reminded me of how far I’d come,” she says.

“I wanted to prove to myself I could do it, and to thank Peter Mac for the care that got me through my diagnosis and recovery.”

Rowaa shows no signs of slowing down, having since run for in the Brighton Beach Marathon and the Melbourne Marathon, hitting her fundraising goals each time. Her efforts highlight how taking on a fundraising challenge can be personally rewarding and make a difference for all people affected by cancer.

Thank you to Rowaa for your dedication to supporting lifesaving cancer breakthroughs. If you would like to learn more about fundraising for Peter Mac, visit https://foundation.petermac.org/get-involved/fundraise-for-us

11/11/2025

Introducing the inspiring work of Dr Aaron K Wong, one of our 2025 Discovery Partner Fellows.

Dr Wong’s work aims to improve pain relief for people with advanced cancer, many of whom experience moderate-to-severe pain during their illness. Opioids continue to be the main treatment for cancer pain and unfortunately, they don’t work the same for everyone.

Recent research suggests that our genes, particularly neuroimmune genes, may influence how our bodies respond to opioids. Dr Wong’s discoveries have already contributed to new understanding on how neuroimmune gene pathways may influence a patient’s response to opioid treatments.

This work aims to find biomarkers that can predict how each person may respond to pain relief for cancer to allow personalised cancer pain treatment in the future

With thanks to our amazing group of supporters who choose to give a monthly gift to Peter Mac through our Discovery Partner Program for making these fellowships possible.

You can support life-changing research like Dr Wong’s by becoming a Discovery Partner today via the link in our bio.

05/11/2025

The 10-day Unite to Fight Cancer challenge has come to a close - and wow, so much support!


Nearly 900 participants, 33,000 km and over $330,000 raised to accelerate lifesaving cancer research.

Swipe to see some of the heroes who made it happen 💜

28/10/2025

We’re pleased to introduce Dr Lavinia Tan, one of our 2025 Discovery Partner Fellows.

Dr Tan’s research focuses on improving treatment for people with oncogene-driven lung cancer, a type of cancer caused by specific genetic mutations that can accelerate tumour growth.

Here at Peter Mac, Dr Tan and her team are working to understand how these cancers evolve, studying why some cells survive treatment and eventually become resistant. Their goal? To better predict who will respond to therapy and design more effective, personalised treatments for the future.

This vital research is made possible thanks to our community of Discovery Partners who give monthly to fuel life-changing cancer breakthroughs.

Find out how you can help power research like Dr Tan’s by becoming a Discovery Partner today through the link in our bio.

20/10/2025

Did you know that breast cancer is the most common cancer in Australian women, affecting one in seven women? This Breast Cancer Awareness month we are spotlighting the work of leading Peter Mac researcher Professor Kelly-Anne Phillips. Prof Phillips is determined to prevent as many of these cases as possible, and improve the long-term health outcomes of women treated for breast cancer.

Prof Phillips and her team seek to address existing research gaps through pursuing a variety of promising new breast cancer initiatives. These initiatives focus on personalised breast cancer prevention, and equipping women and clinicians with the knowledge to make informed treatment decisions.

This groundbreaking research has the potential to save and improve the lives of the many women facing a breast cancer diagnosis.

To read more about how Prof Phillips and her team are transforming the future of breast cancer, read here: https://foundation.petermac.org/about-us/news/details/helping-women-across-the-breast-cancer-trajectory

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre is internationally recognised for helping to lead the search for cancer cures, and is Australia's only public hospital solely dedicated to caring for people affected by cancer. We support this vital work by funding new research opportunities, and providing researchers w...

14/10/2025

⏳ The countdown is ON — only 2 days until Unite to Fight Cancer challenge kicks off! 🚶‍♀️🚴‍♂️

Get ready to move, inspire, and make every step and every kilometre count towards life-saving breakthroughs in cancer research at Peter Mac.

Whether you’re walking your favourite trail or riding through your neighbourhood, you’re joining hundreds of passionate people powering hope and progress for families facing cancer.

This is YOUR chance to back world-leading researchers and be part of something truly extraordinary.

LAST CHANCE! Sign up now. Set your distance. Support cancer research.

10/10/2025

We're excited to launch the Peter Mac Foundation's brand new eNewsletter, Momentum – your inside look at the impact of your support.

Each quarter, we'll bring you inspiring patient stories, groundbreaking research made possible by our generous community, and updates from the incredible fundraisers and scientists driving change at Peter Mac.

In our first edition:
• Passionate fundraisers trek the Larapinta Trail
• Leanne’s journey after being diagnosed with a rare head and neck cancer
• Professor Kaylene Simpson’s world-leading genomics work
• The Gamma Knife celebrates its 1000th patient

Stay connected.

Sign up now to receive future editions: https://foundation.petermac.org/subscribe-to-momentum

08/10/2025

With thanks to the generosity of our supporters we have welcomed the arrival of long-read sequencing at Peter Mac. The installation of the Oxford Nanopore Long Read Sequencing PC in the Molecular Genomics Core laboratory is accelerating discoveries in breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. This exciting new technology offers long-awaited answers and new hope for families facing inherited cancers worldwide.

Associate Professor Heather Thorne, a leading researcher here at Peter Mac is already seeing advancements in her work since the installation and shares her excitement:

“We are in our revolution of genomics. We could never look in that part of the gene before. Already we’ve found genes never detected before. A whole new frontier is opening up!”

You can read more about this incredible new technology here: https://foundation.petermac.org/about-us/news/details/long-read-sequencing-arrives-at-peter-mac

06/10/2025

We are delighted to announce that 26 new cancer research projects have been awarded Foundation Grants in 2025.

Funded by generous donors to the Peter Mac Endowment Fund, the Foundation Grants program supports promising new research projects that improve research knowledge, cancer treatment and patient outcomes. The program is designed to uplift the ideas of new investigators by providing an initial funding boost for their projects.

In 2025, a total of $1.4M has been awarded to grant recipients. This includes extra funding for three Excellence in Innovation Awards recipients – the researchers who received the highest application scores.

To learn more about the projects awarded a 2025 Foundation Grant, funded by our generous supporters, visit https://foundation.petermac.org/about-us/news/details/2025-foundation-grant-recipients-supporting-26-promising-new-projects

30/09/2025

When Bronwyn was eight years old, doctors found a golf ball-sized tumour in her brain. What followed was several months of intensive cancer treatment coupled with many harsh side effects for Bronwyn.

Cancer treatment saved Bronwyn’s life. However, she experienced many significant and long-term health problems after treatment. Years of fatigue and nausea interfered with her childhood and schooling. Her physical growth was impacted, and she also faced permanent hair loss, hormone deficiencies and spine conditions.

Cancer research has led to improved understanding of how to treat some childhood cancers, and thanks to this research, Bronwyn is still here today. A keen drawer since childhood, she has gone on to study graphic design and enjoys taking on any creative hobby she can get her hands on. However, her story highlights the need for gentler and kinder treatments for children with cancer.

This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we acknowledge the impact of childhood cancer on all people who have faced it, like Bronwyn.

Read Bronwyn's whole story here: https://foundation.petermac.org/about-us/news/details/childhood-cancer-awareness-month-bronwyn-s-story