“Australia has a rare mix when it comes to brain cancer research — we’re small enough to be agile, big enough to make an impact.”
With medical and neuroscience training from the University of Oxford and The Christie in the UK, and two decades on the frontline of brain cancer research and patient care, Professor Mark Pinkham thinks Australia is uniquely placed to accelerate progress.
Based in Brisbane, Mark is a Radiation Oncologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Icon Cancer Centre, a Professor at Flinders University, and a member of Brain Cancer Australia’s National Consortium Steering Committee.
“What we really need – and what Brain Cancer Australia is working toward – is to bring everyone together and start drawing meaningful conclusions from shared, high-quality data – and acting on them. With continued investment and coordination, we can start moving faster together.”
Mark is encouraged by recent progress in moving beyond the one-size-fits-all approach, but believes the next step must be true national coordination.
Mark sees the Australian Brain Cancer Registry as a key part of that progress. “It’s about tracking outcomes in patient care, reducing variation, and making sure people are being treated appropriately – especially when it comes to complex or hard-to-justify treatments,” he says. “The Registry will allow us to move beyond small pockets of data to truly understand what’s working – and make sure any advancements in treatment are quickly reaching patients across the country,” he says.
Improving access to trials is another critical step. Mark recalls the time a brain cancer patient came in with his wife who had a notebook with pages and pages of her own research. “They were desperately trying to make sense of trial options,” he says. “Even for us as clinicians, it’s hard to know what’s actually available. “I’ve found trials listed on websites, only to learn they closed years ago — or assumed one wasn’t accessible due to distance, only to later discover it offered funded travel.”
For Mark, the Opt Me In Platform – which will allow patients to self-enrol for research – will be transformative because it will make sure every patient, no matter where they live, can access potentially life-extending options.
“Brain cancer is a threat to your sense of self, not just your life. And that makes it so different to other cancers.”
Mark has always been drawn to the complexity of the brain and hopes the growing conversation around brain cancer brings awareness of its hidden toll.
Each year, Mark treats over 400 patients while also leading research and teaching the next generation of clinicians. He’s particularly proud of his work mentoring radiation oncology trainees and supervising research into survivorship — areas that he says have made him a better doctor.
