Sydney Adventist Hospital provides complete care for most forms of cancer including specialised radiation therapy. The Radiation Oncology Centres (formerly Radiation Oncology Institute) is located within the grounds of Sydney Adventist Hospital and is one of two treatment centres owned and operated by a dedicated team of cancer specialists. The second centre is located in Gosford.

Radiotherapy Services

Radiation Oncology Centres has moved into our beautiful new department in the ground floor of Clark Tower in the new San Integrated Cancer centre. ROC features a brand new TomotherapyEdge machine plus two new Varian Silhouette linear accelerators. Our Varian linacs have the latest state of the art capabilities to deliver the most clinically advanced treatments in radiotherapy today.

TomotherapyEdge is the next generation radiation therapy machine providing the most accurate and broadest range of treatment to date. Tomotherapy allows continuous delivery of radiation from all angles. Coupled with precise beam modulation and superior beam definition, this enables us to achieve unparalleled conformity to the tumour and maximize sparing of surrounding and enclosed healthy tissues. In doing so, we can increase effectiveness of treatment and reduce side effects which helps improve quality of life. This means that with head and neck cancers for example, there can be reduced complications like dry mouth from effects to the salivary glands. It also allows us to treat a previously irradiated area.

ROC has RayStation the most advanced planning system available in the world and only at ROC in Australia.

RayStation: Allows doctors to significantly reduce the time to develop the treatment plan and includes a unique ability to track changes in the radiation dose in response to patient changes as a result of treatment –e.g. weight loss; and then rapidly modify the treatment plan during a treatment course in order to maintain the best treatment. It combines with any type of imaging like PET scans, MRIs, CT scans and bone scans to allow for more precise targeting of tumours.

The Tomotherapy/Raystation combination is designed for one purpose only - advanced radiation treatments. Traditionally, static beams from a Linac (linear accelerator) are delivered to the tumor from a limited number of angles. Tomotherapy allows continuous delivery of radiation via thousands of beamlets, which target the tumor and minimise organ risk.

ROC provides a comprehensive suite of clinical treatments including:

• 3D Conformal Radiotherapy
• Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT)Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT)
• VMAT and RapidArc: Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT)
• Low Dose Rate Brachytherapy (LDR)
• High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR)
• Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)

Location

Radiation Oncology Centres is located on Level 2 of the Clark Tower. The Centre is accessed via the main traffic lights on Fox Valley Road. We recommend you park in the main (multi-deck) car park - P1. Some designated parking is available for radiotherapy patients on Level 2 of P1.

Click here for a printable site map.

Contact Information

Office hours and treatment times are Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 5.15pm.

Phone: (02) 9480 4200
Email: admin.wahroonga@roc.team
Website: www.radiationoncologycentres.com 

Radiotherapy Staff

Specialist Radiation Oncologists prescribe the treatment that is delivered daily by the Radiation Therapists. Specialist Registered Nurses and administration staff complete the team to provide a comprehensive cancer service aimed at reducing the stresses and difficulties normally associated with such an intensive treatment program.

The Radiation Oncologists are:

Dr Richard A Foster, BSc BMedSci MB BS FRANZCR    

Dr Richard Foster graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1982 and has trained in radiation oncology at centres in Newcastle , then in Sydney at the Prince of Wales and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals.

In addition to his admission privileges at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, Dr Foster consults at Gosford District Hospital and the Hornsby and Kuringai District Hospital as an Honorary Visiting Medical Officer. Dr Foster has published in the Australian Medical Literature and presented at the annual scientific meeting of the Royal Australasian College of Radiologists. He has also presented discussion papers at the request of specialists and lay groups and refereed articles submitted to the College journal.

Dr Foster's main interests include cancers of the breast, prostate, bowel, lung, head and neck and an interest in palliative care. His current memberships include RANZCR and ASTRO.

Dr Edward C Sun, MB BS FRANZCR   

Dr Edward Sun graduated from the University of Sydney in 1982 and has undertaken specialty training at Westmead Hospital and the Prince of Wales Hospital. In 1984, he was awarded both the NSW State Cancer Council Training Fellowship in Radiotherapy and the C.E. Eddy Prize in the D.R.A.C.R. Part 1 examination.

After two years at the Institute of Radiotherapy Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, gaining experience in Gynaecological Oncology  and Brachytherapy, Dr Sun returned to join the Sydney Radiotherapy and Oncology practice (now Radiation Oncology Centres) in 1992 and currently consults at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, Gosford, Hornsby , Kuringai Hospital and North Gosford Private Hospital.  He is a consultant in Radiation Oncology to the Central Coast Area Health Service. Dr Sun is also a Clinical Teacher with the University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle.

Current memberships of Dr Sun include ASTRO, ESTRO, ANZ Head and Neck Society and Australasian Brachytherapy Group. Dr. Sun has particular interest in urological cancers, head and neck cancer lymphomas and Brachytherapy treaments of various malignancies including prostate and gynaecological cancers.

Dr Amy Yuen Meei Teh, BSc(Med) MBBS(Hons) FRANZCR

Dr Amy Teh graduated with Honors from the University of New South Wales in 2001, and has undertaken specialty training in Radiation Oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, as well as Andrew Love Cancer Centre (Victoria), Austin and Ballarat Radiation Oncology Centers (Victoria).  Dr Teh also undertook part of her specialty training at The Cancer Institute at the National University Hospital in Singapore where she worked primarily in Head and Neck and Gynaecological Oncology. Dr Teh pursued further research in Breast Oncology at Princess Margaret Hospital in Canada, where she was awarded the “Weekend to End Breast Cancer Research Fellowship” for her work.  Whilst in Canada, Dr Teh also worked in the areas of gynaecological oncology, haematology and prostate cancers.  Dr Teh has returned to join the Sydney and Central Coast Radiotherapy and Oncology Centers in August 2009.

Dr Teh has published on breast cancer and lung cancer in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics and the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.  She has presented both locally and internationally, at the Royal Australasian College of Radiologists (RANZCR) Annual Scientific Meeting in Melbourne, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) Meeting in Los Angeles, and the University of Toronto Radiation Oncology Scientific Meeting in Toronto.

Dr Teh is a member of the RANZCR, ASTRO, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Brachytherapy Society (ABS), and Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO).  She continues with her research in breast cancer, and also has special interest in Palliative Medicine.

Dr Andrew Fong, BSc (Med) MB BS FRANZCR

Dr Andrew Fong graduated from the University of New South Wales in 2000, and has undertaken specialty training at Prince of Wales Hospital and the Royal North Shore Hospital.  He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists in February 2009.

Dr Fong was appointed one of the inaugural Hospira Withers and Peters Fellows of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists in 2009, and focused on research at the Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes, Research, and Evaluation (CCORE) and at Liverpool Hospital.  His research evaluated the utilisation of breast cancer treatment, and he was lead author on a large multinational study comparing breast cancer treatment rates between Australia, Canada, and Scotland.  The results of his research were presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting in San Diego in November 2010, and he presented the full results at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in Texas in December 2010. He has also presented papers locally at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists Annual Scientific Meeting in Sydney and Singapore.

Dr Fong has published on breast cancer and electronic healthcare both locally in the Journal for Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology, as well as internationally in The Breast, with articles still in press.  He is currently completing a Masters in Electronic Healthcare.

Dr Fong is a member of RANZCR, and the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group. He has been actively involved in teaching at the Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, as well having an appointment as a conjoint associate lecturer at the University of New South Wales, at the Liverpool Clinical School.  He is also Chair of the RANZCR Website Management Committee, with a focus on electronic learning.

Dr Fong has particular interests in breast cancer, head and neck cancer, as well as intensity modulated radiation therapy.

Dr Lee Na Chong, BHB MBChB FRANZCR

Dr Lee Na Chong graduated from the University of Auckland School of Medicine New Zealand in 1999. Dr Chong completed specialty training at Concord Repatriation and General Hospital in 2001 and Westmead and Nepean Cancer Care Centres in 2002.  Two Children and a short career break later, she was the awarded the Fellowship of Royal Australian and New Zealand College Of Radiologists (RANZCR) in October 2008.

Dr Chong is a regular attendee at the Australasian Annual/Bi-annual Radiation Oncology Meetings including Leura Breast Meetings, Uro-oncology Group Meetings and Scientific Meetings for Radiation Oncologists. Memberships include RANZCR, TROG (Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group) and the ANZ BCT (Australia and New Zealand Breast Cancer Trial Group). 

Referrals and Fees

Your treatment will be clinically tailored to your needs as determined by one of our experienced specialist Radiation Oncologists using the very latest treatment approaches and technology. A referral is required from your GP or Specialist for your initial consultation. Most radiation therapy can be given on an out-patient basis. Please note that you will be eligible for a range of rebates from Medicare (both the Medicare Benefits Scheme and the Extended Safety Net Scheme), and the cost of your treatment is the portion not covered by Medicare, which is minimal. Private Health Funds only reimburse part of the costs if the patient is admitted to hospital for the duration of the treatment. Eligible Repatriation patients are not charged for consultation or treatment as fees are paid for by the DVA.

Accommodation

Country patients who require a weekly radiotherapy program can be accommodated on the Hospital grounds at Jacaranda Lodge.