The treatment and diagnosis of cancer has come leaps and bounds in the past two decades, making it one of the most “challenging and exciting” medical fields, according to Mildura oncologist Dr Krishna Rachakonda.

Dr Rachakonda, who has worked at Mildura Health Private Hospital and Mildura Base Public Hospital Specialist Clinic since 2014, said no other field of medicine apart from hematology has seen such a dramatic development as oncology.

“They are the two fields that have exponentially changed how we achieve or manage our cure rates, response rates and prolong survival,” Dr Rachakonda said.

“Our understanding of cancer has significantly increased and while we still have a long way to go, we’ve still made very rapid progress in a relatively short period of time.

“Every day there’s a new development. It’s probably one of the most challenging and exciting fields as far as medicine is concerned.”

He said while those aspects have drawn many more to the specialised profession in the last 10 years, in Mildura it was well-documented that its remote location caused a raft of significant issues in treating patients and attracting staff.

“The sheer isolation of the town causes the biggest challenge because you’re almost 600km from Melbourne which is where our traditional relationship exists,” Dr Rachakonda said.

“It’s not like Mildura is a small town with a 5000 or 10,000 population, it’s actually fairly large but quite far away which poses a huge challenge in accessing resources and attracting staff.”

Given radiation therapy has never before been available in the region, Dr Rachakonda said he had seen patients refuse cancer treatment due to the stressors and inconvenience of having to leave their home and loved ones for extended periods in order to receive the treatment.

“It really takes a toll on people when they have to go away to unfamiliar surroundings, particularly a big city.

“There is a risk that some people may choose not to do it because it’s just too far away, and we have had patients who have declined the option when given the choice. But I think that will all now be set right with the new centre.

“It’s a well needed service in this town and it’s great that it’s happening, it will have a massive impact on oncology care in the region.”