Paolo De Ieso

Biography

  Paolo De Ieso Radiation Oncologist Northern Territory Radiation Oncology, NT Paolo is a radiation oncologist at Northern Territory Radiation Oncology, Darwin, where he is currently the lead clinician of the local steering committee for the NT prostate cancer registry and introducing TROG clinical trials to patients in the Top End. How are you currently involved with TROG? I have been a member of TROG since returning to Australia from an overseas fellowship experience. I am always looking to introduce new TROG trials to the Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre and enter my patients into existing TROG trials which include the STARS, palliative lung and PETLAB trials. Tell us about a major project you are working on at the moment. I have been busy of late co-authoring the manuscript for the TROG 03.01 trial, titled “Palliative chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone for the treatment of dysphagia in advanced oesophageal cancer: a multicentre phase III TROG trial” which has only recently been submitted for publication. I have also introduced a Northern Territory-based prostate cancer clinical database as part of an Australia-wide initiative with financial assistance from Movember. We are hoping to expand this to include breast cancer patients, with the ultimate goal of a robust and all-inclusive cancer database for the NT. What are some challenges unique to working in the Northern Territory? The tyranny of distance is a major challenge when working in the NT. Doses and fractionation schedules often need to be tailored to the patient and their expectations. I had a limited understanding of indigenous culture and their perception or illness and found culturally sensitivity and awareness to be a powerful tool to improve compliance and outcomes for my indigenous patients. We have an ongoing issue of poor participation rates for indigenous Australians in clinical trials and we have worked very hard to bridge this gap. And… what are the best parts of working in the NT? Working in the NT has allowed me to explore a completely different (and may I say beautiful) part of Australia, debunking a lot of negative preconceived ideas about the top end. The weather is conducive to an outdoor lifestyle, a change much appreciated after spending four years in the UK. Looking at this question from a work perspective, I have seen a spectrum of presentations for both common and rare malignancies which challenge my problem solving skills, making my job interesting and exciting. Working in a relatively new department with no waiting lists is refreshing and optimises patient outcomes. Why did you become a radiation oncologist? I think like many medical graduates, I knew little about radiotherapy during my training. I was lucky enough to do a three month intern rotation in radiotherapy where I had a wonderful experience with the patients and staff. There was formal intern teaching by all the consultants which stimulated my interest in the field. What has been the highlight of your working career so far? During my time in the UK, I was lucky enough to work with Professor Peter Hoskin at Mount Vernon Hospital. I then worked for three years at the Royal Marsden Hospital with leaders in both the Medical and Radiation Oncology fields. I was able to publish scientific work and improve my oncological knowledge. However, the real highlight is working as a Consultant Radiation Oncologist in Darwin with a driven and highly skilled radiotherapy team.

Research Interest

  Paolo De Ieso Radiation Oncologist Northern Territory Radiation Oncology, NT Paolo is a radiation oncologist at Northern Territory Radiation Oncology, Darwin, where he is currently the lead clinician of the local steering committee for the NT prostate cancer registry and introducing TROG clinical trials to patients in the Top End. How are you currently involved with TROG? I have been a member of TROG since returning to Australia from an overseas fellowship experience. I am always looking to introduce new TROG trials to the Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre and enter my patients into existing TROG trials which include the STARS, palliative lung and PETLAB trials. Tell us about a major project you are working on at the moment. I have been busy of late co-authoring the manuscript for the TROG 03.01 trial, titled “Palliative chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone for the treatment of dysphagia in advanced oesophageal cancer: a multicentre phase III TROG trial” which has only recently been submitted for publication. I have also introduced a Northern Territory-based prostate cancer clinical database as part of an Australia-wide initiative with financial assistance from Movember. We are hoping to expand this to include breast cancer patients, with the ultimate goal of a robust and all-inclusive cancer database for the NT. What are some challenges unique to working in the Northern Territory? The tyranny of distance is a major challenge when working in the NT. Doses and fractionation schedules often need to be tailored to the patient and their expectations. I had a limited understanding of indigenous culture and their perception or illness and found culturally sensitivity and awareness to be a powerful tool to improve compliance and outcomes for my indigenous patients. We have an ongoing issue of poor participation rates for indigenous Australians in clinical trials and we have worked very hard to bridge this gap. And… what are the best parts of working in the NT? Working in the NT has allowed me to explore a completely different (and may I say beautiful) part of Australia, debunking a lot of negative preconceived ideas about the top end. The weather is conducive to an outdoor lifestyle, a change much appreciated after spending four years in the UK. Looking at this question from a work perspective, I have seen a spectrum of presentations for both common and rare malignancies which challenge my problem solving skills, making my job interesting and exciting. Working in a relatively new department with no waiting lists is refreshing and optimises patient outcomes. Why did you become a radiation oncologist? I think like many medical graduates, I knew little about radiotherapy during my training. I was lucky enough to do a three month intern rotation in radiotherapy where I had a wonderful experience with the patients and staff. There was formal intern teaching by all the consultants which stimulated my interest in the field. What has been the highlight of your working career so far? During my time in the UK, I was lucky enough to work with Professor Peter Hoskin at Mount Vernon Hospital. I then worked for three years at the Royal Marsden Hospital with leaders in both the Medical and Radiation Oncology fields. I was able to publish scientific work and improve my oncological knowledge. However, the real highlight is working as a Consultant Radiation Oncologist in Darwin with a driven and highly skilled radiotherapy team.