On Tuesday 18 November, the Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium (MPCCC) welcomed international delegates from the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to Melbourne for an afternoon of shared learning, lived experience and deep reflection on what it truly means to deliver equitable cancer care.

Held alongside the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit (WCL), the visit aligned directly with this year’s theme, Bridging Divides, Building Futures, a call to action to close gaps in access, outcomes and opportunity across the cancer continuum. Throughout the session, the MPCCC showcased how its decentralised, collaborative model is actively addressing those very divides across metropolitan and regional Victoria.

The session spotlighted MPCCC’s decentralised model of care and the power of collaboration across health services, researchers, clinicians, consumers and community.

Professor Melissa Southey OAM opened the conversation: “We’re delighted to share how MPCCC’s decentralised model is improving outcomes across our network,” she said.

Spotlight on Impact: Three Stories, One Shared Vision

The heart of the session was a series of five-minute Spotlight Stories, each illustrating the practical and human impact of decentralising cancer care.

MPCCC Co-director Professor Mark Shackleton opened with a clinical perspective, highlighting how collaborative structures and coordinated research pathways are reshaping access to precision oncology across Victoria.

Next, Monash Health Chief Executive Officer Professor Eugine Yafele, reflected on the alignment between MPCCC’s model and his own long-standing commitment to value-based healthcare and reducing inequities. He spoke about the importance of designing systems around people and communities, not institutions. 

“Why me?” – Kate’s Story of Distance, Distress and Determination

Patient advocate Kate Crowl and her husband Bruce, who recently turned 100, came all the way from Foster to address our delegates. Kate generously shared their experience of navigating cancer care in regional Victoria.

“Why me! What did I do to deserve this?” she recalled telling her oncologist after receiving her diagnosis. 

Her story touched on the realities of regional cancer care. She described “Tommy Tumour”, a palpable lump she monitored herself, growing from “marble size” to “golf ball size,” and the moment she and Bruce calmly organised their wills, funerals and even an end-of-life decision:  “Sounds rash,” she said. “But I came from a farm. There is a limit to the suffering one puts animals through. Same for me.”

Despite the gravity, Kate refocused on living: horticulture tours, community groups, Meals on Wheels, pickleball, and the support of neighbours who stepped in when “brain fade” hit.

When treatment options narrowed, her care was coordinated seamlessly between Wonthaggi and The Alfred under Professor Shackleton, eventually discussing her case at an MPCCC Tumour Board, and as a result enrolling her in the SHR-A1811 trial. The travel was punishing. “I left home at 7.15 and arrived home sometimes after 8 at night”, but the outcomes were extraordinary. After only three months, Tommy began to shrink. By four months, he was gone.

Shared Reflections and Global Insights

As the spotlight stories closed, Dr Smith invited the room into dialogue. Delegates shared reflections, questions and ideas, ranging from strengthening precision oncology pathways to embedding value-based care, to understanding the lived experience of distance and distress in regional communities.

The discussion reinforced what the MPCCC model is designed to do: connect world-class expertise with local care, reduce unnecessary travel, and improve outcomes by supporting clinicians and patients where they are.

Capturing the Day

Delegates contributed reflections to a world map, highlighting shared lessons across countries. Visual communicator Jessamy from Think in Colour created a real-time graphic summary of the session, an artwork capturing the energy, themes and voices of the day.

A Day That Embodied What Matters Most

The UICC visit was more than a showcase, it was a live demonstration of partnership, humility, innovation and humanity.

And perhaps no one summed it up better than Kate, who closed her story with a quiet but powerful reminder:

“We all function best without distress. Cancer treatments work better for patients who have access to care close to home. So when does stress become distress? A point to ponder.”

MPCCC thanks our UICC colleagues, our presenters, and especially Kate and Bruce, for reminding us why we do this work and what it means for the people who rely on it.’

‍