Professor David Thomas is one of the leading lights in the Australian oncology world, and has been a long-time and passionate supporter of all patients with rare cancers, including sarcomas. Professor Thomas has also been a great champion for EHE, supporting EHE causes and the EHE Rare Cancer Foundation Australia from their inception in 2015.
Coinciding with Rare Cancers Awareness Day, 26th June, Professor David Thomas had the honour of addressing the National Press Club of Australia in late June.
Professor Thomas, who is Chief Science and Strategy Officer at Omico, Director of the Centre for Molecular Oncology at UNSW and Head of the Genomic Cancer Medicine Laboratory at Garvan Institute of Medical Research, shared his expertise about the possibilities of science to change the narrative for people diagnosed with rare cancers.
He explained despite being called ‘rare’, collectively rare cancers have the third-highest diagnoses after breast and prostate cancers.
During his address, Professor Thomas shared the challenges facing those diagnosed with rare cancers in accessing treatments, discussed the power of clinical trials and precision treatments, and the need for equity for every person diagnosed with cancer.
We want to thank Professor Thomas, not just for his address to the National Press Club of Australia, but for his dedication, devotion and passionate support for all rare cancer patients.