FRANKSTON Hospital has been upgrading its services for liver cancer patients over the last year. The hospital now has two new liver clinics running each week, and has received funding for two specialist nurses to coordinate liver services for patients.
Peninsula Health head of gastroenterology, associate professor Marcus Robertson (pictured above), said “over the last 15 months we’ve started a brand new service at the hospital for people with liver cancer – and we now offer every treatment available for liver cancer for patients in this area, which is fantastic.”
“We have tried to establish our liver clinics to make them as state-of-the-art as possible, where patients attend a clinic that is specifically designed to manage their particular liver issue,” he said. “It gives patients access to Hepatologists that have subspecialised in certain areas of liver disease who can provide expert care.
“There’s a huge burden of undiagnosed liver disease in the community – alcohol is a major issue in Australia and indeed all over the world. And steatotic liver disease, previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, now affects 1-in-2 to 1-in-3 adults. It’s very, very common.
“We’ve had great support from our surgical and oncology colleagues, and our interventional radiology team have been absolutely amazing. This has enabled us to offer patients with both liver cancer and liver disease exceptional care and treatments that previously would have required transfer to other sites.”
First published in the Frankston Times 5 August 2025