A Milestone in Melanoma Research - First patient now recruited to the Better Trial

More clinical trials. More treatment options. More HOPE.

In 2022 and 2023, the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation donated $210,000 to Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials to help kickstart the BETTER clinical trial.

For a charity that had only launched in 2021, that was a huge commitment.

To put it into perspective, at the time we only had a few hundred thousand dollars in the bank ourselves. There were genuine concerns that perhaps we were giving too much, too early.

But I believed then — and I believe even more strongly today — that research is not something we can afford to wait for.

Research is one of the core pillars of the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation. I remember thinking at the time that if supporting lifesaving research put our young charity under financial pressure, I could live with that. What I couldn’t live with was having an opportunity to help fund research that could save lives and choosing not to.

And that commitment will never change.

When you look at the sides of our Skin Check Trucks, you will see the faces of people who lost their lives to melanoma and skin cancer. Those faces aren’t there for decoration. They are their legacies.

Behind every face is a family that lost someone they loved.

We carry those people with us into every community we visit, and we have made a promise to their families that we will continue fighting — through prevention, early detection, education and, importantly, research and clinical trials.

As our Foundation grows, we want our contribution to research to grow with it.

Because every new clinical trial creates another opportunity.

Another treatment.

Another chance for someone who may otherwise have run out of options.

More clinical trials mean more HOPE.

And we will continue doing everything we can to keep that hope alive.

A milestone in melanoma research 🎉

We are incredibly proud to share that The Alfred has enrolled the first participant in the BETTER trial — the very trial the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation helped kickstart with our $210,000 contribution.

Led by Dr Malaka Ameratunga and sponsored by Monash University, the BETTER trial is investigating a new treatment approach for people with melanoma that has spread to the brain.

Melanoma brain metastases can be particularly challenging to treat, and these patients are often excluded from clinical trials. The BETTER trial aims to improve treatment options and quality of life by combining immunotherapy with targeted radiotherapy.

Seeing the first participant enrolled makes that decision we made back in 2022 even more meaningful.

This is why we fund research.

This is why people fundraise through our Mission Melanoma campaigns.

And this is why we will continue to honour the people and families represented on the sides of our trucks.

To the research team, clinicians, every person who has supported Mission Melanoma, and most importantly the patients who put their trust in clinical trials — thank you.

This milestone belongs to all of you.

$210,000 was our contribution. HOPE was the investment. And potentially saving lives is the return we are all working towards.

Yours sincerely 

Jay Allen OAM and our team. 

Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials — BETTER Trial:https://www.masc.org.au/better/

Australian Skin Cancer Foundation — How We Fund Research:https://www.australianskincancerfoundation.org/how-we-fund-research