Research
Improving cancer care through research, collaboration, and patient-centred practice
Why Research Matters
Understanding how research improves patient care.
Research is how cancer care continues to improve. It is how we learn which treatments work best, how to use them more safely, and how to better tailor care to each individual patient.
For patients and their families, that matters because progress in cancer treatment does not happen by chance.
It comes from clinical trials, laboratory research, and a constant effort to improve the way we care for people.
Research Experience
“Research has been a central part of my career as a medical oncologist. Alongside caring for patients, research has been a central part of my career as a medical oncologist.”
“I have spent many years involved in clinical trials, laboratory research and translational cancer research, particularly in melanoma, breast cancer and immunotherapy.
That work has shaped how I think about cancer care. It is not only about treating the person sitting in front of you (important as that is) but also about learning from research, improving practice and looking for what comes next so that current and future patients receive better care. This philosophy has guided my work throughout my career.”
– Dr Peter Lau
Team-Based Care
“I have always believed that cancer care works best when it is truly patient-centred and delivered as part of a team.”
“Good cancer care is rarely about one doctor working in isolation. It depends on clinicians, nurses, pathologists, radiologists, surgeons, researchers and many others working together well.
When care is coordinated and thoughtful, it creates a better experience for patients and supports better outcomes. In the same way, research is also a team effort. The best advances usually come when clinical care and research are closely connected, with new knowledge feeding directly back into better treatment and better systems of care.”
– Dr Peter Lau
Philosophy of Care
“My philosophy is that cancer care should always continue to improve.”
“There is always more to learn, and always an opportunity to do better — whether that means improving current treatment, managing side effects more carefully, or helping bring the next laboratory advance into practice. At Perth Immuno-Oncology, this means providing care that is informed by research and focused on the person in front of me. Research is not about innovation for its own sake. It is about improving practice and making care better for the patients we see now, as well as those we will look after in the future.”
– Dr Peter Lau