‘The Tissue Detective’ on making a difference

The alumnus making life-saving impact as a melanoma researcher, educator and clinician.

When pathologist Professor Richard Scolyer AO (BMedSci 1987, MBBS 1990) was a student at Launceston’s Riverside High School, a teacher said to him, “If you aim for the stars, you’ll reach the treetops, if you aim for the treetops, you won’t get off the ground.”

Richard certainly took the advice, and is now the world’s most-published scientist in the field of melanoma pathology.

He has been at the forefront of virtually all major advances in melanoma in the last 20 years, resulting in vast improvements in survival of melanoma patients.

“Just a decade ago, if melanoma patients’ disease had reached their internal organs, less than half of those patients would be alive within a matter of months,” Richard said.

“Now, because of incredible discoveries, 50 per cent of such patients are alive at five years.” The discoveries include treatments such as immunological therapies, described as “the penicillin moment for cancer therapy”, according to Richard’s colleague and Co-Medical Director at Melanoma Institute Australia, Professor Georgina Long AO.

Therapies which use the body’s immune system to kill melanoma cells are not only having significant impact on melanoma patients, but are “now being translated to other cancers,” Richard said. “The impact goes beyond melanoma.” On receiving an Order of Australia (AO) in June 2021 as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours, Richard said, “We have an amazing team of people doing worldleading melanoma research and it’s a huge honour to be leading that team and to be recognised in this way.”

Richard has received numerous other awards and recognitions, including being the first pathologist to be named Outstanding Researcher of the Year at the 2020 NSW Premiers Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research. In the same year, he was recognised by his peers with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Distinguished Fellow Award.

In addition to his Co-Medical Director role at MIA and co-leading MIA’s world-renowned translational research laboratory at the University of Sydney, where he also teaches, Richard is a senior specialist at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and NSW Health Pathology.

And where did the interest in melanoma come from?

“Melanoma is Australia’s national cancer, so it’s only appropriate that we lead the world in innovation and outcomes. But prevention is better than cure,” Richard said, adding that people need to limit their sun exposure and avoid sun beds. He also emphasised the importance of early detection.

“Know your own skin, know if something has changed and have it checked by a health care professional,” he said.

“Melanoma is the commonest cancer in young adults in Australia. It doesn’t discriminate and can occur in both old and young.”

Richard grew up in Launceston and is a proud Tasmanian, grateful for the “incredible teachers” who mentored him during his training at medical school at the University of Tasmania.

“We had such inspiring teachers, people such as (the late) Konrad Muller, David Challis, and John McArdle,” he said.

Professors Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer.

Researchers at Melanoma Institute Australia. Photo: Melanoma Institute Australia

“The impact of those teachers is reflected in the number of Tasmanian medical school graduates who have gone on to become specialist pathologists – Tasmania graduates are way over-represented.

“Education is so important to provide opportunities to be able to make a difference to other people’s lives.”

Teaching is something Richard also finds rewarding. “Teaching the next generation of diagnosticians is not only about sharing our knowledge but ultimately it also ensures many more patients receive the best possible care,” he said.

This is perhaps particularly so in a field such as melanoma, where 10 to 20 per cent of cases are difficult to diagnose. Richard reviews 2000 of the most difficult cases from around the world annually.

And not only is Tasmania punching above its weight in terms of training specialist pathologists, so is Australia, in terms of delivering melanoma research. MIA is the largest melanoma treatment and research centre in the world, with databases that are used by doctors and researchers internationally. Richard says that is in part thanks to the altruism of Australians who are “very generous in providing us with information and specimens that don’t necessarily benefit them directly, but will benefit the next generation”. “By performing research, it’s an opportunity to have an impact on thousands of patients,” he said.

“But discoveries don’t mean anything if you don’t translate the research to benefit other patients. Patients are at the centre of what we do. Delivering research outcomes for patients.

“It’s amazing to see melanoma patients with young families who would have died but are now surviving.”

Katherine Johnson