World Cancer Day: Shaping future care through expertise, compassion and hope

Angela McBean has more than two decades of experience in oncology nursing, and she knows all too well that cancer care is never static.

As a Specialist Cancer Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) at Gold Coast Health, she leads a highly skilled team supporting patients through some of the most challenging moments of their lives, all while navigating a field that continues to rapidly evolve.

Angela’s nursing career began at the Princess Alexandra (PA) Hospital in Brisbane before taking her overseas to London where she spent five years at the Royal Marsden Hospital and her interest in oncology truly took hold.

“My particular area of interest and expertise is in solid tumours, and ever since I was first exposed to that area of oncology, I was fascinated by it,” she said.

After missing home and family, Angela returned to Queensland and rejoined cancer services at the PA Hospital, becoming NUM of the Outpatient Department.

She later played a key statewide role in establishing Australia’s first Public Gamma Knife Service – an advanced form of intracranial stereotactic radiation for brain tumours.

“It was a massive undertaking,” Angela said.

“I was the statewide Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) involved in setting up that service with neurosurgery and Radiation oncology.

“It was the first of its kind in Australia and has now been operational for 10 years.”

Fast forward to 2024 and Angela was permanently appointed as NUM leading the Specialist Cancer Nursing Team at Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) following several secondment positions here.

It’s a role which has brought her closer to family, but also to a service experiencing significant growth.

“Our service is definitely busier, and that’s driven by a growing population here on the Gold Coast, earlier diagnoses, and the fact that there are now many more treatment options available to patients,” she said.

Within Angela’s team of 23 nurses, there is a CNC for each tumour type, with several of these positions supported by externally funded partnerships like the McGrath Foundation, the Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia and QLD Youth Cancer Services.

Together, they provide expert, coordinated care across a patient’s cancer journey.

For Angela, the intellectual challenge of oncology remains a key motivator.

“Oncology is such an interesting specialty because it’s never a one-size-fits-all approach.

“Each tumour and each treatment affect the body differently, constantly challenging your understanding of how the body works as a whole,” she said.

“Even after 20 years, I’ll still go to one of our multidisciplinary team meetings and learn so much - they’re fascinating.”

She has also witnessed extraordinary advancements in treatment.

“I’ve watched cancer treatment change dramatically. Years ago, something like advanced (metastatic) melanoma often meant very limited options, but now new therapies are helping people live longer and with better quality of life,” Angela said.

“Now, with immunotherapies and targeted treatments, there’s so much hope.

“That’s what keeps you involved and interested.”

This World Cancer Day (4 February), Angela wants to share her deep pride for the care delivered by her team of specialist cancer nurses and the broader multidisciplinary clinicians they work alongside.

“It truly is a team effort – from the consultant to the specialist cancer nurse, to the enrolled nurse taking your blood pressure, everyone just wants the best for the patient,” Angela said.

“There’s a real mutual respect between our nursing and medical colleagues, and that makes a huge difference.”

Her message to others is simple: kindness matters.

“We see patients on their best days and their worst days, and that does affect the team,” Angela said.

“But despite the challenges, we genuinely care.

“We’re here to provide education on the disease, manage treatment side effects, keep our patients out of hospital where we can, and just empower our patients with the information they need to make informed decisions about their care.”

In a service where, as Angela puts it, “cancer never sleeps,” her leadership continues to shape a team grounded in expertise, compassion and hope.