Daniel Xing

Dr Daniel Xing is a radiation oncologist specializing in managing head and neck cancer, cutaneous (skin) cancer, lung cancer and brain tumors. Having completed his specialist training in Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in 2020 and head and neck cancer fellowship training in Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre at Austin Health in 2021, he commenced a position as staff specialist at the Department of Radiation Oncology at Townsville Cancer Centre, Townville University Hospital in 2022. He is the chair of the head and neck cancer multidisciplinary clinic, the only comprehensive head and neck cancer service serving a population of more than 250,000 people located across 150,000km2 of northern Queensland.

In addition to maintaining a busy public practice, Dr Xing has the passion of both clinical and translational research. Prior to his radiation oncology training, he has gained extensive lab-based research experience at Macquarie University (Sydney) and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience, University of Melbourne. He was awarded multiple prizes from the American Physiological Society for his study on the autonomic nervous system plasticity in obstructive sleep apnoea, heart failure and hypertension. His research areas are multidisciplinary ranging from development of precision oncology medicine using imaging and serum biomarkers to interaction of radiotherapy and immune therapy in cancer treatment to health economics in radiotherapy service delivery. He has established collaborations with the Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, University of Sunshine Coast, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre, Health Economics Department at Deakin University.

Dr Xing has been funded by the Townsville University Hospital SERTA grants, Tropical Australian Academic Health Centre (TAAHC), The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR), and Avant Mutual Group Limited (AVANT).

Current/recent research projects:

• Improving skin cancer research capacity by establishing a skin cancer biobank at Townsville University Hospital (SERTA Research Capacity Grant)
• Circulating human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA for surveillance of HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-OPSCC) (SERTA Research Project Grant)
• Developing a novel screening tool for obstructive sleep apnoea following radiotherapy for head and neck cancer (SERTA Research Project Grant)
• Implementation of intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) service for brain metastasis in North Queensland, TAACH project grant.
• Merkel cell carcinoma: Real-world experience from a high-UV population with an emphasis on the role of polyomavirus, University of Sunshine Coast project grant.
• Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and T cell biodistribution for oligoprogressive head and neck cancer (START-HN), RANZCR project grant.

Dr Xing is passionate to improve the radiotherapy service for patients from regional, rural and remote northern Queensland and First Nation patients via state-of-art radiotherapy technology, clinical and translational research, and health economics research.