Tao (Daniel) Xing

Associate Professor Daniel Xing completed is specialist radiation oncology training at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, followed by fellowship training in head and neck cancer, complex skin cancer and MRI-guided radiotherapy at Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre, Austin Hospital in Melbourne. He is the chair of high-risk skin cancer and head and neck cancer multidisciplinary meetings at the Townsville University Hospital. His is one of the founding members of the rapid access lung cancer clinic in Townsville.

Associate Professor Xing is active in research with focuses on 1) the development of precision oncology medicine using imaging and serum biomarkers; 2) skin cancer clinical and translational research; 3) health-economic research to deliver the optimal radiation oncology service especially in rural and remote Queensland. He has presented at various national and conferences and published over 50 peer-review journal articles and book chapters with h-index of 22, i10 index of 27 and more than 1100 citations (Google Scholar). Quality of his research has led to success rate in grant programs. He currently hold research funding exceeding $500,000 as the Principal Investigator or supervisor and $200,000 as co-investigator, focusing on innovative approaches to head and neck cancer, skin cancer treatment and patient care.

As a representative of Faculty of Radiation Oncology (FRO), Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR), he attends regular Queensland Health Medical Specialist Colleges Virtual Forum to provide advice to develop better policies and administrative strategies to address workforce issues in rural and remote Queensland. He also serves on the Economics and Workforce Committee of FRO RANZCR to promote the practice of radiation oncology and accessible and affordable patient care and to develop policy frameworks, advice and recommendations on resourcing issues that impact on quality and standards of care of radiation oncology service in Australia and New Zealand. As a member of Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG), he is on the organising committee to organise the annual scientific meeting. He is also a member of TROG Head and Neck Skin Working Party to lead national and international collaborative trials in head and neck and skin cancers. He has brought several international collaborative trials to Townsville so that more patients can get access to these trials locally.

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.