University of Tasmania, Australia

Consultant Haematologist/Oncologist

MBBS, MD, FRCP, FRACP, FAChPM

General Responsibilities

Prof Lowenthal is a full time consultant clinical haematologist and medical oncologist at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) (the major teaching hospital of the School of Medicine). He is also Clinical Professor in the School of Medicine and a Member of the Menzies Research Institute of Tasmania. For nearly 30 years, until 2009, he was Director of the Department of Haematology/Oncology.

As a clinician, Prof Lowenthal is responsible, together with other members of the Department of Haematology/Oncology at the RHH, for the care of patients with a wide variety of malignant (cancerous) disorders. Prof Lowenthal has a special interest in management of patients with blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. He also has a special interest in breast and bowel cancer, as well as certain non-malignant blood disorders such as myelodysplastic syndrome. He established bone marrow transplantation as a Tasmanian state-wide service at the Royal Hobart Hospital in 1979; since then the RHH has performed nearly 350 such transplants, mainly for patients with lymphomas and multiple myeloma

The Department of Haematology/Oncology at the RHH is an enthusiastic participant in multicentre Australian and multinational clinical trials of new treatments for cancer. We are members of all the government supported Australian national cancer clinical trials groups including the Australasian Leukaemia & Lymphoma Group (ALLG), the Australian New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group, the Australasian Gastro-intestinal Trials Group, amongst others. Prof Lowenthal was the founding chair of the ALLG in 1982. Where possible we encourage patients to participate in suitable clinical trials as providing the highest standard of clinical care.

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Teaching Responsibilities

Prof Lowenthal is involved in the teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate medical students, including PhD students.

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Publications

• Tegg, E. M., et al. (2011). Anticipation in familial hematological malignancies. Blood, in press.
• Tebbutt, N. C., et al. (2011). Risk of arterial thromboembolic events in patients with advanced colorectal cancer receiving bevacizumab. Annals of Oncology, in press.
• Haines, I. E., & Lowenthal, R. M. (2011). Famous patient recovery may not have been from advanced cancer - the importance of a histological diagnosis when diagnosing and treating advanced cancer. Medical Journal of Australia, in press.
• Kheifets, L., Ahlbom, A., Crespi, C. M., Draper, G., Hagihara, J., Lowenthal, R. M., Mezei, G., Oksuzyan, S., Schüz, J., Swanson, J., Tittarelli, A., Vinceti, M. & Wunsch Filho, V. (2010). Pooled analysis of recent studies of magnetic fields and childhood leukaemia. British Journal of Cancer, 103, 1128-1135.
• Tegg, E. M., Thomson, R. J., Stankovich, J., Banks, A., Flowers, C., McWhirter, R., Panton, J., Piaszczyk, A., Bahlo, M., Marsden, K. A., Lowenthal, R. M., Foote, S. J., & Dickinson, J. L. (2010). Evidence for a common genetic aetiology in high-risk families with multiple haematological malignancy subtypes. British Journal of Haematology, 150(4), 456-462.

Web Access Research Portal (WARP)

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Additional Information

Prof Lowenthal is the author of co-author of over 130 publications in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. He has also written a number of book chapters and with others has been responsible for several hundred abstracts of research work presented at scientific meetings and congresses.

He's the author of the book Cancer: What to do about it, Lothian Press, Melbourne, 1990; second edition 1995.

Research Interests

• Clinical trials of new cancer treatments (see above under “General Responsibilities”)
• Autologous bone marrow transplantation including methods of making the procedure simpler and safer. We have pioneered the technique of outpatient bone marrow transplantation
• Molecular studies in leukaemia and lymphoma including studies of Tasmanian families with an unusually high incidence of blood cancers. We have identified a number of such families and with the cooperation of the members of these families, are actively seeking possible genetic explanations for their predisposition to these disorders. This work is ongoing but has already led to a number of publications in high impact journals
• Fucoidan. This long-chain sugar molecule is extracted from a seaweed found in Tasmanian waters and has a number of unusual and interesting biological properties including stem cell release and anticoagulation. This work is being carried out in cooperation with a local Tasmanian company, Marinova
• Epidemiology of leukaemia/lymphoma especially in relation to exposure to high voltage power lines