Australian cancer specialist Richard Scolyer dies at 59 after pioneering treatment

WELLINGTON - Richard Scolyer, the Australian cancer specialist who became a test case for an experimental treatment after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, has died aged 59, prompting tributes to a researcher whose work helped transform melanoma care.

He died on Sunday night, Australian media reported.

Scolyer, a pathologist and co-medical director of Melanoma Institute Australia, was named joint 2024 Australian of the Year with his longtime collaborator Georgina Long for advances in immunotherapy that have helped make advanced melanoma a treatable disease for many patients.

Diagnosed in 2023 with glioblastoma, one of the deadliest brain cancers, Scolyer agreed to a world-first approach that applied lessons from melanoma treatment to his own tumour. The treatment included immunotherapy before surgery, an approach designed by Long and a team seeking to provoke an immune response against the cancer. A clinical trial using the treatment began in the U.S. earlier this year.

Scolyer publicly documented the illness, saying in a letter released after his death that he had spent his final years being open about glioblastoma to show what cancer patients and families endure and to offer hope that researchers should keep pushing boundaries.

"Having dedicated my 35-year working life to patient care, cancer research and improving lives, I wanted to keep contributing, even in my darkest hour," he wrote.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia had lost "one of our brightest lights and one of our biggest hearts".

"Every day, this remarkable man – the cancer specialist who became his own subject – took us into his confidence, and he lifted us all in the process," Albanese said on X, calling Scolyer's public illness "an act of profound generosity".

Albanese said the recently established Richard Scolyer Chair at Sydney cancer centre Chris O'Brien Lifehouse would carry his name, adding: "One day when a cure is found, Richard's name will be spoken."

Scolyer is survived by his wife, Dr Katie Nicholl, and children Emily, Matthew and Lucy.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Sonali Paul)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 9:47 PM.