HammondCare Palliative Care Staff Specialist Dr Wei Lee has been recognised with a prestigious award for his ground-breaking work evaluating the drug ketamine to help patients at end of life facing major depression.

Dr Lee, 37, was presented with the Cancer Symptoms Trials (CST) Emerging Trialist Award as the co-ordinating principal investigator on a study examining the benefits of subcutaneous ketamine infusions in palliative care settings.

CST is a research collaboration within the Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Research and Translation (MPACCT) research centre at the University of Technology, Sydney. CST is provided with funding from Cancer Australia to support its members conduct clinical research in cancer symptoms and ensure the best quality of life possible for people with cancer.

The research was completed in 2022 with results to be published in a peer reviewed publication later this year.

The study took place at several locations including HammondCare’s Braeside Hospital in collaboration with Braeside Palliative Care Director Dr Amy Chow.

Dr Lee, delighted by the recognition given to his work, said some patients at end of life faced serious problems with depression that results in a loss of all interest in family, favourite past-times and engaging with those around them. 

“Major depression at end of life is so very sad for patients and those they love – they lose the care factor,” Dr Lee said.

“We know that if we give ketamine at a high rate it leads to hallucinations and weird sensory challenges and it does more harm than good,” Dr Lee said.

“What we are learning now is that at super low doses it might help major depression symptoms without the side effects.’

Ketamine, called “Special K” on the streets where it is sold illegally to induce a high, has traditionally been used by medical practitioners and veterinarians as an anaesthetic.

The CST Emerging Trialist Award is offered each year to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of emerging researchers involved in clinical trials that address symptoms experienced by patients with cancer. 

While announcing Dr Lee’s award, the CST Scientific Advisory Committee Chair, Dr Belinda Butcher, referred to his passion for improving outcomes for patients with major depressive disorder and cancer at the end of life. 

“His work has provided us with some important methodological learnings for clinical trials for people living with cancer with short prognosis,” Dr Butcher said. 

To complete his research, Dr Lee brought together an investigator team including consumers, obtained $172,500 competitive research funding to support the trial and steered the research effort to a successful completion.

HammondCare Senior Staff Specialist in Palliative Care Josephine Clayton said: “Well done Dr Lee on this pioneering work on how to find better ways to treat difficult to manage depression in palliative care.”

For more information about Cancer Systems Trials, go to www.uts.edu.au/cst.