About the Sunraysia Skin Cancer Centre

The History of Sunraysia Skin Cancer Centre

The clinic was initially set up by Dr Rod Smyth – a GP with a special interest in Skin Cancer Medicine. Rod is originally from Wentworth and returned to the Sunraysia District in 2019. Rod started working in skin cancer clinics in Melbourne in 2002 and worked for Molescan from 2003 to 2012 and for Bayside Skin Cancer and Medical Clinic from 2012 to 2015. These clinics used digital dermoscopy systems to assess skin lesions and store images for later comparison where necessary.

Sunraysia Skin Cancer Centre was established in January 2022 and was initially situated on 13th Street, Mildura. In December 2024, we moved to larger, newly renovated premises at 70 Lemon Avenue, Mildura. This has enabled us to establish four fully equipped dermoscopy rooms, each equipped with an examination couch and a Canfield Visiomed D200 EVO digital dermoscope.

Sunraysia Skin Cancer Centre has adopted a nurse melanographer model and Darren Avery RN was the first to complete a six month training program including gaining a Certificate of Dermoscopy from the Skin Cancer College Australasia. Currently, our melanographer in training is Brooke Hermansson SEN. Brooke has completed her Certificate of Dermoscopy from the Skin Cancer College of Australasia and is currently in the middle of her six month training program.
Our friendly receptionists are Lisa and Sheree who will be pleased to arrange your appointments and answer any queries you may have.

At Sunraysia Skin Cancer Centre, all procedures and pathology are bulk-billed. All skin examinations are bulk-billed for Pensioners and Concession Card holders. For others, a fee applies of $175.00 with a Medicare rebate of $84.90, which can generally be returned to your account immediately.
We offer Total Body Photography which costs $250.00. There is no Medicare rebate for that service, unfortunately.

Who is Dr Rodney Smyth?

Hi, to introduce myself my name is Dr Rodney Smyth. I have been a GP for 35 years, mainly practising in Melbourne. I worked for nine years for the Molescan Skin cancer Clinic in Carnegie, Melbourne, and for another four years at a skin cancer clinic in Beaumaris Melbourne. During this time, I developed a strong interest in the field of skin cancer medicine, and especially computerised imaging of skin lesions. Rod is also a member of the Skin Cancer College Australasia. 

Qualifications include:

  • Master of Public Health (Monash University, 2001)
  • Certificate of Advanced Dermoscopy and Dermal Imaging from the University of Queensland (2008).
  • Certificate of Dermoscopy (SCCA 2022)
  • Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine (SCCA, 2023)
  • Advanced Clinical Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine and Surgery (SCCA, 2024)
  • Skin Cancer College Australasia (SCCA) Advanced Clinical Certificate of Dermoscopy (2025)

The Latest Technology

I returned to the Sunraysia district in 2019 and I began planning to set up a skin cancer service in Sunraysia in early 2021. It has always been my dream to set up a clinic that was equipped with state of the art imaging equipment, and I am pleased to say I have acquired the Canfield Intellistudio 2, a computerised system capable of imaging the entire body in a few seconds. The system monitors any changes in skin lesions using artificial intelligence. In addition, this system provides a smaller handheld dermatoscope, which projects detailed magnified digital images onto a computer screen, enabling the detection of any suspicious features in skin lesions. These can also be imaged and monitored over time. The lesion may be removed surgically if it is sufficiently suspicious-looking.

I have also acquired a K-laser, which is capable of treating a range of benign skin lesions such as vascular birthmarks, freckles, viral warts and fungal nail infections.

With respect to skin surgery, I will do most procedures at the Sunraysia Skin Cancer Centre under local anaesthetic, assisted by my clinic nurses Darren and Brooke. I aim to provide these surgeries in an accessible and affordable manner. All our equipment is fully sterilised on site and I have stocked the clinic with the highest quality instruments and other clinical materials. Of course, some skin lesions will be too difficult to treat under local anaesthetic and after discussion, I will refer these patients to the local surgical service.

Our Difference

In skin cancer practice most patients will request a full skin check. However, some people will request to have examined only a limited skin area or a few lesions. This is entirely up to each patient. The full skin check takes about 20-25 minutes using the handheld digital dermatoscope. Some patients may wish to book full skin photography using the Canfield Intellistudio. This is booked separately to a full skin examination. Patients with large numbers of skin lesions or with concerning past histories of skin cancer will tend to be the group who derive the most benefit since it is more difficult to monitor large numbers of skin lesions.

Full skin photography using the Intellistudio is a very quick process, and the photography is conducted by the clinic nurse. If she notes any lesions of concern I will examine those lesions in more detail.

The commonest minor procedures at the clinic will be the cryotherapy of pre-malignant solar keratoses using liquid nitrogen spray, and small biopsies under local anesthetic. I always think of a small biopsy as “having your cake and eating it too”, since a small biopsy is minimally invasive and can yield valuable information to guide further treatment. In my experience, it is a good way to avoid unnecessary full excisions.