Coroner's Finding: AUSTIN Dallas Dixon

46y · Male·metastatic malignant melanoma

A 46-year-old man with metastatic malignant melanoma died in custody at a hospice. He was extradited from New South Wales to South Australia in April 2009 while undergoing cancer treatment. There was an 8-week delay before specialist oncology review in South Australia, caused partly by a 25-day delay in medical records transmission from Westmead Hospital. Expert review confirmed this delay did not affect the outcome—the metastatic disease would have developed regardless. Subsequent treatment by prison health, Royal Adelaide Hospital, and hospice was appropriate. The case highlights the importance of timely medical records transfer between states, particularly for patients with serious ongoing conditions.