NABNEC: A Randomised Phase II Study Of Nab-paclitaxel In Combination With Carboplatin As First Line Treatment Of Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Carcinomas
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,393,083.00
Summary
Patients with advanced neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) have one of the poorest cancer outcomes. So far, no randomised trials have been done to confirm NEC treatment. Current NEC chemotherapy is etoposide & carboplatin (EC), based on lung cancer trials. The NABNEC study will use a new drug, nab-paclitaxel, with carboplatin or EC, collect PET scan, tumour & blood samples result to help understand how treatment works and to ultimately improve NEC patients’ health and progress future research.
Improving Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma Outcomes Through Understanding Genomics And Treatment Toxicity.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,013,282.00
Summary
Oesophageal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive cancer, as most patients will not survive for more than 5 years. Therefore we need to find better ways to treat patients. In this study we will identify the DNA mutations in oesophageal cancers that were part of clinical trial. The data allow us to determine why some tumours responded well to therapy, and why some patients had serious side effects to the treatment. The results will help inform on selection of therapy for future patients.
The OUTBACK Trial - The Role Of Adjuvant Chemotherapy In Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,472,782.00
Summary
This international randomized phase III trial will test the value of giving additional chemotherapy treatment to women with locally advanced cervix cancer following standard chemo-radiation treatment. The aim is to improve survival rates for these women, many of whom have a 40% or greater chance of their disease relapsing after treatment. The trial has been designed in Australia, and is open in multiple countries with Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG) as the lead group ....This international randomized phase III trial will test the value of giving additional chemotherapy treatment to women with locally advanced cervix cancer following standard chemo-radiation treatment. The aim is to improve survival rates for these women, many of whom have a 40% or greater chance of their disease relapsing after treatment. The trial has been designed in Australia, and is open in multiple countries with Australia New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG) as the lead group.Read moreRead less
Improving Risk Evaluation And Outcomes In Paediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$798,022.00
Summary
The main objective of this project is to make substantial improvements in the treatment of patients with childhood leukaemia by greater use of molecular diagnostics to measure minimal residual disease (MRD) and high risk genetic changes in Australian patients enrolled on an international clinical trial which has been designed to reduce the incidence of both relapses and long term side-effects.
Cyclotherapy: A New Approach To Stop The Side Effects Of Chemotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$565,847.00
Summary
Cyto-toxic chemotherapy is a widely used treatment for cancer but is associated with significant side effects for the patient. These are due to the chemotherapy killing normal dividing cells in the gut, bone marrow and hair follicles. We will determine the potential of cyclotherapy in preventing these side effects. In cyclotherapy a pre-treatment temporarily stops normal cells from dividing and therefore protects them from the damage of subsequent chemotherapy.
Pharmacological Inhibitors Of Mnk For The Treatment Of Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$505,894.00
Summary
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. In 2010 an estimated 43,000 Australians died from cancer and 114,000 new cases were diagnosed. New treatments are urgently needed. Protein kinases Mnks promote human tumourogenesis, but they are dispensable for normal tissue development. Inhibition of Mnks’ activity therefore presents an excellent strategy for effective and nontoxic cancer therapy. This project aims to develop Mnk inhibitor drug candidates for potential clinic application.
Identification Of Germline Variation That Predicts Progression Free Survival Following Chemotherapy For Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$633,156.00
Summary
Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer typically undergo surgery, followed by chemotherapy. However, the efficacy of chemotherapy varies widely, with some women responding well, whilst others are exposed to the toxic effects of a treatment that does them little good. We aim to identify the genes which explain why there are differences in response. This will lead to more individualised chemotherapy and improved outcomes for women with ovarian cancer.
An International Clinical Trial To Evaluate New Therapies To Improve Survival Of Children With Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,567,500.00
Summary
Children who relapse with childhood leukaemia have only a 50% chance of being alive after 5 years. We will participate in a new international trial involving most European and all Australian and New Zealand childhood oncology centres, to test the effectiveness of promising new treatments and to perform biological studies which should enable doctors in future to pick the best treatment for each of these patients.
Contribution Of Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells To Chemoresistance And Recurrent Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$378,940.00
Summary
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer. Previously, we showed that cancer stem cells are the “beating heart” of the ovarian cancer and are responsible for drug resistance and tumour relapse. The ineffective targeting of these cells by chemotherapy is accountable for the poor clinical outcomes in ovarian cancer patients. This project will define the molecular signals involved in maintenance of cancer stem cells and develop targeted therapies against these cells.
Despite aggressive treatment, the survival rate for high-risk neuroblastoma patients is below 50%. We recently found that these poor-outcome neuroblastomas have a defect in a key drug response pathway, called the JNK pathway. Standard-of-care neuroblastoma drugs all require the JNK pathway to kill neuroblastoma cells, although we have now identified alternative drugs that do not require JNK. We now plan to demonstrate the efficacy of these drugs in neuroblastomas with a defective JNK pathway.