Improving The Management Of Nausea In Advanced Cancer: Pragmatic Tool For Assessing& Treating Nausea In Clincial Practi
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
Nausea and vomiting are common problems in-patients with advanced cancer and they are under-treated. The investigators will develop evidence-based tools to assist non-specialist clinicians in the assessment and treatment of nausea in advanced cancer. They will also develop an educational intervention to train health professionals to use these tools and pilot a randomised trial designed to evaluate the package in NSW and WA.
A Phase III Clinical Trial Of Exercise Modalities On Treatment Side-effects In Men Receiving Therapy For Prostate Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$519,330.00
Summary
Hormone therapy is very effective for treating prostate cancer however it produces a number of side effects including muscle and bone loss, fat gain, and increased risk of death from heart disease and diabetes. In other populations physical exercise has proven particulary effective for preventing such problems however no long term studies with prostate cancer patients have ever confirmed this. Knowledge gained from this study has potential to markedly reduce suffering and increase survival.
Molecular Determinants Of Therapeutic Response In Colorectal Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$87,646.00
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer death. We will examine whether treatments of advanced CRC can be optimized by (1) selection based on the patient's expression of biomarkers (ie. cancer proteins) and-or (2) appropriate combinations of chemotherapy and-or immunotherapy. Using samples from patients we aim to determine predictors of response to a single therapy (bevacizumab) or a novel combination of therapies (erlotonib and cetuximab) to enhance future treatments.
A Randomised Trial Of Preoperative Radiotherapy For Stage T3 Adenocarcinoma Of Rectum
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$521,220.00
Summary
The most appropriate management of locally advanced rectal cancer is controversial as evident by various treatment options available and used. It remains unclear whether pre-operative radiotherapy, and if so what form of therapy, is required for this group of patients. The first aim of this trial is to see whether a long course of radiotherapy with chemotherapy is superior to a short course of radiotherapy. The second aim is to see whether the advantage of pre-operative radiotherapy remains with ....The most appropriate management of locally advanced rectal cancer is controversial as evident by various treatment options available and used. It remains unclear whether pre-operative radiotherapy, and if so what form of therapy, is required for this group of patients. The first aim of this trial is to see whether a long course of radiotherapy with chemotherapy is superior to a short course of radiotherapy. The second aim is to see whether the advantage of pre-operative radiotherapy remains with modern surgical technique. Colorectal cancer is the commonest cancer in Australia and local recurrence leads to severe morbidity with no effective treatment for permanent control. It is important, therefore, to establish treatment regimens that will minimize the risk of local recurrence and it will be significant if this trial can establish that pre-operative radiotherapy can achieve this with minimal toxicity. The quality of life associated with each of the three arms of the trial has not been adequately addressed and will be studied here. The result of this trial will influence designs of future trials if one or other of the pre-operative regimens is shown to be effective. The two regimens, Short Course and Long Course , represent opposing philosophies: minimize the overall treatment time (2 weeks from start of radiotherapy to surgery) to avoid accelerated repopulation versus give more intensive therapy and utilise the sensitising effect from 5-FU on radiotherapy to obtain greater tumour cell kill probability. If one regimen proves more effective than the other, the design of future trials and the way of thinking about the biology will be influenced. There may be implications for the cost of treatment of this disease: Long Course is much about five times more expensive to deliver than Short Ccourse.Read moreRead less
Identification Of Novel Targeted Therapies For JAK2-driven Leukemogenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,717.00
Summary
Many leukemias are caused by particular signalling molecules becoming too active in blood cells. My research focusses on the molecules that are required by leukemic cells for their growth and survival. I will use mice that are prone to developing leukemia to study how these leukemias can be treated with drugs that block specific molecules. My goal is to discover new ways to treat leukemias that work better and have fewer side effects than current treatments.
SNAC2: A Randomised Trial Of Extending Sentinel Node Based Management To Women With Larger Or Multifocal Breast Cancers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,266,430.00
Summary
SNAC2 extends the work begun in SNAC1, which recruited 1,088 women over 4 years. SNAC1 will determine if sentinel node biopsy causes less arm problems than axillary clearance. The goal of SNAC2 is to establish the risk of local recurrence and long term safety of sentinel node biopsy, especially for women with larger or multiple tumours. SNAC2 is needed to determine whether the smaller operation gives cure rates as good as axillary clearance. If it does, then it will become standard practice.
Increasing Appropriate Screening For Colorectal Cancer Patients And First Degree Relatives. A RCT.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,372,866.00
Summary
Adoption of guideline recommendations is difficult to achieve. This research aims to improve adherence to guideline recommendations for surveillance for people with colorectal cancer and screening in their first degree relatives using an educational intervention. People with colorectal cancer and their first degree relatives will be randomly assigned to an educational intervention or to usual care, and adherence to guideline recommendations will be compared between groups.
Patient Preferences For Adjuvant Chemotherapy In Early Breast Cancer: What Makes It Worthwhile?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$69,420.00
Summary
Adjuvant chemotherapy, used in addition to surgery and radiation, improves recurrence and survival rates in women with early breast cancer. These gains must be balanced against the side effects and inconvenience of chemotherapy including hair loss, nausea, tiredness and risk of infection. This study will determine the gains considered necessary to make modern adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer worthwhile by asking women who have had such treatment. It will determine factors that might ....Adjuvant chemotherapy, used in addition to surgery and radiation, improves recurrence and survival rates in women with early breast cancer. These gains must be balanced against the side effects and inconvenience of chemotherapy including hair loss, nausea, tiredness and risk of infection. This study will determine the gains considered necessary to make modern adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer worthwhile by asking women who have had such treatment. It will determine factors that might influence the gain considered necessary, such as the kind of treatment, the severity of the side effects experienced, social and other factors. Three hundred women who have had modern adjuvant chemotherapy in an ongoing international clinical trial will be recruited and interviewed. The interviews are standardised, scripted and administered by trained researchers to avoid influencing the subjects. Diagrams and props are used to make the questions clearer. Evaluation of these aids is an additional aspect of the project. This information will be invaluable for women and clinicians considering this potentially curative treatment over the next 15 years. The study will also provide new knowledge on how best to provide information about the benefits of treatment. This can then be applied to discussions about treatment in routine clinical practice. The methods are suitable for a wide range of questions in other diseases and settings. The project will be extended to develop the materials for other questions in breast cancer and other settings.Read moreRead less
Optimising Regulatory T Cell Depletion In Combination With Chemotherapy For Enhanced Anti-tumour Immunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$264,816.00
Summary
The drug cyclophosphamide helps the immune system attack cancer by decreasing the number of immune cells that suppress an immune response to cancer ('Regulatory T cells'). This project combines standard chemotherapy with the drug cyclophosphamide in people with mesothelioma and lung cancer. The aim of the project is to find the dose of cyclophosphamide that maximally decreases Regulatory T cells in each patient, and determine the effect of this on anti-tumour immunity and response to treatment.