Risk Of Brain Cancer From Exposure To Radiofrequency Fields In Childhood And Adolescence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$708,426.00
Summary
Mobile phone use is increasing in Australia, especially among children and young adults. This study is the Australian arm of an international multi-centre study that will investigate exposure to radiofrequency radiation from mobile phone use during childhood and adolescence and later onset of brain tumours in people between the ages of 10 and 24 years. There is considerable community concern and scientific interest about possible health effects from mobile phone exposure in young people and this ....Mobile phone use is increasing in Australia, especially among children and young adults. This study is the Australian arm of an international multi-centre study that will investigate exposure to radiofrequency radiation from mobile phone use during childhood and adolescence and later onset of brain tumours in people between the ages of 10 and 24 years. There is considerable community concern and scientific interest about possible health effects from mobile phone exposure in young people and this multi-centre study will provide important information about such cancer risks.Read moreRead less
This project will develop and test a new cell-based anticancer vaccine for patients with Prostate cancer. The collaboration will involve French, Italian, Austrian and German researchers. Blood will be taken from patients in the clinical trial, the patient's cells will be converted into a cell vaccine, and these cells will be labelled with a radioactive tracer and re-injected into the host. Australian researchers at the Centre for Blood Cell Therapies at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre will the ....This project will develop and test a new cell-based anticancer vaccine for patients with Prostate cancer. The collaboration will involve French, Italian, Austrian and German researchers. Blood will be taken from patients in the clinical trial, the patient's cells will be converted into a cell vaccine, and these cells will be labelled with a radioactive tracer and re-injected into the host. Australian researchers at the Centre for Blood Cell Therapies at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre will then track the performance of the vaccine using advanced diagnostic imaging to determine how effective the vaccine is in stimulating the body's own defence mechanisms to fight the cancer. Multiple versions of the treatment are being developed by the international collaboration and the Institute will help determine which approach is most effective in combating cancer. The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre is the foremost centre worldwide for this type of cell tracking study.Read moreRead less
Developing And Testing A Pain Management Program For Family Caregivers Of Advanced Cancer Patients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$119,500.00
Summary
To improve cancer patients' and family carers' knowledge and attitudes about pain management. A secondary aim is to examine the effect of a pain education program (PEP) on patients' actual pain experiences. This study builds on pilot data indicating that a pain education program (PEP) for family carers of cancer patients in a home based palliative service is effective in improving family carers' knowledge of pain management and family carers' attitudes toward managing the patient's pain. The PEP ....To improve cancer patients' and family carers' knowledge and attitudes about pain management. A secondary aim is to examine the effect of a pain education program (PEP) on patients' actual pain experiences. This study builds on pilot data indicating that a pain education program (PEP) for family carers of cancer patients in a home based palliative service is effective in improving family carers' knowledge of pain management and family carers' attitudes toward managing the patient's pain. The PEP will be tested with both patients with progressive or recurrent cancer and their family carers, taking into account three recommendations arising from the pilot study: Both patients and family carers should be included in the education sessions to ensure that they receive the same information because the attitudes and behaviours of those close to the patient can directly influence outcomes; Recruitment should occur at an early stage of the illness rather than the palliative stage so that patients will be well enough to participate in the education sessions and the information provided will be useful for a longer period of time; Education sessions should be short and be delivered in the outpatient oncology settings, which is more cost-effective and typical of the way that the intervention will be delivered in practice, if found to be effective.Read moreRead less
Primary Care: What Is Their Approach To Patients With Advanced Cancer And Those Who Require Radiotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$50,000.00
Summary
It is recommended that 50-60% of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy at some time in their disease. However, only 38% of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy in Australia. Advanced cancer patients may be missing out on radiotherapy because they are not referred for palliative radiotherapy. The specific aims of this study are to: Explore the primary care approach to patients with advanced cancer and particularly those who require radiotherapy; Define factors that influence how Australian ....It is recommended that 50-60% of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy at some time in their disease. However, only 38% of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy in Australia. Advanced cancer patients may be missing out on radiotherapy because they are not referred for palliative radiotherapy. The specific aims of this study are to: Explore the primary care approach to patients with advanced cancer and particularly those who require radiotherapy; Define factors that influence how Australian GPs respond to symptoms of advanced cancer; Map the patients’ perspective on current referral practice for palliative care. This project will be comprised of three stages: simulated consultations with GPs, survey of GPs and patient interviews. These methods will enable researchers to develop an understanding of the primary care approach to patients with advanced cancer and those who require radiotherapy and how patients with advanced disease are referred for treatment.Read moreRead less
Using Single Patient Trials To Determine The Effectiveness Of Psychostimulants In Fatigue In Advanced Cancer Patients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$162,563.00
Summary
The lack of good evidence in palliative care (PC) is widely acknowledged but research in PC is difficult. Methodological barriers include: difficulties in recruitment, high rates of attrition, problems with maintaining distinct and sustainable intervention strategies, poorly chosen outcomes and opposition to randomization. Organizational barriers include: lack of research infrastructure, few trained clinical researchers, prioritisation of clinical responsibilities and funding difficulties. The h ....The lack of good evidence in palliative care (PC) is widely acknowledged but research in PC is difficult. Methodological barriers include: difficulties in recruitment, high rates of attrition, problems with maintaining distinct and sustainable intervention strategies, poorly chosen outcomes and opposition to randomization. Organizational barriers include: lack of research infrastructure, few trained clinical researchers, prioritisation of clinical responsibilities and funding difficulties. The hierarchy of evidence rates RCTs as the gold standard. An alternative is the n-of-1 trial: a randomized, double-blind cross-over comparison of active drug with placebo or another drug. The patient is in effect their own control. N-of-1 trials provide an objective means of testing the effectiveness of medicines in individual patients, providing evidence stronger than RCT evidence for the efficacy of that drug in that particular individual. If multiple n-of-1 trials are conducted, the resultant data amounts to RCT evidence for that treatment in a population. We propose n-of-1 trials as a workable option for researching the benefit of drugs and other therapies in PC patients. If successful, this model could be accepted internationally as the gold standard for research in this difficult population group. This would be a world first and of great national and international significance. In advanced cancer, the prevalence of fatigue is very high at 60-90% and can be related to the treatment or the disease itself. The impact of fatigue on function (physical, mental, social and spiritual) and hence quality of life (QOL) is very significant for many palliative patients as well as their families-carers. The role of pyschostimulants in the management of fatigue in patients with advanced cancer and life limiting disease needs to be defined. We will conduct n-of-1 trials of psychostimulants (i.e. methylphenidate) for fatigue in a group of 40 patients, recruited from 5 sites around Australia through a national clinical trial network recently set up for palliative care research. Managing fatigue with treatment supported by the best possible evidence for individual patients and producing any improvement in fatigue will improve patients� functional status, and will greatly improve QOL for patients and carers.Read moreRead less
Early Referral To Palliative Care; A Randomised Trial Of Patients With Metastatic Cancers & A Survival Expec Of
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$81,250.00
Summary
It is not known when, in the course of incurable cancer, palliative care advice should be sought. A randomised trial will be conducted on patients consulting with a medical or radiation oncologist. Consenting patients will be randomised to either receive palliative care advice immediately or somewhat later after diagnosis. The consequences of early contact with palliative care professionals will be documented using a range of patient measures including quality of life, symptom control and assess ....It is not known when, in the course of incurable cancer, palliative care advice should be sought. A randomised trial will be conducted on patients consulting with a medical or radiation oncologist. Consenting patients will be randomised to either receive palliative care advice immediately or somewhat later after diagnosis. The consequences of early contact with palliative care professionals will be documented using a range of patient measures including quality of life, symptom control and assessment of unmet needs. The research includes a cost consequence analysis.Read moreRead less
Epidemiology Of Human Papillomavirus (Hpv), Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation In Relation To Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
Queensland epidemiologist, Professor Adele Green is the winner of an Australian-European Union medical research grant that she will use to investigate prevention of skin cancer. The prestigious NHMRC grant is intended to support Australian researchers involved in European collaboration, which will benefit the Australian community. Professor Green and her research group will use the grant to participate in a large consortium led by Dr Jan Nico Bouwes Bavinck from Leiden in the Netherlands, with t ....Queensland epidemiologist, Professor Adele Green is the winner of an Australian-European Union medical research grant that she will use to investigate prevention of skin cancer. The prestigious NHMRC grant is intended to support Australian researchers involved in European collaboration, which will benefit the Australian community. Professor Green and her research group will use the grant to participate in a large consortium led by Dr Jan Nico Bouwes Bavinck from Leiden in the Netherlands, with teams of researchers based in Germany, England, Italy and France. The work of the consortium will focus on finding out whether Human Papilloma Virus plays a role in causing skin cancer. Professor Green and her team are working to discover the relationship between Human Papilloma Virus, which is a common virus of the skin and the commonest types of skin cancer. If the papilloma virus is found to cause skin cancer, this will open up new avenues for prevention. Although Australia is a world hot-spot for skin cancer, the disease is of concern to Europeans because it is the most common form of cancer in white-skinned people.Read moreRead less
Prelim Study Of Association Between Nutritional Indices, Psychosocial Factors, Cytokines & Survival Advanced Cancer Pati
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$24,820.00
Summary
This preliminary project aims to evaluate associations between cancer cachexia, psychosocial factors and cytokine levels in blood. The final decline of most patients with advanced cancer is associated with the cancer cachexia syndrome, triggered in part by cytokine release. Measuring cytokines may enable identification of patients about to enter this final stage. Further, factors like mood and social support appear to alter cytokine levels. The associations established by this study may point to ....This preliminary project aims to evaluate associations between cancer cachexia, psychosocial factors and cytokine levels in blood. The final decline of most patients with advanced cancer is associated with the cancer cachexia syndrome, triggered in part by cytokine release. Measuring cytokines may enable identification of patients about to enter this final stage. Further, factors like mood and social support appear to alter cytokine levels. The associations established by this study may point to treatment options that can delay the terminal phase while improving quality of life.Read moreRead less
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.