Melanoma Diagnosis, And The Effect Of Screening On Depth Of Invasion Of Melanoma.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$399,961.00
Summary
AIMS This study will assess how melanoma is diagnosed in Queensland, and if improvements can be made. It will assess if skin screening gives earlier diagnosis of some melanomas, and also if it leads to the diagnosis of some thin melanomas which would not progress if left alone. SIGNIFICANCE Melanoma is the most common invasive cancer in Queensland, with some 1,963 people diagnosed annually with the disease. The outlook for these patients varies dramatically with the depth of invasion of melanoma ....AIMS This study will assess how melanoma is diagnosed in Queensland, and if improvements can be made. It will assess if skin screening gives earlier diagnosis of some melanomas, and also if it leads to the diagnosis of some thin melanomas which would not progress if left alone. SIGNIFICANCE Melanoma is the most common invasive cancer in Queensland, with some 1,963 people diagnosed annually with the disease. The outlook for these patients varies dramatically with the depth of invasion of melanoma. Melanoma diagnosed and treated when very thin has an excellent long-term outcome, whereas the outcome for deeply invasive melanoma is much less favourable. Improvements to diagnosis are currently our best hope of reducing deaths and serious distress from this disease. This will be the largest study in the world of the process of diagnosis of melanoma: information on how melanoma presents, and the time between presentation and diagnosis will be compared between thin and deeply invasive melanoma. Results may indicate areas for improvement in education or health services. The use of screening, either by individuals themselves or by health professionals, has the potential to achieve early diagnosis. However, there is currently no good information on whether screening is actually effective. This study will assess the impact of self-screening and doctor screening on the depth of invasion of melanoma at presentation, and ultimately on the likelihood of dying from melanoma. The study will also assess the potential impact of screening on the over-diagnosis of lesions which while labeled as melanoma, may in fact be biologically non-progressive. This is an important issue of current concern internationally. This study will be one of only two studies in the world currently addressing this issue. This project is directly relevant to the early detection and optimum management of the most common invasive cancer in Queensland, and will have relevance internationally.Read moreRead less
Reducing The Injury And Disease Burden Attributable To Alcohol: Methodological, Aetiological And Intervention Studies.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,412.00
Summary
The research examines the influence of individual, social and environmental factors on drinking behaviour, and seeks to determine the effectiveness of strategies to prevent alcohol-related harm, with a particular focus on youth drinking. A series of studies is proposed, examining the validity of methods for measuring drinking behaviour; social and environmental factors, and interventions. The findings will have relevance to reducing the burden of alcohol-related injury and disease in Australia.
Assessing The Impact Of Climate Change On The Transmission Of Mosquito-borne Diseases In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$346,689.00
Summary
Global climate change has potentially serious effects on the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs). Bayesian spatiotemporal models will be developed to explore the underlying mechanisms of the current distribution of MBDs and to forecast future changes in pattern of these diseases. The model will be useful in examining where and when MBDs are likely to occur and how the future MBDs control strategies and prevention efforts need to be applied and strengthened in Australia.
Why Do Some Breast Cancers Present At An Advanced Stage In Women In Australia?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$682,950.00
Summary
Each year since 1994, some 10,000 Australian women have been diagnosed with breast cancer and 2,500 have died from it; these deaths have led to loss of some 31,000 years of life before 75 years of age. There is no effective way to prevent breast cancer in most women at risk of it, the only possible intervention is early detection and treatment to reduce the impact of being diagnosed with the disease. The smaller the cancer at treatment, the better the outcome. The national mammographic screening ....Each year since 1994, some 10,000 Australian women have been diagnosed with breast cancer and 2,500 have died from it; these deaths have led to loss of some 31,000 years of life before 75 years of age. There is no effective way to prevent breast cancer in most women at risk of it, the only possible intervention is early detection and treatment to reduce the impact of being diagnosed with the disease. The smaller the cancer at treatment, the better the outcome. The national mammographic screening program, BreastScreen Australia, began in 1991. We expect that screening, through early detection, would reduce the numbers of women who die of breast cancer. Death rates from breast cancer have been falling in Australia since 1994. Despite this program, however, rates of larger breast cancers, more likely to have spread beyond the breast, are not falling. In 1997-98, the woman or her doctor detected nearly half of all breast cancers diagnosed outside of screening by detecting a change in the breast. Given that screening can detect cancers when they are small and that women themselves are also able to detect symptoms that may be small breast cancers and seek medical advice, we must ask why so many cancers are not diagnosed and treated until they are 2cm or larger and threaten life. This project aims to examine reasons in three broad areas: the woman herself, the cancer, and the wider health system, including the medical practitioner to whom symptoms or signs are first presented. Our study aims to understand the factors that contribute the most to the occurrence of larger breast cancers so that public health campaigns can be designed to increase the numbers detected at an early stage.Read moreRead less
Epidemiology Of Middle-age BHR: A Prospective Study From Childhood To Middle Age
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$593,840.00
Summary
Increased airway reactivity (BHR) in middle-age increases the risk of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) in old age, which are recognised as a major public health problem. Knowledge on the causes of these conditions is currently limited. This project will improve our understanding of the childhood and adult causes of increased reactivity of the airways in middle-age. Such knowledge will help in identifying preventive strategies for middle age BHR and thereby CRDs in old age.
Ultrafast tracking of physiological processes in the human eye. Recent developments in high-resolution imaging allow individual cells in the living eye to be studied at very high speeds. This project aims to explore a new class of scientific observations of rapid phenomena including: the capture and conversion of light energy to electrical energy, the spread of pressure waves through delicate networks of blood vessels, and fast eye movements used to navigate the visual scene. This project expect ....Ultrafast tracking of physiological processes in the human eye. Recent developments in high-resolution imaging allow individual cells in the living eye to be studied at very high speeds. This project aims to explore a new class of scientific observations of rapid phenomena including: the capture and conversion of light energy to electrical energy, the spread of pressure waves through delicate networks of blood vessels, and fast eye movements used to navigate the visual scene. This project expects to generate new knowledge about these processes using state of the art technology, to reveal more about how the eye and visual system work. Our novel measures of physiological function will offer significant future benefit in the early diagnosis and treatment of disorders occurring at the cellular level.Read moreRead less
PneuMum: An RCT Of Maternal Pneumococcal Vaccination For Protection Of Indigenous Children From Ear Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$591,291.00
Summary
Ear disease starts in the first few months of life for most Indigenous children. By school entry, 2 out of every 3 Indigenous children in the NT have hearing problems. This proposal is to renew funding of the PneuMum study, which aims to find out whether the protection that a mother gets when she receives a pneumococcal vaccine late in pregnancy or soon after delivery can help to protect her child from getting ear disease.
Comprehensive Assessment Of Genetic And Environmental Risk Factors For Melanoma: A Population-based Family Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,679.00
Summary
Excessive sunlight can cause melanoma, a serious type of skin cancer. However, there are other factors including a person's genetic make-up that are thought to put some people at higher risk. Many 'healthy' people have small changes in their genes that might make them more likely to develop melanoma. We need to know more about these genetic factors. Our study will investigate how particular small genetic changes influence a person's likelihood of developing melanoma.
The starting point for this project is the recent finding that women who experience miscarriages or terminations of pregnancy before theuir first birth have an increased risk of having a preterm (premature) infant. These findings have prompted a re-evaluation of the relationship between the number of pregnancies a women has had and the likely outcome in later pregnancies. It will take into account the stage at which prior pregnancies ended, what the outcomes of the pregnancies were (birth, healt ....The starting point for this project is the recent finding that women who experience miscarriages or terminations of pregnancy before theuir first birth have an increased risk of having a preterm (premature) infant. These findings have prompted a re-evaluation of the relationship between the number of pregnancies a women has had and the likely outcome in later pregnancies. It will take into account the stage at which prior pregnancies ended, what the outcomes of the pregnancies were (birth, health baby, death, baby with a birth defect, termination, miscarriage etc), as well as factors such as maternal age, in relation to the risks in subsequent pregnancies. The expected outcomes and significance of the study are: * new evidence about factors causing adverse outcomes of pregnancy; * better information on the risk of recuurence of common birth defects; * more precise information on risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes for users and planners of maternity services.Read moreRead less