Prospective Clinical Research Of Radiation Response To High-dose Radiotherapy In Lung Tumours And Surrounding Normal Tissue Using Functional Imaging Biomarker Assessments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$120,275.00
Summary
Radiotherapy is a potentially curative treatment for cancers of the lung. To improve outcomes, modern research efforts have focussed on radiotherapy dose escalation. However a major limitation to dose escalation is the associated toxicity to the lung. At present, the mechanisms of lung toxicity are incompletely understood. This research will investigate biomarkers of radiation response in patients receiving high-dose radiotherapy to the lung by using state-of-the-art scanning techniques.
Enhancing The Anti-Cancer Immune Response By Combining Radiotherapy And Immunotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$265,138.00
Summary
Lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer related death in Australia. Recently, immune therapies have shown promise by unlocking the body’s own defenses to fight against lung cancer. I aim to maximise the effect of the anti-PD-1 immune therapy by ‘kick-starting’ the immune response with high-precision stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR). By completing clinical trials and biological research into the combination of therapies I hope to improve outcomes for patients with lung cancer.
Prognostic Significance Of Circulating Tumour Biomarkers In Patients Treated With Curative-intent Radiotherapy For NSCLC
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$877,098.00
Summary
More than 50% of cancer patients in Australia receive radiotherapy but many later die from distant metastases. This study of circulating biomarkers (tumour cells and DNA in the bloodstream) builds on evidence from research at Peter Mac showing that some lung cancers might spread during treatment with radiotherapy that would otherwise be curative. This study will help identify cancer patients at high risk of secondary cancers and could allow us to modify treatments to prevent them.
Very Fast, Accurate And Low Dose Imaging For Radiotherapy Treatments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,651.00
Summary
This project will reduce scan times and imaging dose by an order of magnitude for an imaging modality that is the standard of care for lung cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. Specifically, scan times reduce from 4min to below 60sec, image quality will be improved and imaging dose will be reduced by 85%. These improvements not only improve treatment efficacy by improving the accuracy of radiotherapy delivery, they reduce treatment times and reduce discomfort to the patient.
Cancer Radiotherapy 2020: Accounting For Tumour Deformation In Real Time To Improve Treatment Outcome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,616.00
Summary
Tumours in lung and prostate cancer change shape during radiotherapy treatment. This is not accounted for in current care, compromising the therapeutic efficacy. We will develop the first radiotherapy system that can adjust the radiation beam in real time to follow the changing tumour shape. We will assess the performance of the system and quantify the clinical benefit. It is expected that clinical implementation of this technique will improve the cure rates and decrease the treatment toxicity.
A Prospective Clinical Trial To Establish The Significance Of Interim FDG And FLT PET/CT Scans As Biomarkers Of Patient Prognosis And Individualised Radiation Therapy In Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$532,902.00
Summary
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed Tomography (CT) scanners pinpoint the location of cancer cells in people prior to and after treatment. This innovative study will use during treatment PET/CT scans to establish the response of lung tumours to radiation therapy (RT). We will use these scans to simulate the delivery of highly targeted, individualised RT and to predict patient prognosis, with the ultimate aim of increasing survival and minimising side effects in patients with lung cancer