Follow-up Of Women On A Randomised Clinical Trial Of Adjuvant Docetaxel And Doxorubicin For Node Positive Breast Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$113,250.00
Summary
This project is testing the use of a drug docetaxel in the post-operative (adjuvant) treatment of women with breast cancer and involved lymph nodes (N+). Until recently the drug doxorubicin was the most active chemotherapy drug for breast cancer, but more recently a new group of chemotherapy drugs called taxanes were identified. One taxane called docetaxel may be even more effective than doxoubicin. Using available treatments that include doxorubicin based chemotherapy, approximately half the wo ....This project is testing the use of a drug docetaxel in the post-operative (adjuvant) treatment of women with breast cancer and involved lymph nodes (N+). Until recently the drug doxorubicin was the most active chemotherapy drug for breast cancer, but more recently a new group of chemotherapy drugs called taxanes were identified. One taxane called docetaxel may be even more effective than doxoubicin. Using available treatments that include doxorubicin based chemotherapy, approximately half the women with N+ breast cancer experience recurrence of their cancer. It is therefore important to test whether the inclusion of docetaxel in adjuvant therapy can reduce relapses. If docetaxel is to be included, it is also important to test whether it is best to combine it with doxorubicin at the same time (which for safety reasons requires the doses of each drug to be reduced), versus giving them sequentially at full dose. Currently, docetaxel is not approved nor funded for use in early breast cancer in Australia. There are several international trials testing the inclusion of taxanes in the adjuvant therapy of breast cancer. However this trial stands out, because all the women in the trial receive chemotherapy of at least 6 months. In some other trials, testing the possible benefit of adding a taxane, women in the control treatment group (who were randomised not to receive the taxane) received only 3 months of treatment, which makes it difficult to distinguish between longer treatment or addition of the taxane drug. This trial has completed international recruitment of 2890 women who will be carefully followed for 10 years. Australian and New Zealand centers recruited 20% of the women in the trial. After the women have been followed-up for 5 years the results of this trial will be analysed, presented and published and should provide reliable evidence about the potential benefit of adding docetaxel into adjuvant chemotherapy.Read moreRead less
Clinical Trial Of Adjuvant Docetaxel And Doxorubicin For Node Positive Breast Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$185,135.00
Summary
This project is investigating the optimal use of docetaxel and doxorubicin in the treatment of women with breast cancer and involved lymph nodes (N+). Every year 3000 women in Australia, and over 400,000 worldwide are newly diagnosed with N+ breast cancer. Using available treatments more than 60% of these (5 per day in Australia, 4,500 each week worldwide) will die from breast cancer. The efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer is well established by the international overview c ....This project is investigating the optimal use of docetaxel and doxorubicin in the treatment of women with breast cancer and involved lymph nodes (N+). Every year 3000 women in Australia, and over 400,000 worldwide are newly diagnosed with N+ breast cancer. Using available treatments more than 60% of these (5 per day in Australia, 4,500 each week worldwide) will die from breast cancer. The efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in early breast cancer is well established by the international overview conducted by the Early Breast Cancer Trialist's Collaborative Group (EBCTCG). They have demonstrated the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy on reducing mortality and recurrence rates, but current regimens are far from optimal. Docetaxel (Taxotere), a new agent, has effectiveness and manageable side effects in the treatment of advanced breast cancer patients, and can plausibly improve outcomes for patients with early N+ breast cancer by optimal integration into current adjuvant chemotherapy regimens. This clinical trial is designed to compare whether it is advantageous to use docetaxel and-or doxorubicin in combination or sequentially with other currently available chemotherapy drugs.Read moreRead less
Detection Of Metastases In Sentinel Nodes From Patients With Breast Cancer Using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$186,372.00
Summary
The objective is to develop magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for the rapid and accurate intra-operative detection of cancer cells in sentinel lymph nodes from breast cancer patients. Accurate intra-operative diagnosis of cancer in lymph nodes will enable informed decisions to be made regarding surgery and therapy and reduce the morbidity associated with complete clearance of axillary nodes. Using current histopathological techniques (frozen section) this is not possible. Proton MRS can dete ....The objective is to develop magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for the rapid and accurate intra-operative detection of cancer cells in sentinel lymph nodes from breast cancer patients. Accurate intra-operative diagnosis of cancer in lymph nodes will enable informed decisions to be made regarding surgery and therapy and reduce the morbidity associated with complete clearance of axillary nodes. Using current histopathological techniques (frozen section) this is not possible. Proton MRS can detect chemicals in malignant cells in lymph nodes with a greater sensitivity than histology and can detect micrometastases in 20 minutes. The MR diagnostic information can be obtained from fine needle biopsies (FNB) making the technique eminently suitable for rapid intra-operative diagnosis. The FNB technique has been shown to be a rapid and accurate method for the assessment of breast lesions, distinguishing benign lesions and invasive cancer with a sensitiviy and specificity of 95% and 96%, respectively. Here we propose to evaluate the use of MRS for the rapid and accurate assessment of sentinel nodes from breast cancer patients. Two blinded studies will be conducted comparing the MRS chemical fingerprints with serial section histopathological data. To evaluate the clinical significance of the MRS diagnosis, all patients will be entered into a prospective study correlating the MRS data with recurrence of disease within 3 and 5 year periods.Read moreRead less
Mechanism Of Breast Cancer Metastasis: Tumour Cell Remodelling Of The Extracellular Matrix
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$377,331.00
Summary
The main complication in breast cancers leading to death is metastatic relapse. This research aims to understand the role for a protease that promotes spread of breast cancer to the lymph nodes and lungs. The outcomes will identify a novel process that leads to lymph node metastasis and offer a new target for therapies that prevent relapse and tests to identify breast cancer patients at risk of relapse.
The Role Of Na-Ca Exchange Current In Cardiac Pacemaker Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$263,100.00
Summary
The heart rate is controlled by a small group of pacemaker cells within the heart. The pacemaker cells fire spontaneously and this intrinsic rate is modified by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves of the autonomic nervous system. We are studying a new current in the pacemaker cells which helps to control the firing rate. This new current is controlled by the intracellular calcium inside the cells so we are also studying the way in which intracellular calcium changes when the autonomic ner ....The heart rate is controlled by a small group of pacemaker cells within the heart. The pacemaker cells fire spontaneously and this intrinsic rate is modified by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves of the autonomic nervous system. We are studying a new current in the pacemaker cells which helps to control the firing rate. This new current is controlled by the intracellular calcium inside the cells so we are also studying the way in which intracellular calcium changes when the autonomic nervous system is active. This project will provide new insights into the function of this small group of critical cells and may allow treatment of some cardiac arrhythmias without the expense and surgery involved in the use of artificial pacemakers.Read moreRead less
Compartmental Analysis Of T-cell Responses In Thoracic Malignancies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$851,403.00
Summary
To improve immune therapy for cancer we have to be able to determine how cancer patients ‘see’ mutated cancer proteins. Blood is the easiest & most useful source of immune ‘killer’ cells for that task, but the lymph node that drains the tumour and the fluid that bathes a tumour probably contain a much higher number of these killer cells than blood. If so, studying them would help us better track responses to therapy and enable us to choose the best mutated proteins for a vaccine.
POSNOC (Positive Sentinel Node – A Randomised Trial Of Adjuvant Therapy Alone Versus Adjuvant Therapy Plus Clearance Or Axillary Radiotherapy)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,223,428.00
Summary
POSNOC (POsitive Sentinel NOde – adjuvant therapy alone versus adjuvant therapy plus Clearance or axillary radiotherapy) will address the key unresolved challenge in breast cancer surgery. A controversial US trial, ACOSOG Z0011, indicates that many breast cancer patients with limited disease in the sentinel node can safely avoid further nodal surgery. This would be a major advance, but there is widespread doubt that the results are broadly applicable. POSNOC will clarify this key issue.