Does Palliative Chemotherapy Palliate? Measuring Symptom Benefit In Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Using Patient Reported Outcomes: The Symptom Benefit Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$405,024.00
Summary
Clinical trials for women with recurrent ovarian cancer traditionally use a reduction in tumour size and time to progression to measure the benefit of chemotherapy, but do not document whether women have symptom improvement as well. The aim of the Symptom Benefit Study is to validate an instrument that will allow patients to report their symptoms and degree of improvement and for the first time allow clinical trials to include a measure of symptom improvement when new drugs are being tested.
Visualisation And Early Prediction Of ROS-mediated Treatment Response In Liver Cancer By A Novel Nanoplatform
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,224.00
Summary
Change of tumour microenvironment has potential to serve as an early predictor of drug efficacy. This proposed project aims to develop a new technology to accurately measure tumour microenvironment during treatment, and to explore the correlation between this potential predicator and tumour growth. This technology would significantly improve the patient prognosis by revealing non-response to chemotherapeutics early and allowing the timely administration of alternative therapies.
Determining The Tumour Suppressor Function Of The MCC Gene And Its Significance To Treatment Outcomes In Colorectal Cancer.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$620,716.00
Summary
This project analyses the early stages of bowel cancer, where we have discovered a new gene defect. We want to determine how the MCC gene defect promotes tumorigenesis and how it affects treatment outcomes, by studying a novel mouse model of bowel cancer. This will determine which cellular functions are altered following loss of MCC in bowel tumours and if the MCC defect can be exploited to identify patients who would benefit from radiotherapy or specific chemotherapies.
DOCetaxel With Or Without Radiation Therapy For Resectable Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma Based On Early PET Response To Induction Chemotherapy (DOCTOR).
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,024,738.00
Summary
Oesophageal cancer continues to have poor survival despite surgery. Patients responding to pre-operative chemotherapy have better survival than those who do not. This study proposes using early FDG-PET scan to identify patients not responding to standard chemotherapy. This will permit the timely change of therapy to alternative regimens with a newer agent with or without radiotherapy, aiming to improve outcomes. This represents a paradigm shift in the management of oesophageal cancer.
TIR Signalling Pathway Pharmacogenomics And Opioid Response: Beyond The Mu Opioid Receptor
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$246,396.00
Summary
This project will identify why some people respond poorly and others have toxic side effects to the major group of pain relieving medications, the opioids. The basis will be the genetics of the immune system and both acute postoperative and chronic cancer pain patients will be studied in this international pharmacogenetics project.
Long-term Nerve Damage In Cancer Survivors: Identification Of Risk Factors And Optimal Assessment Strategies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$850,172.00
Summary
Nerve damage following chemotherapy treatment leads to early treatment cessation and long-lasting disability, developing with commonly used chemotherapies. There is a critical need to understand the mechanisms, optimize clinical assessment and develop interventions to prevent nerve damage. This project is designed to detect the impact of long-term nerve damage in cancer survivors and develop a risk profile based on clinical, neurophysiological and genetic factors.
Identification Of Biomarkers Of Response And Toxicity To Chemoradiotherapy For Oesophageal Tumours
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$496,935.00
Summary
Chemoradiotherapy for oesophageal tumours has high interpatient variability in response and toxicity to treatment. Predictive biomarkers of response and toxicity would help select patients who would benefit most from this treatment modality. The proposed project will determine blood-derived microRNA and mRNA profiles that identify patients according to risk of unfavourable treatment outcomes, enabling clinicians to offer personalised alternative treatment strategies for those patients.
NABNEC: A Randomised Phase II Study Of Nab-paclitaxel In Combination With Carboplatin As First Line Treatment Of Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Carcinomas
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,393,083.00
Summary
Patients with advanced neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) have one of the poorest cancer outcomes. So far, no randomised trials have been done to confirm NEC treatment. Current NEC chemotherapy is etoposide & carboplatin (EC), based on lung cancer trials. The NABNEC study will use a new drug, nab-paclitaxel, with carboplatin or EC, collect PET scan, tumour & blood samples result to help understand how treatment works and to ultimately improve NEC patients’ health and progress future research.
Benefit Of 2D-strain Surveillance In Improving Cardiovascular Outcomes In Cancer Patients Undergoing Cardiotoxic Chemotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,391,979.00
Summary
Cancer survivors are susceptible to heart failure (HF) caused by heart muscle damage from chemotherapy. The current testing for this problem is based on a measure that cannot identify minor changes of cardiac function. Cardiac strain is a sensitive new marker of cardiac function which is predictive of overt dysfunction & HF. This study seeks to identify whether strain can be used to assign treatments that lead to improved cardiac function and are eventually associated with a reduction in HF.
Identification Of Germline Variation That Predicts Progression Free Survival Following Chemotherapy For Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$633,156.00
Summary
Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer typically undergo surgery, followed by chemotherapy. However, the efficacy of chemotherapy varies widely, with some women responding well, whilst others are exposed to the toxic effects of a treatment that does them little good. We aim to identify the genes which explain why there are differences in response. This will lead to more individualised chemotherapy and improved outcomes for women with ovarian cancer.