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Cancer patients to receive cutting edge treatments faster

Cancer patients will benefit from new scientific breakthroughs and treatments much sooner than at present, thanks to a multimillion dollar program announced by the NSW government that University of Sydney researchers are playing a key role in.

The University will head two new Translational Cancer Research Centres - bodies which will bring together researchers, educators, doctors and other health workers to ensure cancer patients receive the best treatments available.

The University will also head up a new unit based at the North Shore Hospital with a focus on personalising treatments for cancer patients, and play a key role in a new centre for the application of childhood cancer research.

NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research Jillian Skinner said the program "is about getting doctors and specialists, who treat cancer patients every day, working closely with our cutting-edge researchers and expediting the latest possible evidence into patient care.

"Researchers in turn will be able to hear first hand from doctors and nurses the issues that need to be addressed to improve outcomes at the treatment table," Mrs Skinner said.

Professor Jill Trewhella, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Sydney welcomed the announcement. "This is a terrific outcome for us and recognition of the great strength in cancer research across the University of Sydney," she said.

"By leading two of the new Translational Cancer Research Centres, one at Westmead and another at Camperdown, we will deliver the breadth and depth of translational clinical research needed to improve care and outcomes for cancer sufferers in NSW and beyond."

Each centre will involve collaborations with a number of partners, including the Westmead Millennium Institute, the Melanoma Institute Australia, the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse at Royal Prince Alfred and the Kinghorn Cancer Centre at the Garvan Institute.

Additionally, University of Sydney researchers at the Kolling Institute at Royal North Shore Hospital will lead a new Translational Cancer Research Unit, while others will partner with the Children's Medical Research Institute at Westmead and contribute to the Children's Translational Cancer Research Centre.

The University of Sydney-led research hubs and related projects will receive approximately $15.5 million in NSW government funding, with the University contributing additional funds. Two new Chairs of Translational Cancer Research will also be established at the University of Sydney to provide overall leadership and strategy for cancer research.

"To ensure our researchers capitalise on this visionary change in the NSW cancer research landscape, led by the Cancer Institute NSW, the University will make a substantial strategic contribution to these centres from our Cancer Research Fund," said Professor Trewhella.

"In all we will be investing over $1 million in 2012 in the four centres, with funding continuing for the life of the centres, supporting the recruitment of key researchers to our translational cancer research efforts."

Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Institute NSW Professor David Currow said the program marks an exciting time to be working in cancer research in NSW.

"Think of what can be achieved by getting our best and brightest medical and research minds working together," Professor Currow said.

"We know that it can take some time for scientific breakthroughs to be taken up into routine practice across the health system. This program will speed this process up, helping us to save even more lives."

Key new research hubs

Nurses contribute to cancer research

27 May 2011

A Cancer Nursing Research Unit has been launched acknowledging the central role of specialist cancer nurses in the delivery of quality cancer services in New South Wales.

The unit is an innovative collaboration between Sydney Nursing School at the University of Sydney, the Cancer Institute of New South Wales and the Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. It combines Sydney Nursing School's strength in cancer and palliative care research and the Sydney Cancer Centre's excellence in clinical cancer care to develop and support cancer nursing clinicians across NSW.

Professor Kate White, Professor of Cancer Nursing said:

"With the number of cases of cancer continuing to grow, the Cancer Nursing Research Unit will help meet the needs of people in NSW by expanding the contribution of cancer nurses to quality cancer services, including the extended role of nurses in both clinical and community sectors."

Professor Kate White's appointment as Professor of Cancer Nursing is NSW's first Academic Chair in Cancer Nursing and is funded by the Cancer Institute NSW. Under her leadership the Cancer Nursing Research Unit provides support in areas of cancer nursing research, education, models of service provision and is working to optimise state-wide cancer nursing services.

"Specialist cancer nurses have a central role in the delivery of quality cancer services. In NSW, where there are over 2000 cancer and palliative care nurses, they are the largest professional group involved in cancer care. They have high level expertise in coordinating, supporting and managing the patient through diagnosis, treatment and recovery in both acute care and community settings. Their specialised knowledge enables them to provide better care which ultimately improves patient outcomes," Professor White said.

The Cancer Nursing Research Unit launch will showcase research being led by both cancer nurses and the Sydney Nursing School across NSW, including:
improving the delivery of care for patients with head and neck cancer

improving nutrition care for women after gynaecological cancer

fast-track surgery for women with gynaecological cancer

information resources on breast reconstruction for women after breast cancer.
These research studies demonstrate the important role of cancer nurses in supporting their patients and their role in decision making about future trends in treatment, patient care and disease prevention.

The Cancer Nursing Research Unit will be launched by Professor David Currow, Chief Cancer Officer and Chief Executive Officer, Cancer Institute NSW, and Professor Jill White AM, Dean of Sydney Nursing School at the University of Sydney.

Media enquiries: Judith Kingston, 93510657, 0414 574 536 judith.kingston@sydney.edu.au
Victoria Hollick, 0401 711 361, 9351 2579,

New cancer study finds benefit in old therapy

26 May 2011

Cancer patients who used a 5000-year-old combination of gentle exercise and meditation experienced significantly higher wellbeing levels, improved cognitive functioning and less inflammation compared to a control group, new University of Sydney research has found.

Dr Byeongsang Oh, a clinical senior lecturer at the Sydney Medical School who led the study, said the reduced inflammation in patients who practised medical Qigong, a form of traditional Chinese medicine, was particularly significant.

"Several studies have indicated chronic inflammation is associated with cancer incidence, progression and even survival," says Dr Oh, who will present his findings to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago next week.

"Patients who practiced medical Qigong experienced significant improvements in quality of life, including greater physical, functional, social and emotional wellbeing, and enhanced cognitive functioning, while the control group deteriorated in all of these areas," Dr Oh says.

He also found the patients in the medical Qigong group reported increased satisfaction with their sex lives.
The study involved 162 patients, with those assigned to the medical Qigong group undertaking a ten-week program of two supervised 90-minute sessions per week. They were also encouraged to practise at home every day for at least half an hour.

The mean age of participants in this study was 60, with ages ranging from 31 to 86 years. The most common primary cancer diagnosis among participants was breast cancer (34 percent) followed by colorectal cancer (12 percent).

When the study began there were no significant differences in measurements of quality of life, fatigue, mood status and inflammation between the intervention and control groups.

"To our knowledge, our study is the first statistically significant, randomised controlled trial to measure the impact of medical Qigong in patients with cancer," Dr Oh says.

Interview contact: Dr Oh is available for interviews until he leaves for the ASCO on Saturday 28 May. Contact him on 0438 135 677 or byeong.oh@sydney.edu.au

Media enquiries: Kath Kenny, 0478 303 173, 9351 1584, kath.kenny@sydney.edu.au

Several cancers underrepresented in clinical trials

18 April 2011

Several cancers with a high burden of disease are not receiving the clinical trial investment they require, according to a University of Sydney study published this week in the Medical Journal of Australia.

"Four of the five cancers that result in the greatest burden of disease had relatively few clinical trials: lung, colorectal, prostate and pancreatic cancers," said Dr Rachel Dear, a medical oncologist and PhD candidate at the University of Sydney.

Dr Dear and her coauthors explored the association between cancer clinical trial activity, burden of disease and sponsorship sources.

"We found that the number of trials for each cancer type did not always match the burden of disease caused by that cancer, thereby identifying gaps in cancer trials research," Dr Dear said.

Of 386 interventional cancer trials open to recruitment in Australia, breast cancer accounted for 62 trials. Yet only 24 trials were being conducted on lung cancer, despite it being responsible for the greatest burden of disease.

Dr Dear found that industry sponsorship is more likely for randomised controlled trials that investigate systemic therapies (drugs or biological agents) for patients with advanced cancers.

"Clinical trial registries are a largely untapped resource to describe the clinical research landscape and guide future trial activity," she said.

In an accompanying editorial, Professor Ian Olver of the Cancer Council Australia, said the study reflected the international situation, where investment in trials for specific cancer types does not correlate with the disease burden caused by those cancers.

Data from clinical trial registries have many applications. Clinicians and patients can search for trial options for specific conditions when standard treatments have been exhausted, or where no effective treatment exists, Professor Olver said.

"Data from clinical trial registries should be used to monitor the progress of such efforts to ensure Australia has a robust clinical trial capability."

Interview contacts: Dr Rachel Dear 0416 112 539 and Professor Ian Olver 0409 220 026

Media enquiries: Victoria Hollick, 0401 711 361, 9351 2579, victoria.hollick@sydney.edu.au
Kath Kenny, 0478 303 173, 9351 1584,

Indigenous quit smoking program trains 1000

14 April 2011

A University of Sydney program aimed at cutting high smoking rates in Aboriginal communities has trained its one thousandth health worker.

The program, called SmokeCheck, was launched in 2007 and is funded jointly by the NSW Department of Health and the Cancer Institute NSW. It has now trained 1000 Aboriginal health workers and health practitioners across NSW.

"The SmokeCheck program aims to train all NSW Aboriginal health workers and other health professionals who provide care for Aboriginal people to encourage their clients who smoke to quit," says Luciana Massi, SmokeCheck's senior trainer.

"It's really exciting to reach such a significant milestone. Smoking is contributing to the high mortality rates of Aboriginal people and is a major contributor to serious illness such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes," Ms Massi said.

Sandra Wallace, the one thousandth trainee, is an Aboriginal Health Education officer in inner Sydney. Sandra is also a current student at the University of Sydney studying the Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Health Promotion.

The smoking rate among Aboriginal Australians is almost double that of non-Aboriginal people, although there have been reductions rates of smoking among Aboriginal people over the past decade.

The 2006-2009 Report on Adult Aboriginal Health found that 33.9 percent of Aboriginal adults in NSW are current smokers, compared to 17.2 percent of the general population. This shows a significant decrease from the 2002-2005 report's findings, which indicated more than four in every 10 (43.2 percent) Aboriginal adults were current smokers.

SmokeCheck, as a leading evidence-based brief intervention smoking cessation program designed specifically for Aboriginal people, is in a unique position to continue contributing to a fall in smoking rates in Aboriginal communities in NSW.

Ms Massi explains: "Each time a client comes to the health service they may not have thought about giving up, but the SmokeCheck intervention encourages them to think about why they smoke."

"The health worker then uses the culturally specific resources to support their client in quitting and the conversation can be revisited at future visits," says Ms Massi.

Reducing the high rates of tobacco smoking among the Aboriginal population will help to close the 17-year life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.

For registration or further information about SmokeCheck workshops, visit the SmokeCheck website, call 9351 5129 or email smokecheck@sydney.edu.au

Media enquiries: Kath Kenny, 0478 303 173, 9351 1584, kath.kenny@sydney.edu.au
Victoria Hollick, 0401 711 361, 9351 2579, victoria.hollick@sydney.edu.au

Cooperation in cancer research

13 April 2011

A theory of cell cooperation in cancer has earned two University of Sydney researchers a 2011 Human Frontiers of Science Program Grant.

Dr Guy Lyons from Sydney Medical School has proposed a theory of cell cooperation in cancer where two or more mutant clones interact to enhance each other's growth and survival and together make up malignant tissue.

Along with Associate Professor Mary Myerscough from the University of Sydney's School of Mathematics and Statistics and Dr Silvio Gutkind of the National Institutes of Health, USA, Dr Lyons will work to identify mutations in microscopic parts of human tumours and use new types of genetically engineered mice to determine how often tumours arise from two or more clones.

Dr Lyons says cancers occur when key genes in cells become mutated, often as a result of exposure to carcinogenic chemicals or radiation.

"The cancer-causing mutations enable those cells to proliferate out of control, forming a tumour, and to spread through the patient's body where they can form secondary tumours."

Conventional theory says that several mutations accumulate over time in a single lineage, or "clone" of cells, which has all of the mutations necessary to be cancerous.

"But research over many years has shown that often more than one clone persists in cancers, and the different clones have different mutations. If more than one clone persists, why should only one be active? And if more than one is active, how do they interact?" states Dr Lyons.

"Clones from multi-clone tumours can be separated, grown in flasks and then recombined to find what characteristics produce strong cooperation between clones that leads to malignancy," he suggests.

The group will also use computer simulation models of cancer to explore how cancers behave and how they will respond to therapy. The outcome will be a new genetic paradigm for cancer that could revolutionise cancer research and therapy.

The Human Frontiers of Science program encourages interdisciplinary and international collaborative research in innovative science.

Media enquiries: Victoria Hollick, 0401 711 361, 9351 2579, victoria.hollick@sydney.edu.au
Kath Kenny, 0478 303 173, 9351 1584,

Fear and poor information increase cervical cancer risks

28 March 2011

Some girls are missing out on the vaccination that helps protect against cervical cancer because of fears related to the vaccination process, a study by researchers at the University of Sydney and the Children's Hospital at Westmead has found.

In the study, carried out at nine Sydney metropolitan schools and published in the current edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, researchers found many schoolgirls showed high levels of fear and anxiety when offered HPV vaccine (Gardasil).

Principal investigator Associate Professor Rachel Skinner said: "Sometimes this fear was so extreme it bordered on hysteria, with girls crying, screaming and fainting. When this intense fear was witnessed by girls waiting to be vaccinated, the girls' anxiety levels was heightened.

"Nurses had difficulty administering the vaccine to these girls, and this sometimes resulted in the girl not being vaccinated, despite their parents consenting to the vaccination," said Associate Professor Skinner.
Associate Professor Skinner said she and her team were surprised to find vaccination fear was so common. "We observed vaccination days in three schools and interviewed 130 girls who had been offered the vaccine, as well as 38 parents, seven nurses and 10 teachers. The girls' fear was the most prominent finding in our interview and observation data.

"One of the girls we interviewed said: 'We saw these two people [girls]... like pouring their eyes out and so our class got, like, freaked out... Like, 'are we going to get hurt?' So we were all, like, really scared and everyone was crying and getting all nervous'."

The girls' fear and anxiety was related to a lack of understanding about what the vaccine was, how it was administered, its risks and benefits, the researchers found.

"Our research shows few parents actually discuss the vaccine with their daughters, and teachers are ill-equipped to answer girls' questions," Associate Professor Skinner said. "Also, nurses are not able to educate girls about the vaccine because of time constraints during mass school vaccination."

She added: "Any young person who is offered the HPV vaccine should know what the vaccine is, what it protects against, its strengths and limitations. They may only be 12 or 13 years old but they can participate in looking after their own health.

"Our study has shown withholding information from young adolescents offered the HPV vaccine is not only undesirable, it appears to interfere with the efficiency of the vaccination process in schools."

Associate Professor Skinner and colleagues are currently developing an HPV vaccine educational resource for young adolescents for use by both schools and parents to address this important health issue. Her team will be presenting some of these tools to the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Conference in Seattle this coming week.

Interview contacts: Associate Professor Rachel Skinner, 0418 146 631

Media enquiries: Victoria Hollick, 0401 711 361, 9351 2579, victoria.hollick@sydney.edu.au
Kath Kenny, 0478 303 173, 9351 1584,

Australian Academy of Science fellowships

25 March 2011

Three University of Sydney academics were recognised as among Australia's leading scientists this week when they were admitted as Fellows into the prestigious Australian Academy of Science.

The trio, including the Dean of the Faculty of Science Professor Trevor Hambley, Professor Thomas Maschmeyer, and physicist, Professor Ross McPhedran, were acknowledged by their peers for their career achievements and their contribution to the advancement of the world's scientific knowledge.

They joined an elite group of 17 Australian scientists whose body of work covers a range of specialities including, nuclear fusion, quantitative genetics with applications in agriculture, sperm function, the ecology and evolution of microorganisms, and advances in wave science with applications in optical fibres and photonic crystals.

The Australian Academy of Science elects only a limited number of Fellows annually from among the nation's best scientific researchers.

The Academy's policies and procedures are developed to ensure that the new Fellows have made extremely significant and often seminal contributions to scientific knowledge in their fields of research.

Professor Trevor Hambley, School of Chemistry, was recognised for his distinguished work in bioinorganic chemistry, crystallography and molecular mechanics, including multidisciplinary research on metal anti-cancer drugs.

Professor Thomas Maschmeyer, also from the School of Chemistry, was selected for his work on materials and catalysis with applications in pharmaceuticals, process intensification and biofuels.

Wave science earned Professor Ross McPhedran his position as an Academy fellow. Professor McPhedran's work has led to improved performance in micro structured optical fibres, diffraction gratings and photonic crystals.

Media enquiries: Victoria Hollick, 9351 2579, 0401 711 361, victoria.hollick@sydney.edu.au

Do pre-conceived expectations impact on doctor analysis of X-rays?

23 March 2011

Scientists have long suspected that clinicians' ability to read X-rays can be skewed according to what they expect to find, but a University of Sydney study published this month in the international journal Radiology did not find evidence to support this theory.

Lead author Warren Reed from the Faculty of Health Sciences put 22 highly experienced radiologists from the American Board of Radiologists to the test by studying the impact of prevalence expectation on the ability of the radiologists to detect pulmonary nodular lesions, or lung cancer.

The 22 radiologists were divided into three groups and given an identical set of 30 chest X-rays to examine. Researchers tested whether accuracy rates improved or declined if the groups of radiologists were given different information about the number of cancer nodules present in the X-rays, thus altering their expectations about what to find.

The findings of the study show that there was no significant change in the number of cancer nodules that observers noticed after being given a prior expectation. However the study found significant increases in eye movements that demonstrate that efficiency decreases at higher prevalence expectations rates.

"What tended to change was the way they looked at the images," Dr Reed said.

"This is an important finding as it could lead to extra fatigue which is detrimental to performance of radiologists, especially during long reporting sessions," Dr Reed said. "It was quite a revelation. You'd assume that a radiologist would sit down and look at things in the same way, time and time again."

The study is of particular importance to those interested in studying the relationship between observer process and observer accuracy under laboratory and clinical conditions.

Dr Reed is a member of the Image Optimisation and Perception Group in the Faculty of Health Sciences, which researches image perception and interpretation of medical imaging. Biological imaging is a fundamental component of health care systems and laboratory research. In the wake of major technological advancements the area is undergoing unprecedented change whereby imaging techniques, along with analytical tools, are being developed to display biological tissues and processes in new ways.

Media enquiries: Jacqueline Chowns, 9036 5404, 0434 605 018,

Cervical cancer vaccine causing confusion

14 March 2011

The public 'recruitment' campaign promoting the new cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil has done little to educate adolescent girls about the cause of the cancer, University of Sydney researchers Kellie Burns and Kate Russell have found.

Dr Burns and Dr Russell, both lecturers in health education in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, have followed the rollout of the vaccine in two girls' schools over the last 12 months.

They found a significant lack of understanding among high school girls and their parents about the causes of cervical cancer, and that the campaign had missed an opportunity to properly inform girls about preventative sexual health.

Dr Burns said that "the key information missing in the pamphlets and the advertising is about human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes the cancer. The girls receiving the inoculation are also ill informed about HPV's link to sexual activity or health."

The vaccine is voluntary in Australia, and while this gives individuals choice and control over their health decisions, Dr Burns said that "choice without information is the problem."

Dr Burns and Dr Russell support the vaccination program, but believe young women and their parents need to have all the available information, including discussions of the possible risks and side effects, to make their decisions. Without this the effectiveness of the program's aims is compromised and the importance of ongoing cervical screening, supported by research, could be overlooked.

The study looked at the students' knowledge about the spread and nature of HPV. Dr Burns said: "The girls knew very little, but had plenty of questions; they hadn't talked much about it."

"The parents in particular were trusting the school to provide information without knowing what advice their daughters were getting.

"The schools were very supportive of the vaccine program and we found that some teachers included the HPV vaccine in their health education classes, an ideal environment for these discussions to take place in. Other teachers were less inclined to discuss it."

"What we've been getting back from principals is that there is no difference in terms of how the school is involved in the rollout with the cervical cancer vaccine compared to, for example the hepatitis B or chickenpox vaccines," Dr Burns said. "They want to maintain the sense of normalcy around the vaccine."

"That is a positive message for normalising a program that relates to sexual health but the negative side is that an opportunity for students to learn about HPV and its relationship, not only to cervical cancer but to broad sexual health practices, is being missed."

Media enquiries: Verity Leatherdale, 0419 278 715, 9351 4312, verity.leatherdale@sydney.edu.au

Mammograms catch second breast cancers early

23 February 2011

The results of a cohort study of women with a personal history of breast cancer published in this week's Journal of American Medical Association highlights the need for mammograms in women with a history of the cancer.

Describing the research project as the most comprehensive study of its kind, the authors reported that the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) study examined 58,870 screening mammograms in 19,078 women who had had early-stage breast cancer. An equal number of screening mammograms in 55,315 women who had no such history and were matched for breast density, age, BCSC registry, and year of mammography, was simultaneously investigated.

Nehmat Houssami, Associate Professor at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health, said the study found that women with a personal history of breast cancer had double the cancer rates as those with no such history.
"More women are surviving longer after having early-stage breast cancer, but they are at risk of developing breast cancer again, a recurrence, or a new cancer," she said.

"The comprehensive data from the BCSC made it possible for us to carefully examine the outcomes of screening for both the previously affected breast, as well as the opposite breast, at a population level," Dr Houssami said.

"This is the first study in the world, to our knowledge, to provide a complete picture of the expected outcomes of mammography screening for women with a personal history of breast cancer."
"Mammography was effective at finding cancers early in women who had had cancer, but not quite as effective as in those who had not," Dr Houssami said. "We found that both false positives and 'interval cancers' were higher, and mammography was not as sensitive at detecting invasive breast cancer, in women with a personal history of breast cancer."

False positives mean that a mammogram suggests a breast cancer may be present, but after further testing it turns out not to be. Interval cancers are breast cancers that were not detected on screening mammography and are found between mammography screens, prompted by either breast symptoms or additional testing.

"Because of the risk of interval cancers, it's important that women seek medical care for any breast changes or concerns between mammograms," said Dr Houssami's collaborator Diana Miglioretti, PhD, a senior investigator. "The good news is that most of the breast cancers detected in breast cancer survivors between mammography screens were early stage."

The National Cancer Institute-funded BCSC cooperative agreement, and Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council funding of the Screening and Test Evaluation Program, supported this research. Data collection was supported in part by several US state public health departments and cancer registries.

Interview contact: Associate Professor Nehmat Houssami, 0419 273 510, nehmath@health.usyd.edu.au

Media enquiries: Kath Kenny, 0478 303 173, 9351 1584,
Victoria Hollick, 0401 711 361, 9351 2579,

New research makes compelling case for bowel cancer screening program

21 February 2011

New international research published in the Medical Journal of Australia today shows the Federal Government could give all Australians aged 50 to 74 access to a life-saving bowel cancer test for as little as $80 million in net annual costs as health system savings accrue.

Cancer Council Australia said the findings, from academics at the University of North Carolina and the University of Sydney, made a compelling case for expanding the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program - which was winding down as the Government considered its future.

"The findings support the single message in Cancer Council Australia's pre-budget submission to Treasury: that expanding the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is the best investment available to the Australian Government for reducing cancer deaths in the short and long term," CEO Professor Ian Olver said.

"We will know on budget night whether the Government is prepared to make the investment this year - or whether more lives will be lost while program expansion is delayed."

Professor Olver said the estimated gross cost of $150 million for the program was comparable to the breast and cervical screening programs, both of which Cancer Council supported. "Yet bowel cancer is killing 1200 more Australians each year than breast and cervical cancers combined - why should people with bowel cancer miss out on a life-saving test?"

Study co-author Kathy Flitcroft, from the University of Sydney, said the annual $150 million outlay would decrease as cost offsets accrued, incidence reduced and people were diagnosed earlier, thus reducing hospital expenditure which accounted for most of Australia's escalating bowel cancer bill.

"Over time, we estimate net annual costs of an expanded program would be adjusted to around $80 million - only $50 million more than the Government is paying now for one-off testing of only three age groups," Ms Flitcroft said.

Lead author Professor Mike Pignone, from the University of North Carolina, said he hoped the study would help persuade the Australian Government to expand the program.

"The health system in Australia is well-regarded internationally, so it's anomalous that such a beneficial program, in terms of both health outcomes and cost-effectiveness, faces an uncertain future," Professor Pignone said.

Professor Olver said the study estimated up to 500 lives each year would be saved by an expanded program, however this was based on conservative participation rates. "If the program was properly promoted, participation would be expected to increase, with the potential to save up to 1000 lives a year - a greater mortality benefit than the breast and cervical cancer screening programs combined."

Interview contact: Ms Kathy Flitcroft, 0433 455 121, 9351 8062,

Media enquiries:
Kath Kenny, University of Sydney, 0478 303 173, 9351 1584,
Victoria Hollick, University of Sydney, 0401 711 361, 9351 2579,
Kate Dorrell, Cancer Council Australia, 0404 691 838,

World-first system helps researchers detect and analyse rare cells

25 November 2010

A world-first research system launched yesterday at the Centenary Institute will give medical researchers in Australia a new weapon in the fight against cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

The new BD LSR-9 Flow Cytometer has nine lasers and is the first user-operated flow cytometer with unprecedented ability to detect and analyse rare cells.

The BD LSR9 Flow Cytometer is housed at the Centenary Institute as part of the Advanced Cytometry Facility (ACF), a joint venture run by the Centenary Institute, the University of Sydney and the Bosch Institute.

Advanced Cytometry Facility Academic Director Professor Nick King said: "Currently, a researcher may have to run a sample of cells two or three times using complex labelling systems to analyse all the unique characteristics of a cell. This makes it very difficult to detect rare cell populations. It's like a detective at a crime scene gathering two or three sets of partial fingerprints then having to cobble them together to get a complete fingerprint.

"The extra lasers on the LSR-9 Flow Cytometer will give researchers a greater range of labels to analyse cells so they will only have to run one sample. By generating the complete 'fingerprint' from one sample, researchers can make more accurate and direct measurements of cell populations. This means we can use less material, which is important when using patient samples, and we can make direct links rather than inferring relationships from incomplete, partial samples."

Funding for the $1 million BD LSR9 Flow Cytometer and related systems was provided by the Australian Research Council (ARC), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the University of Sydney, University of New South Wales and the Centenary Institute.

University of Sydney Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Jill Trewhella said: "This significant funding is a major investment in world-leading technology to support Australian researchers. Most high end flow cytometers currently have four to five lasers so the new flow cytometer with nine lasers is a major step forward that will provide local researchers with greater ability to identify the unique characteristics of rare disease-causing cells."

Centenary Institute Head of T Cell Biology Professor Barbara Fazekas de St Groth explained how the new system could significantly reduce the time and samples required for advancing key medical research projects.

Professor Fazekas de St Groth said: "The new flow cytometer will make a huge difference to our studies of the rare regulatory T cells that protect against allergic, autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases. We can now obtain more information from a single analysis of circulating white blood cells than we could previously from multiple analyses requiring over 10-times more sample material. This will speed up the pace of research into this crucial cause of chronic disease in our community."

Media enquiries: Tanya Sarina, Centenary Institute, 9565 6228, 0431 029 215, t.sarina@centenary.org.au

Researchers discover tough new treatment to overpower drug resistance in ovarian cancer

16 November 2010

Drug-resistance is a major obstacle in curing ovarian cancer but new research from the Centenary Institute has discovered a treatment that kills ovarian cancer cells in a new way that can break the resistance mechanism. Published today in Autophagy, the researchers found the drug (FTY720) had a potent effect in human ovarian cancer cells, even in those resistant to cisplatin, the most commonly used chemotherapeutic drug currently available for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Centenary Institute Signal Transduction Head Associate Professor Pu Xia described the findings as a breakthrough in ovarian cancer treatment because, FTY720 kills ovarian cancer cells through a unique way different to the current anti-cancer drugs. Current treatments, such as cisplatin, kill ovarian cancer cells through a way of programming cell death known as apoptosis but this is often reversible or demolished by cancer cells. However, FTY720 kills cells through an irreversible process known as necrosis so the cancer cells cannot resist, repair and relapse.

Each year, around 800 Australian women die from ovarian cancer1, and ovarian cancer remains the leading cause of death in women with gynaecological malignancies over the world.

Dr Xia said: “One of the major reasons for such a poor outcome of ovarian cancer is that the cancer cells have an ability to resist the current chemotherapeutic drugs through a protective shield, which occurs naturally or as a response to the treatment, and this survives the cancer from the treatment. Such a protective shield, uncovered by the findings from the Xia laboratory, is built, at least partially, on a catabolic process, called autophagy, by which cells eat their own non-vital components for survival under stress conditions such as starvation or chemotherapy. Remarkably, despite this survival process being activated by ovarian cancer cells during the treatment, FTY720 is still capable of killing them effectively.

While this research is a major first step toward developing a more effective treatment for ovarian cancer, the researchers claim more pre-clinical and clinical trials are needed before the drug might be used in women with ovarian cancer. However, the researchers are optimistic that the treatment would be available as a new chemotherapeutic agent within the next several years, because this drug has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and is also used in multiple clinical trials for the prevention of organ transplant rejection and the treatment of various autoimmune diseases. Recent studies have also shown anti-tumour efficacy in several types of cancers but this is the first time it has been studied for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Paula Benson, Chair of Ovarian Cancer Australia said, “Ovarian Cancer Australia is always enthusiastic to support research developments which are focused on improving the treatment of ovarian cancer, and we welcome the Centenary Institute’s research.

“Whilst pre-clinical and clinical trials are needed before the drug might be used to treat women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and seen to have an impact on the disease, this is a very interesting and positive study.”

This research was made possible by a Research Fellowship from the Cancer Institute New South Wales to Associate Professor Xia. The project also received support from the National Health and Medical Research Council and Science and Technology Council of ShanghaiMunicipality.

1. Ovarian Cancer Australia.

Media Contact: Tanya Sarina, Communications Manager at the Centenary Institute
p: 02 9565 6228
m: 0431 029 215
e: t.sarina@centenary.org.au

About the Centenary Institute: The Centenary Institute is an independent medical research institute, affiliated with Royal PrinceAlfredHospital and the University of Sydney. Our blend of highly skilled staff and state-of-the art equipment and facilities has allowed us to become world leaders in three critical areas of medical research – cancer, cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases. For more information, visit www.centenary.org.au

Researchers improve understanding of benefits and harms of bowel cancer screening

28 October 2010

University of Sydney researchers have extended the range of information available on the benefits and harms of bowel cancer screening in order to give Australians an opportunity to make an informed choice about bowel cancer screening, using the faecal occult blood test.

The findings of their randomised trial are published in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal.

In their trial, the authors investigated whether a decision aid (presenting information about the benefits and harms of bowel cancer screening) helped people with lower levels of education to make an informed choice about cancer screening, compared to information currently used in the Australian Government National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

The trial showed that the decision aid significantly improved people's understanding about the possible outcomes of bowel cancer screening, including the number of deaths prevented by screening.

It also increased the proportion of people who made an informed choice about screening by 22 percent, from 12 percent in participants who received the government screening information to 34 percent in the decision aid group.

Telling people about the harms or limitations of screening did not increase people's anxiety, but it did make them feel less positive about screening and reduced uptake of the screening test by 16 percent.
Lead author, Dr Sian Smith, from the Screening and Diagnostic Test Evaluation Program in the Sydney School of Public Health, said that there was now a strong case to give people an opportunity to make an informed choice about screening and to better inform them about the potential harms or drawbacks of screening, including the chance of having a false alarm, and the possibility of going through unnecessary follow up testing and missing cancers.

"However, at the moment, people may not be given this kind of information when they are invited to undergo screening and knowledge and understanding of the potential downsides of screening, particularly bowel screening, in the community is limited," she said.

"Our study has shown that it is possible to develop and design information to help adults with lower education and literacy to make informed decisions about their health. This is important because these groups in the community generally have poorer levels of knowledge and understanding about disease and prevention and appear less confident in expressing their views and participating in decisions about their health.

"While there may be concern that people who read the decision aid were less likely to do the screening test, there should perhaps be cause for greater concern for those participants who made an uninformed choice about doing the screening test because they may have unrealistic expectations about the possible outcomes of the screening test.

"At the same time, we are aware that not everyone will want to read all the information to make an informed choice and instead prefer to talk a health professional and follow their recommendation. This is equally fine. However, if people want to make an informed choice about screening, we feel it is important that information is available and presented in a clear and accessible so that a wide range of people in the community can use it, regardless of their level of education and literacy."

Media interviews
Paper lead author: Dr Sian Smith, 9351 7186,
Paper co-author and GP: Associate Professor Lyndal Trevena, 9351 7788, [[mailto: lyndal.trevena@sydney.edu.au||lyndal.trevena@sydney.edu.au
Paper co-author and behavioural psychologist: Dr Kirsten McCaffery, 9315 7220, kirsten.mccaffery@sydney.edu.au

Media enquiries: Rachel Gleeson, 0403 067 342, 9351 4312, rachel.gleeson@sydney.edu.au

Bright young scientists recognised

15 October 2010

Can early intervention programs for dementia risk factors help prevent the disease? Did India really move across the planet in the way we thought? How can we use organic chemistry to tackle tuberculosis and cancer?

Three young University of Sydney scientists striving to find out have been recognised for their research pursuits in the Young Tall Poppy Science Awards, presented at the Powerhouse Museum last night.
The prestigious annual Young Tall Poppy Science Awards recognise achievements of Australia's young scientific researchers and communicators. Initiated to encourage more young people to engage with science, award winners become ambassadors for science for twelve months through promotional activities with school students, teachers and the broader community.

In presenting the awards NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research Jodi McKay said the NSW Government recognises the importance of investing in talented and hard working young scientists trained in NSW universities as well as nurturing our next generation of scientists.

"I am sure this year's winners will continue to achieve great things and will further contribute to science in Australia and internationally," Ms McKay said.

The three University of Sydney scientists recognised for their groundbreaking research in the prestigious 2010 NSW Young Tall Poppy Science Awards.are:

Associate Professor Sharon Naismith, Brain and Mind Research Institute
Associate Professor Naismith's research has shown that some risk factors for dementia can be treated, including health and lifestyle factors. She is currently working on early intervention programs to treat these factors.

"It is a great Honour to have received a Young Tall Poppy award and especially significant given the difficulties young people face when embarking upon a clinical research career," she said.
"The awards have highlighted the excellent research young people are undertaking, particularly in the brain and mind sciences.

"My own research has been focused on the many modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline in older adults. This body of work has highlighted the integral role of depression, cardiovascular disease, sleep disturbance, dietary and lifestyle factors for healthy brain ageing.

"More recently, I have focused my efforts on testing the efficacy of interventions such as cognitive training for older people 'at risk' of dementia as well as those with Parkinson's Disease.

"As a young researcher, I am extremely privileged to be part of the Brain and Mind Research Institute, which enables me to interact with a variety of clinicians and scientists and to incorporate sophisticated brain imaging and sleep-related technologies into my research.

"The Tall Poppy awards further highlight the need to ensure that our research is translated into clinical practice and communicated to the wider community."

Dr Joanne Whittaker, School of Geosciences
Dr Whittaker's current research involves developing a new plate tectonics model to more accurately reconstruct India's motion through time. It is hoped her models will be a key input into palaeo-climate models used to reproduce key global climatic periods.

Plate tectonics are an important driver of long-term sea level and climate change, including the global CO2 cycle.

"I'm over the moon about being a 2010 Young Tall Poppy. Being only 5'2" it is probably the first (and possibly only) time in my life that I've been called tall!" she said.
"I am definitely looking forward to participating in the Young Tall Poppy program of communication events through 2010-11.

"I have participated in some outreach activities before, such as Science in the City, but the Young Tall Poppy program will be a great opportunity to get a lot more practice at communicating all the exciting things we are working on in the School of Geosciences to the broader community and also to reach a lot more people."

Dr Richard Payne, School of Chemistry
Dr Richard Payne is focused on using organic chemistry to discover new therapeutics for the treatment of a number of diseases including tuberculosis (TB) and cancer. He has designed molecules which bind with and block proteins that TB needs to survive, making them possible new TB drug candidates.

Dr Payne has also been involved in the cataloguing of molecules which appear on the surface of cancer cells but not normal cells; these could allow the immune system to attack the cancer cells.

"I am honoured to be a recipient of a NSW Young Tall Poppy Award. It is a great feeling to be recognised for both my research and community work," said Dr Payne.

"I am looking forward to contributing to the Young Tall Poppy Program of Communication. This is particularly special for me next year as it is the International Year of Chemistry and I am already starting to plan for various events. My previous community events have involved giving special interactive lectures to high school students and I've also appeared on the ABC TV show Catalyst about my research into the development of new TB drugs."

Media enquiries: Rachel Gleeson, 0403 067 342, 9351 4312, rachel.gleeson@sydney.edu.au

Fulbright scholar begins health study

2 September 2010

Aisha Harun, a medical student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, will spend the next year at the University of Sydney on a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship, carrying out research into the interaction between multiculturalism and health outcomes in Australia.

"I plan on taking courses at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health and participating in a research project at the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe)," she said. "The goal of my project with SOuRCe will be to identify the unmet needs for supportive care for Australian colorectal cancer patients.

"I will help SOuRCe study the possible barriers to including cancer patients from multicultural backgrounds in a clinical trial of supportive care interventions."

Aisha said her participation in the research project with SOuRCe would provide her with a unique opportunity to gain skills in evolving clinical research methodology that she can apply to her future medical practice.

Aisha chose Australia because of its long history of immigration and diversity. She will draw on her own experiences as a Muslim African-American woman, and contrast those with the experiences of other individuals living in a diverse society.

She has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Biology (Neurobiology) and has won various awards and grants including the Dean's Distinguished Senior Honors Student Award, the NIH Supplement Grant to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. She also has extensive experience as a volunteer in health and multicultural activities.

The Fulbright program is the largest educational scholarship of its kind, created by US Senator J. William Fulbright and the U.S. Government in 1946. Aimed at promoting mutual understanding through educational exchange, it operates between the U.S. and 155 countries. In Australia, the scholarships are funded by the Australian and U.S. Governments and corporate partners and administered by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission in Canberra.

Aisha is one of 20 American students to be recognised as a Fulbright Scholar in 2010. She will be joined at Sydney next February by Marissa Brookes, a political science student from Northwestern University, who will be researching the causes of success and failure of transnational alliances led by Australian trade unions.

Contact: Richard North
Phone: 02 9351 3191

Australian study finds sunbeds greatly increase the risk of melanoma

A landmark Australian study has found that use of sunbeds by young people aged 18 to 39 years increased their risk of developing melanoma by an average 41 percent.

The Australian Melanoma Family Study is the first to examine the use of sunbeds and melanoma in younger adults.

The findings are the result of a research collaboration between the University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, Westmead Institute of Cancer Research, Melanoma Institute Australia, Cancer Council Victoria and Cancer Council Queensland.

Co-author Professor Bruce Armstrong from the Sydney Medical School, said the study found that 23 percent of participants who had melanoma reported using a sunbed.

"Compared with participants who had never used a sunbed, those who had done so were 41 percent more likely to develop melanoma," he said.

"Those who had used a sunbed were much more likely to be female, tan easily, to be exposed to more sun on summer holidays during their lifetime, and to have lived in less sunny regions.

"Participants who began using sunbeds before 20 years of age or reported more than 10 sunbed sessions during their life doubled their risk of melanoma."

Senior author on the study and Melanoma Institute Australia Co-Director of Research, Professor Graham Mann said the increase in risk of melanoma was particularly striking for people under 30.

"Our findings indicate that sunbeds caused about three quarters of melanomas in sunbed users under the age of 30," he said.

"If we extrapolate to all cases of melanoma and not just those among people who had used a sunbed, we estimate that 16 percent of melanoma cases in patients aged 18-29 years and 3 percent in patients aged 30-39 years would be prevented by avoiding sunbed exposure.

"The dangers of using sunbeds are now well known, but there is a special message from this research for young people. Avoid them completely."

Media enquiries: Rachel Gleeson, 9351 4312, 0403 067 342, rachel.gleeson@sydney.edu.au

Experts urge community to get behind bowel cancer screening

5 July 2010

University of Sydney experts say around 1000 bowel cancer deaths could be prevented every year if a fully-funded, evidence-based bowel cancer screening program was implemented by the Australian Government.

The findings are reported in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA).
The latest figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveal over 13,000 new cases of bowel cancer each year and over 4000 deaths from this very preventable disease. This makes bowel cancer the second most common cancer in Australia behind prostate cancer and the second biggest cause of cancer death behind lung cancer.

Lead author and research fellow from the University of Sydney's Screening and Test Evaluation Program, Kathy Flitcroft, said an evidence-based bowel cancer screening program had the potential to save 1000 of these lives, equivalent to a full Boeing 747 plane.

"Our study published in the MJA today showed a lack of adequate funding for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program has led to it being partially implemented on the basis of what the Australian Government has decided it can afford, rather than being based on proven research evidence of how a program should be implemented in order for it to be effective," she said.

Paper co-author and Sydney GP, Associate Professor Lyndal Trevena said National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) guidelines recommended offering faecal occult blood test (FOBT) screening for bowel cancer to all people aged over 50 years of age every two years.
"But the Federal Government is currently offering once-only screening to those aged 50, 55 and 65 years old," she said.

"By not following the NHMRC guidelines, the Federal Government is offering a program that is unlikely to deliver the 25 per cent reduction in deaths from bowel cancer that a more evidence-based approach would be expected to achieve.

"Bowel cancer screening, like breast and cervical cancer screening, needs to be repeated every two years to be effective, and should be offered to the entire age range of those most at risk, not just selected ages within that age range.

"This partial program is like offering one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination to children aged two years, when in order for it to be work, it needs to be given in two doses, when children are one and four years old."

Associate Professor Trevena described bowel cancer screening as the "poor cousin" of organised screening programs in Australia.

Ms Flitcroft noted successive federal governments have not provided enough funding for it to be delivered in the way the research evidence dictates.

"The current program is certainly better than no screening at all, but it could be so much better," she said.
"We are urging the general public to get behind bowel cancer screening in order to put pressure on the Federal Government to fund it properly. This would minimise the number of people dying unnecessarily from this very preventable disease."

Media enquiries: Rachel Gleeson, 0403 067 342, 9351 4312,

Lizard reveals cancer secrets

29 June 2010

A compound produced by a pregnant lizard may provide important information on the origins and treatment of cancer in humans, according to zoologist Bridget Murphy from the School of Biological Sciences who discovered the protein, which is pivotal to the development of the lizard placenta.

"Our egg-laying ancestors probably never got cancer, but things changed when we started having live young. Embryos need an extensive network of blood vessels to allow them to grow. So do tumours. I found that the three-toed skink, which gives birth to live young, uses a particularly powerful protein to encourage the growth of blood vessels. The only other place where this protein has been found is in pre-cancerous cells grown in the laboratory," she says.

Future research on unlocking the secrets of how the protein works might well provide the basis of new therapies for cancer, and to promote wound healing or the regeneration of blood vessels in patients with heart disease. Bridget's work is being presented for the first time in public through Fresh Science, a communication boot camp for early career scientists held at the Melbourne Museum. She was one of 16 winners from across Australia.

The protein belongs to a group known as vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) which help to produce blood vessels in the uterus during pregnancy. Bridget became interested in the group as part of a study of the evolutionary origins of live birth.

"Both tumours and embryos must develop an extensive network of blood vessels which bring in oxygen and nutrients to allow them to grow," Bridget says. "And they both must avoid rejection by hiding from the immune system of their host. In fact, many researchers think that cancers have hijacked the molecular machinery that originally evolved to allow embryonic development.

"It may be that animals that give birth to live young, such as humans and some lizards, have an increased susceptibility to cancer."

Using techniques to measure which of the VEGF genes were present and active in lizards, Bridget discovered the first known natural source of VEGF111 in the three-toed skink (Saiphos equalis), a shy Australian lizard which lives underground.

Bridget Murphy is one of 16 early-career scientists presenting their research to the public for the first time thanks to Fresh Science, a national program sponsored by the Australian Government. Her challenges so far have included presenting her discoveries in verse at a Melbourne pub.

Media enquiries: Rachel Gleeson, 0403 067 342, 9351 4312,

Carcinogenic potential of mobile phone use not clear cut

17 May 2010

The most comprehensive international study to date on the association between mobile phone use and brain cancers has not shown a strong causal link between the two but research on their relationship needs to continue, Professor Bruce Armstrong from the School of Public Health says.

Professor Armstrong led Australia's contribution to the Interphone Study Group, which analysed the mobile phone use of more than 5000 brain cancer patients and a control group of similar size in 13 countries. He says the analysis - to be published in the International Journal of Epidemiology tomorrow - found there was not a strong link between mobile phone use and brain cancers but highlighted some areas of concern.

"We found patients who had used mobile phones for more than 1640 hours over their lifetime had a slightly higher incidence of glioma brain tumours, cancers which originate in the brain's glial cells," he says.

"There is some suggestion of brain tumours occurring on the side of the head that is used by a subject when on a mobile phone.

"We also found regular mobile phone users among those with tumours had a higher incidence of cancer in the temporal lobe - the part of the brain that absorbs the most electromagnetic energy from a phone - rather than other lobes of the brain.

"However, it's best not to over-interpret these results. We can't say they indicate a cause and effect relationship. What they show is the need for further and very large studies, monitoring mobile phone users over longer periods of time and with access to their mobile phone service records, providing an accurate summary of their use."

Professor Armstrong says mobile phone users concerned about potential risks can take precautions to minimise their exposure to the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones.

"Use a landline when you can, send text messages rather than make voice calls, use a hands-free capability with your phone if possible and choose a mobile phone with low emissions."

The Interphone Study Group was coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, tasked by the World Health Organisation with listing and reviewing causes of cancer.

Media inquiries: Jocelyn Prasad, 9114 0382. Out-of-hours contact 0434 609 790

Professor of Cancer Epidemiology appointed

29 April 2010

The School of Public Health has appointed Dr Jane Young as its first Professor of Cancer Epidemiology, who will establish a cancer epidemiology and cancer services research program at the University.

The appointment and research program have been made possible by a $2.75 million grant to the School of Public Health from the Cancer Institute NSW. In addition to enabling these developments at the University, the grant will facilitate a partnership in cancer epidemiology between the School of Public Health and Cancer Institute NSW.

Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of the Cancer Institute NSW, Professor David Currow said it was the first time the two organisations had directly worked together in the field of cancer epidemiology.

"The collaboration brings together the academic excellence of the University of Sydney's School of Public Health and its Faculty of Medicine's strength in cancer research, and the Cancer Institute NSW's excellent reputation and connections with international cancer research," he said.

Professor Bruce Armstrong, who prepared the School's application for the Cancer Institute NSW grant, said the appointment was an exciting step that would produce long term benefits for cancer prevention and control.

"Cancer research is providing the evidence that will drive improvement in cancer prevention and care, which, it is hoped, will make cancer a less feared disease and lead to improvements in survival and quality of life of cancer patients," he said.

Until now, the support available for cancer epidemiology in the University has been mainly smaller grants to support specific research projects or programs and grants for research scholars.

"Cancer epidemiology research is very important as it informs us regarding the impact of cancer in the community, identifies new ways for preventing cancer and can help measure and improve the quality and performance of cancer control services."

"By investing in cancer epidemiology we are keeping an eye on the future in that we can anticipate areas that will need additional focus and plan for them."

Professor Currow said improving the coordination of cancer care was a major challenge for health services.

"We need good scientific evidence about how best to configure health services so that all patients, regardless of their personal circumstances or where they live, receive the best cancer care and achieve the best outcomes possible. Dr Young's appointment will help bridge that gap."

Media inquiries: Rachel Gleeson, 0403 067 342, 9351 4312 or rachel.gleeson@sydney.edu.au

Multimillion dollar funding for melanoma research

25 February 2010

A national team of researchers led by Cancer Research Network member and University of Sydney Professor Rick Kefford has been awarded a $12.065 million National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Program Grant to continue its world-class research into the causes and treatments of melanoma.

"This is the largest single allocation of peer-reviewed funding committed by the Federal Government for research into the "Australian cancer", Professor Rick Kefford said.

"We are immensely proud to have been awarded this confidence vote - it allows us to carry the struggle forward to assist melanoma patients and their families."

The national investigation team which has been working collaboratively since 2006 includes scientists and researchers from the Westmead Millennium Institute, the Mater Hospital at North Sydney, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital at Camperdown, and the Queensland Institute for Medical Research.

The team works closely with the Melanoma Institute of Australia (MIA) the world's largest clinical service dedicated to the treatment of melanoma, treating more than 1,500 new melanoma patients annually. It maintains a repository of clinical data on melanoma and a large melanoma tissue bank.

"We are now seeing the outcome of years of painstaking research" says Professor Kefford.

"We are unlocking the molecular vulnerabilities of melanoma to targeted drug attack, and major advances have been seen using this strategy in the past 12 months, many of them at MIA and its associated hospitals."

In order to study the causes of melanoma the team has recruited large numbers of people from the community, as well as people with a strong family history of melanoma. It aims to develop a scientific basis for improved management of individuals at high risk for development and progression of melanoma.

At the same time the team aims to improve the treatment of patients with early and disseminated melanoma.

"This is an era of rapid change in the prospects of successfully treating this dangerous cancer and we are investigating the individualization of targeted treatments," Professor Kefford says.

Melanoma is the third most common cancer in Australian men and women and has a disproportionately heavy impact on productive years of life because it is the commonest cause of cancer death in younger adults.

First ever Pink Circle Award for $1million in breast cancer research

16 February 2010

The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) has awarded Sydney University's Associate Professor Sharon Kilbreath the Pink Circle Research award for exceeding the $1million mark in research funding

"On behalf of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, I'm delighted to award our first-ever Pink Circles Research Award to Associate Professor Sharon Kilbreath, in recognition of her research funding exceeding $1 million," commented NBCF CEO, Sue Murray. "Her work in the areas of physical rehabilitation and lymphoedema are of real benefit to women who are undergoing treatment, and it's because of researchers like Sharon that I can proudly say that we are funding world class research in Australia."

The Pink Circle award comes on the back of Sharon's achievement of the NBCF Career Fellowship in 2009, which awarded her $1million over 5 years to pursue her work as Director of Sydney University's Breast Cancer Research Group.

The Group was established by Associate Professor Sharon Kilbreath in 2001 following her own battle with breast cancer. The Career Fellowship grant allows the group to further their research into identifying the specific causes and risk factors of long-term musculoskeletal problems suffered by many breast cancer survivors.

The Pink Circle was initially established by the NBCF to acknowledge companies and individuals whose investment in breast cancer research exceeded $1 million. Sharon's receipt of the Pink Circle Award at this year's NBCF Patron Awards makes her the first ever researcher to be recognised and puts her in the company of charitable organisations such as Foxtel, Hallmark, Mt Franklin and Pandora.

"I was very surprised and honoured to achieve this award," said Sharon. "It is testament not only to me but to my team! As mentioned by Sue Murray, our projects are aimed at minimising the long term impact of treatments on the breast cancer survivor. "

The Breast Cancer Research Group is currently looking to recruit women who have undergone breast cancer treatment for a range of studies including investigations around lymphoedema (swelling of the arm) and the effect of exercise on loss of bone density from aromatase inhibitors, a class of drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer.

For more information visit the Breast Cancer Research Group website.

Cancer tumour research receives $4m grant

28 January 2010

A world leading researcher in the field of medical physics plans to continue his work on ways to more accurately and effectively target cancer tumours after receiving a four million dollar Australian Fellowship today.

Associate Professor Paul Keall, currently at Stanford University in the United States, intends to take up the five year position at the University of Sydney either later this year or early in 2011.

A/Professor Keall's work will benefit the more than 50 per cent of cancer patients who are treated for tumours by providing real-time information about the exact location and shape of tumours when they are receiving radiation therapy.

"Current radiation treatments don't take into account changes that can occur to the location and shape of tumours caused by things such as breathing and swallowing and other movement," A/Professor Keall said.

"By improving the way current tools of X-ray imaging and patient monitoring are integrated and used during treatment, we can target the tumour much more accurately with the radiation beam and have much greater control over the radiation dose.

"My research is also looking at the physiology of tumours, with the aim of making treatment more effective by targeting the areas of tumours which are more aggressive with additional radiation doses, thereby helping prevent the cancer spreading."

A/Professor Keall added that improving accuracy will also reduce the amount of normal tissue toxicity that occurs when areas outside the tumour inadvertently receive radiation.
The University of Sydney, and Sydney more generally, is developing into a hub of expertise in biomedical research, A/Professor Keall said.

He sees potential for collaboration with the strong medical physics program at the University of Sydney, as well as the new Comprehensive Cancer Centre, established in honour of leading cancer surgeon, the late Chris O'Brien, and Liverpool Hospital which is leading research into radiotherapy equipment.

"I'm looking forward to making an impact on healthcare in Australia and internationally," he said.

A/Professor Keall was one of just nine researchers to receive the prestigious Australian Fellowship. Parliamentary Secretary for Health Mark Butler announced the awards at the Monash University Clayton Campus today.

About Associate Professor Paul Keall
Originally from New Zealand, as a post graduate student A/Professor Keall specialised in medical physics at the University of Adelaide. He is currently with the Radiation Physics Division at Stanford University.

Media inquiries: Kath Kenny on 0434 605 100 or at

National Skin Cancer Action Week

18 November 2009

Did you know that two thirds of Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by age 70? Or that melanoma, the most dangerous skin cancer, is also the most common cancer in people between the ages of 15 - 44? *

November 15 - 21 is National Skin Cancer Action Week, and on Wednesday November 18 The Dermatology Research Foundation (DRF) at the University of Sydney is celebrating its 21st Anniversary.

The Dermatology Research Foundation is committed to improving knowledge of the skin and supporting research into skin diseases, particularly skin cancer.

Over the past 21 years the DRF has achieved several significant breakthroughs including:

  • Proof that UVA (as well as UVB) causes skin cancer. This has led to the requirement for sunscreens to provide broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB;
  • Identification of new molecular mechanisms, enabling greater understanding of the development and growth of skin cancers;
  • Discovery of a new mechanism in the generation of T lymphocyte responses, contributing to a greater understanding of immune response regulation - a key defence against skin cancer and other diseases;
  • Discovery of the role of a new gene (Brm) in skin cancer development;
  • Development of a measurement of ultraviolet-induced immunosuppression, and the identification of chemicals to reduce this immunosuppression (immunosuppression - such as that experienced by organ transplant patients - heightens the risk of developing skin cancer);
  • Contribution to the development of imiquimod, a skin cancer drug now in therapeutic use in Australia;

The anniversary celebrations offer a moment to reflect on the achievements of the previous two decades as well as the opportunity to learn more about current DRF-supported research activities and future directions.

Speakers on the night will include:

  • Professor Bruce Armstrong (University of Sydney School of Public Health) will discuss the impact and continuing relevance of skin cancer;
  • Professor Gary Halliday (Sydney Medical School & the Bosch Institute) will address research highlights from the past two decades;
  • Raymond E Purves Chair of Dermatology Professor Wolfgang Weninger (Sydney Medical School & the Centenary Institute) outlining potential directions for new research, particularly in understanding skin cancer at the molecular level and the consequent potential for developing targeted therapies for individual patients;

Working with scientists and research dermatologists from world class organisations including Sydney Medical School, the Bosch Institute, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the Centenary Institute, the Dermatology Research Foundation facilitates advancements in prevention, early detection and patient care, in order to improve skin health for the entire community.

The Dermatology Research Foundation welcomes support from individuals and organisations, and all donations are fully tax deductible.

For further information contact Jacquie Stratford on 9036 5119.

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Overdiagnosis of breast cancer

12 November 2009

Overdiagnosis of invasive breast cancer could be as high as 42 per cent, a paper published by researchers at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health suggests.

The study shows the reduced mortality rate resulting from increased mammography screening comes with a flipside: there is 30 to 42 per cent excess of women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, over that expected, who undergo unnecessary treatment. This translates to about 23 to 29 per cent of all breast cancers diagnosed in NSW as being overdiagnosed and over treated.

Other studies have looked into overdiagnosis of breast cancer before but our findings are unique," says Associate Professor Alex Barratt, one of the paper's authors. "They take into account risk factors such as hormone replacement therapy and obesity, both of which have increased the prevalence of breast cancer since about the same time as publicly-funded mammography screening programmes were introduced.

"Even when these risks are accounted for, we still find breast cancer overdiagnosis is very high. Overdiagnosis means many women are needlessly having surgery or other treatment at great personal cost."

Associate Professor Barratt says the paper - "Estimates of overdiagnosis of invasive breast cancer associated with screening mammography" - indicates the pressing need to develop tests to predict which screening-detected cancers are likely to progress.

"The problem is right now we just don't know which way a cancer detected through mammography is going to go," she says. "We know there is overdiagnosis across the population but we can't pinpoint which women are overdiagnosed. There is also a need for better information for women and doctors, quantifying the benefits and the harms of mammography screening. "We have that information now and it would be good to provide it to people in an easy to use form, such as a patient decision aid."

Estimates of overdiagnosis of invasive breast cancer associated with screening mammography was published in the latest issue of the Cancer Causes Control journal. Its calculations were based on the incidence of invasive breast cancer in New South Wales but Associate Professor Barratt says the findings apply across Australia and similar countries.
The study did not investigate overdiagnosis of pre-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which accounts for about 18 per cent of breast cancers diagnosed by NSW's publicly funded screening programme.

Media inquiries: Jocelyn Prasad (02) 91141382 or 0450 202078 or

NHMRC grant success for University of Sydney cancer researchers

11 November 2009

University of Sydney medical research projects have received $61,922,193 in the National Health and Medical Research (NHMRC) Project Grants for 2010, more than any other Australian university.

A total of 104 NHMRC Project Grants have been awarded to the University of Sydney out of a total of 675 worth $380 million nationally. The University of Sydney was also successful in securing more than half of the total allocated to New South Wales projects ($107.3 million).

University of Sydney cancer researchers were awarded more than $8 million worth of grants in this funding round. The successful researchers are based at the various campuses, teaching hospitals and affiliated research institutes of the University of Sydney.

Here are examples of the research support received:

  • Pharmacological Targeting via AKT, PTEN, and TGF-beta Pathway Integration using Novel Therapeutics
    Professor Des Richardson from the Department of Pathology received a grant of $611,875
  • Development and valuation of cancer specific multi-attribute health states for use in economic evaluation
    Professor Madeleine King, Cancer Australia Chair in Cancer Quality of Life, received a grant of $679,750
  • Gene therapy, stress haematopoiesis and the risk of malignancy
    Dr Ian Alexander I, Clinical Senior Lecturer, The Children's Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, received a grant of $595,500
  • Improving the use of chemotherapy by targeting the inflammatory response
    Professor Stephen Clarke, Head, Department of Medicine, Concord Clinical School, received a grant of $550,500
  • Improving psychosocial outcomes for cancer carers: a randomised control trial
    Associate Professor Jane Young from the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre received a grant of $515,600
  • Induction of senescence in cells that use the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) mechanism
    Professor Roger Reddel, Lorimer Dods Professor and Director of the Children's Medical Research Institute, received a grant of $457,125
  • Protein discovery for breast cancer diagnosis
    Professor Rob Baxter Baxter, Director, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, received a grant of $397,125

A summary of the grants awarded to cancer researchers at, and affiliated with, the University of Sydney is available on the Cancer Research Network website. For a full list of grants recipients, please visit the NHMRC website.

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BMRI scientists awarded for imaging technology

7 October 2009

Researchers from the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI) have been awarded the Siemens High Performance Preclinical Image of the Year for cutting edge work in the development of small animal imaging technology.

Awarded at the 2009 World Molecular Imaging Congress in Montreal, the Siemens 'New Point of View' Image of the Year awards recognise the tremendous advancements occurring in the preclinical research arena.

The winning entry in the category of "High Performance demonstrated for the first time brain images of glucose metabolism in a fully conscious rat, a breakthrough made possible by a technique developed by researchers at the BMRI that combines optical motion tracking with event-by-event motion correction of microPET imaging data.
While it is well known that anaesthesia can alter neurological function, it is universally used in microPET rodent imaging to avoid the effects of motion on image quality.

"The techniques used in this imaging project have the potential to overcome the undesirable effects of anaesthesia in microPET brain imaging, and to enable entirely new types of behavioural and physiological experiments that require the animal to be in a conscious state," said Associate Professor Roger Fulton, Chief Investigator on the study.

The entry was the outcome of collaborative research undertaken by BMRI scientists from the School of Physics and the Faculty of Health Sciences under an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant. The award winning team members are Roger Fulton, Steven Meikle, Andre Kyme, Victor Zhou, Kata Popovic, Mahmood Akhtar, Wencke Lehnert, Michael Kassiou and Ingalill Karlsson.

Contact: Michelle Cario
Phone: 9036 7486, 0402 389 889
Email:

Testing not a major factor in prostate cancer mortality

29 September 2009

Death from prostate cancer does not vary greatly between men who undergo annual prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and those who do not, according to an investigation of PSA outcomes.

"A Model of Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening Outcomes for Low- to High-Risk Men" was published in the Archives on Internal Medicine today. Dr Kirsten Howard from the University of Sydney's School of Public Health was the paper's lead author.

PSA screening involves testing the levels of a prostate specific antigen with a blood test. Elevated levels of that protein can sometimes indicate the presence of prostate cancer. An elevated PSA level usually leads to more invasive investigation and treatment including biopsies, radiation and prostatectomies.

The paper compares diagnosis and mortality outcomes of men who undergo annual PSA tests with those who did not take the tests.

"Unsurprisingly, we found men who test for prostate cancer had a higher rate of diagnosis," says Dr Howard. "But mortality rates from prostate cancer don't decrease significantly for this group.

"Older men, and those whose close family members had the disease, experience a slightly lower mortality rate from prostate cancer if they take regular tests. But the difference among those aged between 40 and 50 or who are at low risk is statistically insignificant."

Dr Howard says the high rate of diagnosis, when measured against the relatively low mortality rates, indicates men with PSA-detected cancer may often undergo therapies for clinically insignificant cancers.

"This is no small thing when you consider some of the side effects of further testing and treatment. Biopsies can cause haemorrhaging and infections while treatment carries with it the risk of impotence and/or incontinence.

"Furthermore, about a fifth of low-risk men will experience a false positive test in 10 years of screening. So some men will experience undesirable lifestyle changes when they don't even have prostate cancer."

Dr Howard says the paper does not suggest that men should not bother with PSA testing. "This research was done to make people better informed about the pros and cons of the test. We want people to weigh up the risks and benefits and discuss them with their doctor before deciding about testing and treatment. In the end, much of the choice comes down to one's individual values."

The paper does not make public policy recommendations but Dr Howard says its findings may cause some to question whether a widespread PSA testing programme was the best use of public health funds.

Associate Professor Alex Barratt from the School of Public Health, and Dr Manish Patel and Dr Graham Mann from the Sydney Medical School co-wrote the paper.

For further enquiries contact: Jocelyn Prasad, 02 9114 1382 or 0450 202 078,

Postdoctoral Scientist Awarded Prestigious Fellowship

28 September 2009

Dr Fiona Warner of the Centenary Institute was recently honoured with the AstraZeneca Career Development Fellowship. The award, given annually by the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, will fund Dr Warner’s vital research into liver inflammation and cancer for the next three years.

Liver cancer is the fastest growing cancer in Australia, and is currently the seventh most prevalent cause of death in the world. If left untreated, less than 15% of those with the disease survive.

At Centenary, Dr Warner’s research focuses on how drugs that are normally used to treat blood pressure abnormalities may help organ injuries, primarily injuries to the liver which often lead to cancer.

Dr Warner explains, “Liver cancer very rarely occurs without the appearance of liver injury or cirrhosis. If we can understand how the liver becomes injured and possibly reverse this, then we can prevent liver cancer from occurring in the first place.”

The AstraZeneca Fellowship is recognition that Dr Warner’s work is both top in the field, as well as relevant to the global health of the community. This prestigious award is a rarity, as there are currently few fellowships that are offered to mid-career postdoctoral scientists.

Dr Warner says, “I’m not only honoured to receive this award, but I am also pleased to know that more money will now be allocated to doing the research that will end this disease.”

Professor Mathew Vadas, Executive Director of the Institute says, “I am extremely proud of Dr Warner’s accomplishment. This fellowship is a true testament to her brilliant work at Centenary as well as her commitment to life-saving research.”

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New tumour theory could change cancer treatment

13 August 2009

University of Sydney researcher Dr Guy Lyons has come up with a new theory of cancer tumours that could change the way we treat cancer and conduct research into its causes.

While most approaches to malignant tumours treat them as homogeneous, Dr Lyons's research, which has just won a prestigious award at an international cancer congress, suggests tumours might be composed of two or more interacting populations of cells.

Dr Lyons said: "Cancer is caused by mutations in genes that control cell growth. In our theory, distinct mutations occur in different cells within the cancer cell population. These cells then cooperate to form a malignant tumour."

Currently, malignant tumours are treated as homogeneous. "When a laboratory looks for a set of mutations in a tumour for diagnostic or research purposes, the first thing that is done is to homogenise a sample of that tumour, and then the homogenate is analysed for mutations.

"If the tumours are mixtures of cells with distinct mutations, then the picture obtained from the homogenate will be an 'average' one, but not accurate for any one cell within the tumour.

"By assuming that every cancer cell in a tumour has all of the mutations that caused the tumour, errors could be made in treating patients. Therapies designed to kill cancer cells that have two particular mutations will not work if the mutations are present in separate cells within the tumour. This will become important as personalised cancer care based on genetic analyses of tumours becomes more common."

Dr Lyons' research creates opportunities to design novel treatments for cancer. Therapies that interfere with the molecules used by cancer cells to cooperate might be developed.
Researchers at the University's Dermatology Research Laboratories and the Sydney Head and Neck Cancer Institute are conducting experiments to determine how often tumours of the skin and head and neck regions use cancer cell cooperation to become malignant, and which sorts of mutations are involved in the cooperative behaviour.

"By simulating cancers using a computer program, we will be able to identify the optimal targets for developing new therapies," says Dr Lyons.

Dr Lyons' work was awarded Best Science Paper at the 2009 International Academy of Oral Oncology World Congress in Toronto, recognising the work he has done with Dr Mary Myerscough, Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney's School of Mathematics, and their PhD student, Mr Erwin Lobo.

Dr Guy Lyons is Clinical Senior Lecturer, Dermatology, at the University of Sydney. He is also a member of the University of Sydney Cancer Research Network.

Media Enquiries
Dr Guy Lyons
Ph: 02 9036 6314
Mob: 0437 660 395

Sunbeds confirmed as cancer risk

30 July 2009

Sunbeds have been put in the highest cancer risk category by the international body charged with evaluating potential cancer hazards.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer is tasked by the World Health Organisation with listing and reviewing causes of cancer. Its just-released review of ionising and solar radiation puts sunbeds in the highest cancer risk category: Group 1 - "carcinogenic to humans".

"We can now say unequivocally that artificial sources of solar radiation - including ultraviolet (UV)-emitting tanning devices - can cause both skin and eye melanomas," says University of Sydney Professor of Public Health Bruce Armstrong, who sat on the IARC working group reviewing ionising and solar radiation.

"Solar and ultraviolet radiation were last reviewed in 1992. At that time the IARC found solar radiation caused cancer but evidence wasn't sufficient to conclude that artificial sources of UV rays were carcinogenic.

"Evidence considered in the latest review - much of which wasn't available in 1992 - found using UV-emitting tanning devices increases a person's risk of developing skin melanomas by about 15 per cent overall, and by about 75 per cent for those who used them when they were younger than 30.

"The IARC has confirmed what many Australians have long suspected: tanning devices emitting ultraviolet rays are dangerous and can cause cancer."

In other findings, the working group found substantial evidence that arc welding caused ocular melanoma.

"Because welders are exposed to other harmful agents such as fumes we couldn't conclusively say UV radiation from arc welding causes melanomas of the eye," Professor Armstrong says. "The working group has urged a full review of the carcinogenic hazards of welding."

All sources of ionising radiation have also been put into the IARC's Group 1 category. These include radon gas (the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoke), plutonium, radium, phosphorous-32 and radioiodines.

The findings are revealed in a Special Report in the August edition of The Lancet Oncology, produced by Dr Fatiha El Ghissassi and her colleagues, IARC, Lyon, France, on behalf of the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer Monograph Working Group.

Contact: Kath Kenny - 02 93512261 or 0434 606 100

Cancer Institute NSW grant success for University of Sydney researchers

17 July 2009

University of Sydney cancer researchers were awarded more than $10 million worth of grants in the recent Cancer Institute NSW funding round.

The successful researchers are based at the various campuses, teaching hospitals and affiliated research institutes of the University of Sydney.

Here are examples of the research support received:

  • Development and operational support for AGITG and ANZGOG through the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre: A NSW-led initiative
    Professor John Simes, Director, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, received a Cooperative Clinical Trials Infrastructure Grant of $1,745,788
  • Biostatistics, quality assurance and data systems for Cancer Trial Groups activities based at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre
    Associate Professor Val Gebski, also from the NHMRC Clinical Trials centre, received a Cooperative Clinical Trials Infrastructure Grant of $1,757,469
  • A superior mass spectrometry system for ultra-sensitive cancer phosphoproteomics PALM Microbeam Laser Microdissection (LM)
    Professor Phillip Robinson from the Children’s Medical Research Institute received a Research Equipment Grant of $979,371
  • PALM Microbeam Laser Microdissection (LM) Microscope for the Multi-User Sydney Cancer Gene Expression Facility
    Professor Des Richardson from the Department of Pathology received a Research Equipment Grant of $632,578
  • CellBank Australia
    Professor Roger Reddel, Lorimer Dods Professor and Director of the Children's Medical Research Institute, received a Research Infrastructure Grant of $660,000
  • Breast Cancer Tissue Bank - data collection and management infrastructure
    Associate Professor Christine Clarke from the Westmead Institute of Cancer Research received a Research Infrastructure Grant of $450,000
  • Estimating Survival Duration and Communication of Prognostic Uncertainty in Patients with Incurable Cancer
    Dr Belinda Kiely from the School of Public Health received a Research Scholars Award of $57,000

A summary of the grants awarded to cancer researchers at, and affiliated with, the University of Sydney is available on the Cancer Research Network website. For a full list of grants recipients, please visit the Cancer Institute NSW website.

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Plugging into the Cancer Research Network

25 May 2009
Associate Professor Graham Mann, Associate Dean (Research Strategy)

University of Sydney is home to some of the largest concentrations of cancer research strength in this state(1). Since each research institute and precinct makes a substantial contribution, there are opportunities for Sydney Medical School students to get involved in cancer research close to where they study.

Cancer is a multifaceted health problem. Cancer cells arise by processes of genetic mutation and evolution, and relentlessly disorganise their signalling and regulatory pathways to prioritise cell survival and growth at the expense of normal functions. Development of new treatments now focuses on subverting these pathways, with increasing success.

However, the probability of cells forming a tumour in the first place is a very human problem. It is influenced by a person’s genetic makeup and their ecology: ambient exposures, behaviour and social circumstances all playing a part. Genetic studies have made massive strides in complementing classic epidemiology to untangle the knot of individual cancer risk, and are an increasing influence on thinking about cancer prevention, early detection and care.

Back in the cancer cell, studies of all the major cancers show that, not only do they consist of many genetic subtypes, but that hidden genetic variation between tumours underlies the distressing unpredictability of cancer behaviour: prognoses that vary from months to years, treatments that fail against the best hopes.

Finally, good care of the person with cancer throughout their journey to either survivorship or severe illness is a huge challenge to all levels of the health system. No health care service or discipline is untouched and much research now targets psychological adaptation and clinical system issues around cancer care.

The multidisciplinary team is not only an accepted standard for providing care to cancer patients, but is a great environment for encouraging continuous learning, patient-orientated research, and translation of research findings into practice.

I chose to divert from a career in medical oncology into cancer research 25 years ago largely because I sensed that a great mobilisation was afoot in basic science that would crack the cancer problem in my lifetime. I think that potential is on its way to being fulfilled. Along that path, I have had great experiences learning from colleagues across the spectrum of health and biomedical science … and have stopped worrying that I can no longer name what kind of researcher I am!

Whether or not you feel inclined to spend all or part of your time as an active cancer researcher, I can only encourage you to take the trip.

University of Sydney Cancer Research Network (CRN)
The CRN was established several years ago to maximise the potential of its many excellent researchers to interact and to work jointly on the problem of cancer. For students it provides a golden opportunity to identify suitable cancer research supervisors in all the various disciplines and precincts of the University.

Browse the CRN website at www.cancerresearch.med.usyd.edu.au and contact Dr Angela Beaton or Merilyn Heuschkel at or 02 9036 6307.

Enquiries about research opportunities are also welcome through the Faculty Office of Research and Research Training (mvan_der_hoeven@usyd.edu.au, 02 9114 0802) or the Office of Medical Education.

Graham Mann helps head a multidisciplinary research program on melanoma at the Westmead Millennium Institute and the Melanoma Institute Australia. He is also an Associate Dean (Research Strategy) of Sydney Medical School, and a Director of the Cancer Council NSW.

1. Welberry, H. et al. Cancer Research in NSW 2001-2006 (2008)

First academic chair in cancer nursing for NSW

8 May 2009

Kate White, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery has been appointed Professor of Cancer Nursing, which is NSW's first Academic Chair in Cancer Nursing, established by the Cancer Institute NSW.

According to the Acting Chief Cancer Officer Professor Rob Sanson-Fisher: "As the number of cases of cancer continues to grow it is vital that cancer services meet the needs of people in NSW. This new position recognises the central role of specialist cancer nurses in the delivery of quality cancer services in this State."

Professor White will provide leadership in areas of cancer nursing research, education, models of service provision and have state-wide influence on how to optimise cancer nursing services.

"This is an exciting opportunity to expand the contribution of cancer nurses to quality cancer services in this State, including the extended role of nurses in both clinical and community sectors," said Professor White.

"Nurses are the largest professional group involved in cancer care. In NSW there are approximately 2,000 cancer and palliative care nurses with high level expertise in coordinating and managing patient diagnosis, treatment and recovery in both acute care and community settings. Their specialised knowledge enables them to provide better care which ultimately improves patient outcomes.

"The cancer nursing workforce must be appropriately supported and educated to have the skills and confidence to support their patients and be involved in decision making about future trends in treatment, patient care and disease prevention."

Professor Kate White is pleased to meet the challenges of this new position. "There are terrific opportunities to improve outcomes for patients and support all nurses to expand their knowledge of cancer care. Further, we have a great opportunity to foster cancer nursing as a career of choice for new nursing graduates."

Partly funded by the Cancer Institute NSW, the new Cancer Nursing Academic Unit is a consortium of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney and the Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH). This brings together the Faculty of Nursing and and palliative care research and the Sydney Cancer Centre's reputation as a centre of excellence in clinical cancer care.

Contact: Judith Kingston
Phone: 02 9351 0657
Email:

Award for lung cancer imaging expert

29 April 2009

University of Sydney researcher, Associate Professor Dale Bailey from the Faculty of Health Sciences, was awarded the ANSTO Nuclear Medicine Award for the Best Scientific Paper at the ANZ Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting.

He and five colleagues were honoured for their significant innovation in research or clinical practice in the field of Nuclear Medicine.

The award, which was presented on 26 April 2009, recognises Associate Professor Bailey’s work in developing methodology to estimate the amount of lung function a patient is likely to lose by having part of their lung removed for lung cancer. They used a combined SPECT/CT camera which they constructed themselves to measure the amount of gas and blood going to the lobe of the lung that the surgeon intends to remove. If the estimated loss is thought to still leave the patient with enough lung capacity for routine activities, the surgery can proceed.''

Associate Professor Bailey said, “The ability to predict loss of lung function prior to pneumonectomy or lobectomy, most frequently performed for treating lung cancer with curative intent, is desirable for the thoracic surgeons and respiratory physicians managing the patient.

“Through this study, my colleagues and I have developed the tools that permit us to evaluate regional lung function prior to surgery in a manner which appears to be promising.”

“With further research, we hope that one day these tools will help improve lung cancer management and post-operative outcomes for patients by better selecting who is suitable or not suitable for surgery,” he said.

Associate Professor Dale Bailey is Principal Physicist, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital; Associate Professor, Discipline of Medical Radiation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences; Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Sydney. He is also a member of the University of Sydney Cancer Research Network.

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Phyllis Butow receives the International Psycho-Oncology Society Bernard Fox Memorial Award

11 March 2009

Professor Phyllis Butow from the University of Sydney has received the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) Bernard Fox Memorial Award.

The award was established to honour an IPOS or community member who has made an outstanding contribution in education, research or leadership to the field of psycho-oncology.

Professor Butow has developed an international reputation in the area of psycho-oncology research and health communication.

She has conducted perhaps more research than anyone else in the world on doctor-patient communication in oncology, and has developed expertise in longitudinal epidemiological studies exploring the impact of psychosocial factors in disease incidence and outcome.

“I am greatly honoured to have received the IPOS Bernard Fox Memorial Award. I hope this prize helps highlight the importance of social, emotional and spiritual issues throughout the cancer experience,” said Professor Butow.

“Psychosocial care is a fundamental part of cancer care,” she said.

IPOS will present the award during its 11th World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, which will be held in Vienna, Austria, 21 – 25 June 2009.

Professor Butow is co-director of the Centre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-based Decision-making (CeMPED) and Chair of the Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG) of Australia. She is also a member of the University of Sydney Cancer Research Network.

Cancer specialist chosen as new Chief Medical Officer

20 February 2009

Sydney University cancer specialist Professor Jim Bishop is set to become Australia's new Chief Medical Officer.

Professor Bishop is Chief Cancer Officer and Chief Executive of the Cancer Institute NSW. He is a professor of cancer medicine at the University of Sydney, a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in haematology.

Professor Bishop's particular research interests are in clinical trials, anti-cancer drug development, new cancer therapies, leukaemia, breast cancer and lung cancer.

Last year, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to medicine. Department of Health and Ageing Secretary Jane Halton said the health system would benefit from Professor Bishop's expertise.

"Professor Bishop will play a key, strategic role in developing and administering major health reforms designed to transform Australia's health system to meet the many challenges of the 21st century," she said.

Professor Bishop will take up his position as chief medical officer after Easter.

Contact: Jake O'Shaughnessy
Phone: +61 2 9351 4312 or 0421 617 861

University of Sydney cancer researchers receive NHMRC program grant worth $8.02m