Cancer Council NSW Research report winter 2015

Research Report Issue 29 • Winter 2015

FEATURED: 2 Prostate Cancer 2 Breast Cancer Personalising prostate cancer treatments

How bone drugs are helping breast cancer patients

3 Aboriginal Research Later stage diagnoses for Aboriginal people

4 Treatment Research Accelerated treatment for testicular cancer

5 60 year celebration Our cancer research milestones

New leukaemia drug shows potential Discovery slows the growth of the most common childhood cancer Researchers funded by Cancer Council NSW have uncovered a potential new treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common childhood cancer.

Professor Richard Lock from the Children’s Cancer Institute has revealed that a new drug, known as ABT-263, significantly slowed the growth of leukaemia in the majority of laboratory models they tested. While further investigation is needed to see if it works well in humans, and to understand which children it would be best suited for, this could be a significant step forward in leukaemia treatments.

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The fight against smoking is not over Latest research shows 1.8m Australian smokers are expected to die from their habit A team of national and international researchers, including members from Cancer Council NSW have published the first large-scale, direct evidence on smoking and mortality in Australia. The findings reveal that 1.8 million Australian smokers, which is around two third of current smokers, are expected to die from their habit if they continue to smoke.

The research is the result of a four-year analysis of health outcomes from more than 200,000 people from the general population participating in the Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study. These findings highlight the importance of continuing Australia’s world-leading efforts in tobacco control.

It is never too late to quit. For help in quitting smoking, call the Quitline on 13 78 48, visit www.icanquit.com.au or speak to your GP or medical practitioner.

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Personalised approach to prostate cancer treatment New research is helping to identify which prostate cancers are likely to be resistant to treatment Despite advances in the detection and treatment of prostate cancer, if the cancer spreads through the body it can still be exceptionally dangerous. Docetaxel is the standard chemotherapy drug for men with prostate cancer, however only half of all patients are actually sensitive to the drug. In the other half, it has little effect on the tumour and can lead to significant side effects.

Professor Lisa Horvath of the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and her team have found that there are molecules in the blood that might be able to predict whether Docetaxel will work against the cancer. The researchers aim to create a simple blood test to assess if patients will be resistant to the drug. If they are, they can be rapidly moved to other treatments, saving them side effects and improving their chances of survival.

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Why bone drugs help breast cancer patients Bone drug should be seen in a new light for its anticancer properties Researchers funded by Cancer Council NSW have shown why calcium-binding drugs commonly used to treat people with osteoporosis may also help patients with cancers outside the skeleton, including breast cancer.

Several clinical trials have found that giving these drugs to women with breast cancer can improve their survival and prevent the cancer from spreading, although until now no-one has understood why. A new study by Professor Mike Rogers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research revealed that the drugs attach themselves to the cancer cells, making them vulnerable to attack by the immune system.

“This study is potentially transformative for treatment of some cancers, because it is telling us for the first time that drugs we thought acted only in bone can also act within tumours completely outside the skeleton, and have a beneficial effect,” said Professor Rogers. “This now provides a rationale for using these drugs in a different, and potentially more effective, way in the clinic.”

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Spread of cancer disease in Aboriginal people Head and neck cancer diagnosis comes too late for Aboriginal people Cancer Council NSW’s Aboriginal Patterns of Cancer Care (APOCC) team has recently investigated whether Aboriginal people are more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced cancer. They found that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people are diagnosed with cancer at similar stages, with the exception of head and neck cancer, which is 240 per cent more likely to be found in advanced stages in Aboriginal people. APOCC recommends targeted health campaigns specifically encouraging regular health checks and dental examinations so that head and neck cancers are caught earlier. As well as increasing the numbers of Aboriginal people in public health to ensure culturally appropriate cancer services are delivered.

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Cancer treatment time could be cut by a third An accelerated way of treating testicular cancer could improve outcomes for patients New developments into faster and potentially more effective treatments for testicular cancer have been discovered in a study funded by Cancer Council NSW and conducted by the Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group (ANZUP).

Accelerated chemotherapy is already benefiting patients with other cancer types and helping them endure their chemotherapy treatment.

The new treatment, called accelerated BEP chemotherapy, substantially reduces the time required to treat these cancers and could save more lives.

Associate Professor Peter Grimison, Chief Investigator, from the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and Chair, Germ Cell subcommittee ANZUP said he wanted to find a similar improved treatment to help people with testicular cancer.

“With accelerated treatment, cancer patients could recover a lot faster from treatment and see other benefts.”

“With accelerated treatment, cancer patients could recover a lot faster from treatment and see other benefits including; less time spent travelling to appointments, less time in hospital, less of a financial impact and a speedier return to work and normality,” said Dr Libby Topp of Cancer Council NSW.

The current treatment for testicular germ cell tumours is a combination of three drugs. This therapy is given in several cycles every three weeks, rather than all at once. This allows the cancer cells to be attacked at the best time and gives time for the body’s normal cells to recover from the damage the drugs cause. Unfortunately, this rest period also gives the cancer cells time to recuperate.

Cancer Council NSW Research Report

“Based on the results of this trial funded by Cancer Council NSW, and a similar study conducted in the United Kingdom, we are conducting a larger trial to see if accelerated treatment is more effective than standard treatment. These results may ultimately lead to better, faster treatments for these cancers.”

Phase three of this trial began in February 2014. Once completed and approved the new treatment could be used more widely to benefit men across Australia.

Issue 29 • Winter 2015

60 years of research at Cancer Council NSW This year, Cancer Council NSW is celebrating 60 years of commitment to beating cancer. Since we were first established in 1955, research has underpinned everything we do. One of our first initiatives was to establish cancer research as a priority, and in 1957, Cancer Council NSW funded fifteen research grants, with an investment the equivalent of $710,000 today. In the same year, our first full-time staff member started working in our Special Unit for Investigation and Treatment, which is now known as the Cancer Research Division.

Over the last 60 years, we have had a number of research successes, from unlocking the secrets to cancer cell immortality to developing new diagnostics. Researchers funded

by Cancer Council NSW have made significant and exciting breakthroughs, such as: •

In 1960, researchers funded by Cancer Council NSW started experimenting with storing biological samples for use in research, which was the precursor of today’s biobanks.

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In 1991, past president of Cancer Council Australia, Professor Ian Frazer, and Dr Jian Zhou created a world-first human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. To date, over 6 million doses of the Gardasil vaccine have been given to girls and young women across the country.

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In 2014, major changes to the National Cervical Screening Program in Australia were recommended, underpinned by work

by Cancer Council’s Associate Professor Karen Canfell and her cancer screening team. Their modelling work demonstrated the proposed changes would substantially reduce both cervical cancer and the number of screening tests women need to undergo over their lifetime.

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In 2006, Cancer Council NSW provided foundational funding to a research team examining pancreatic cancer. Since then, the team has leveraged a further $70 million to investigate personalised medicine for this high-mortality cancer.

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In 2006, Cancer Council NSW created the Aboriginal Patterns of Cancer Care (APOCC) Project, which explores why the death rate for Aboriginal Australians is more than three times higher than non-Aboriginal Australians and investigates the cancer journeys of Aboriginal people across NSW.

In 2013, our State of Cancer Control report showed that nearly 30% more Australians are alive who would have otherwise died from cancer over 20 years ago. This is due to continuing investment into research, resulting in improvements in cancer prevention, screening and treatments.

We have used the knowledge we gained from research to grow and develop programs and services in cancer prevention, information and support, and advocacy. Highlights from the last 60 years include our sun protection campaigns and SunSmart programs, our commitment to and campaigning around screening programs, such as cervical, bowel and breast cancer screening, our work in local communities and our range of information and support services for people affected by cancer.

Today, we invest over $14 million into conducting and funding world-class research each year, and we are proud to be the largest non-government funder of cancer research in Australia.

For more information visit: cancercouncil.com.au/60years

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A new scholarship to use the CLEAR Study data Congratulations to Carlos Nunez, who is the recipient of the Outrun Cancer PhD Scholarship. The scholarship was funded by corporate treadmill marathos organised by Outrun Cancer.

Carlos will research the role of exercise, body mass index, diet and other similar factors in emerging cancers, using the data obtained from the CLEAR Study and other related studies.