Driving the next generation of cancer discoveries through big data, accelerating novel therapies and translating research into personalised care, are all at the heart of the VCCC Alliance Discovery pillar. Through these programs of work, the alliance is striving for new insights, and better, personalised care for patients ensuring they receive the right treatment, at the right time.
More patients will benefit from investigations into risk prediction models, reasons for delayed diagnoses, quality of life after treatment, and access across the continuum of care through advances in our Data Linkage program – linking clinical, biological, genomic and patient data.
A major milestone was reached in April 2023, when the Data Connect project was officially launched by Victoria's Health Minister, The Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP. Data Connect links primary (GP) and acute care data, making it accessible for research for the first time in Australia, enhanced by centralised research project design support.
The result of six years of planning, piloting and development, Data Connect provides expert support to researchers to access multiple linked data sets. These can be studied to answer key questions about cancer diagnosis and care, to benefit people affected by cancer in the future.
“Connecting healthcare data from primary care and hospitals is essential to understanding the factors that contribute to later cancer diagnosis and treatment, affecting patient outcomes and ongoing health issues.”
– Professor Jon Emery, Data Connect Co-Chair
Evidence can now be provided to improve bowel cancer patients’ time to diagnosis which could be lifesaving, following research by University of Melbourne PhD student, Allison Drosdowsky.
Diagnosing bowel cancer earlier can improve survival and other cancer-related outcomes.
The VCCC Alliance Data Connect platform enabled – for the first time – linkage between general practice electronic medical record data, hospital administrative data and colorectal cancer clinical registries.
“The linked data provides us with the ability to look at all healthcare utilisation in the time before diagnosis and treatment for colorectal cancer patients,” Ms Drosdowksy said.
Allison Drosdowsky, PhD Candidate, presenting on "the role of time before diagnosis and treatment in colorectal cancer".
Accessing and linking data allows researchers to follow a group of Victorians with colorectal cancer and calculate the length of time it took for important events to happen.
The results showed that for some key periods of time – including between first presenting to the GP with symptoms and being diagnosed, and between diagnosis and the start of treatment – longer times were associated with poorer outcomes, including survival and advanced stage of disease.
“This information can help us develop evidence-based guidelines for the timing of key events, and to plan interventions to reduce the time it takes to diagnose and treat colorectal cancer, targeting the specific areas where longer waits occur.”
Translating cancer biology into 21st century personalised cancer care is no small feat, but progress is steady. In addition to monthly Precision Oncology Forums, the first Victorian Precision Oncology Summit was held in 2023, hosted by VCCC Alliance and Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium, supported by the Victorian Government – to springboard the process of building a roadmap towards equitable access to cancer genomics for Victorian patients.
Genomic testing and sequencing of patient tumours can provide important biological information that may help to identify treatment and clinical trial options. The roadmap that is being developed as a result of this summit will be a vital step towards providing the right treatment to the right patient at the right time.
Graphic of a presention By Victoria Sharp, Consumer, at Victorian Precision Oncology Summit 2023.
The VCCC Alliance Accelerating Novel Therapies program is the approach of getting more patients affected by cancer access to cutting-edge care through clinical trials, which test the safety and efficacy of new medications or drug combinations. We established a Clinical Trialist Development Hub, to support the development of novel trial designs and a new generation of clinical trialists. A strong educational component continues to upskill researchers and clinicians.
In other highlights, an Early Phase Clinical Trials database is being rolled out across Victoria and two events focused on research translation were held – a Research Translation Showcase Symposium and Translational Research at Melbourne (TRAM) bootcamp.
