A recent meeting convened by Professor Peter Gibbs, Research and Education Lead (R&E Lead) Gastrointestinal Cancers, brought together close to 100 researchers and clinicians with an interest in colorectal cancer to review the extent of research among VCCC Alliance member organisations and to identify gaps and opportunities for collaborative effort.
A diverse range of research was showcased at the meeting, from basic through to translational research, clinical trials and supportive care. Professor Gibbs acknowledged the diversity of research in the field, saying that hopes were to stimulate awareness of research at multiple hospitals and research institutes and identify opportunities for collaboration moving forwards.
'Across the VCCC Alliance, there is a broad spectrum of innovative research underway, from preclinical studies through to the management of advanced-stage disease.' - Prof Peter Gibbs
Contributors to the showcase came from WEHI, Austin Health, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Western Health and the University of Melbourne.
Professor Gibbs opened the meeting with a summary of the registry-based research which began in earnest at WEHI over 20 years ago with high-quality data collected from several sources. He highlighted the value of registry-data based research for advancing scientific knowledge and improving the treatment of patients.
In recent advances, data is being combined with tissue-based analysis and collection is occurring prospectively opening up new opportunities in clinical trials and biomarker analysis. The data is also being leveraged broadly, with impacts in health economics, patient education information and clinician decision support to improve practice.
Prof John Mariadason and Dr Fiona Chionh highlighted CRC research at Austin Health and Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute in a broad range of disciplines - medical oncology, anatomical pathology, radiation oncology and surgery.
Dr Chionh gave an update on the successful investigator-initiated MAX Clinical Trial, the catalyst for multiple publications, particularly in biomarker-related research.
Both are involved in the VADER Phase II trial with Prof Niall Tebbutt repurposing the drug valproate to potentially improve outcomes in patients with advanced colon cancer.
A/Prof Ian Hayes from Royal Melbourne Hospital explained the value of administrative data while also looking at some analysis of surgical approaches while providing participants with an astute interpretation of complex information from a range of sources.
'The best cancer questions (and maybe the answers) will come from outside the main dataset
stimulated by clinical observation and basic science clues.' – A/Prof Ian Hayes
Prof Rob Ramsay of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre shared perspectives from a specialised cancer centre where there are advanced cases of colorectal cancer, rectal cancer and peritoneal disease. Prof Ramsay described important work with patient-derived tumour organoids, understanding immune infiltrates and shared some insights into the importance of the anaesthesia and gas used in laparoscopic surgery.
A/Prof Sue-Anne McLachlan from St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne presented on patient experience research. She described the Fear of Cancer Recurrence study, which is a sub-study of the DYNAMIC trial, with Principal Investigators A/Prof Jeanne Tie and Peter Gibbs.
She defined Fear of Recurrence as “fear, worry, or concern relating to the possibility that cancer will come back or progress,” - one of the most common unmet needs amongst cancer survivors.
At Western Health the population is diverse. A/Prof Justin Yeung highlighted research focussed on understanding inequality of care to improve outcomes. These include big data on presentation, access and treatment timelines, Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and cultural and linguistic diversity and radiomics to better tailor treatment for CRC patients.
Like other speakers, Justin demonstrated the importance of data and the value of linkages across different datasets including linkages with GP datasets.
Dr Koen Degeling, University of Melbourne, talked about how to use simulation models based on real-world data to estimate the health economic impact of new technologies. His presentation stimulated an interesting discussion on the role health economic modelling plays in trying to get a new test approved by the government or health regulators and the timing of engaging these bodies.
The full meeting VCCC Alliance Colorectal Cancer Research Showcase is now available to view on our website Open Learning page.
For more information, contact Dr Vino Pillay, VCCC Alliance Program Manager, Distributed Leadership.
L-R: Koen Degeling, Jeanne Tie, Rob Ramsay and Niall Tebbutt.
