Breast Cancer Trials

Finding My Way is an online coping program for individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer. The program is designed to support people through their cancer diagnosis, as well as help to provide strategies to live well despite this diagnosis. We talk with Associate Professor Lisa Beatty as she explains what 'Finding My Way' is and how it was initiated.

As part of a Clinical Fellowship project with Breast Cancer Trials, Dr Christine Muttiah is aiming to assist in the clinical conduct of the BRCA-P study in the hopes to increase recruitment across all 14 Breast Cancer Trials BRCA-P sites. We asked Dr Muttiah to provide an overview of this project and its aims.

As part of a Clinical Fellowship project with Breast Cancer Trials, Dr Elizabeth Blackley is working on a study that involves the collection of data and the development of a registry on breast cancer incidents, treatment outcomes and quality of life metrics in young Australian women. The aim is to help form a streamlined model of care for young women and offer various support services to help them through their diagnosis.

While there is no way to prevent breast cancer, there are steps that can be taken to lower one’s risk of being diagnosed, particularly for women with a strong family history or those who carry a gene mutation. Dr Wanda Cui is a Medical Oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and is researching into breast cancer prevention within the risk management clinic. We asked Dr Cui to explain her research on Breast Cancer Prevention.

Professor Prue Francis is a Medical Oncologist and the Clinical Head of Breast Medical Oncology at the Perter McCallum Cancer Centre. Professor Francis is researching into Metastatic breast cancer, asking the question: Does Detecting Metastatic Disease Early Make a Difference? We asked Professor Francis to explain her research on this topic.

Dr Hope Rugo is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr Rugo is a Principal Investigator of multiple clinical trials focusing on combining novel targeted therapeutics with standard treatment. We asked Dr Rugo to explain her research topic: New Options in HR+ Breast Cancer – TROPICS-02 and beyond.

Health economics is used in clinical trials to ensure information is being collected in the right way, so that it can be provided to the minister or committees such as the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, so that they can compare new treatments with existing treatments to decide what drugs should be funded in the public system. We asked Associate Professor De Abreu Lorenco to explain what health economics is, and how it is currently used in clinical trials.

Radiation therapy after breast conserving surgery plays an important role in the management of early breast cancer, decreasing the risk of breast cancer returning and improving mortality rates. Dr Janice Yeh is evaluating the technical feasibility and clinical performance of the novel NASHA gel compared to standard surgical clips as a fiducial marker.

Madelaine Atkins was 50 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, in 2008, after finding a small lump in her right breast. Despite receiving chemotherapy, radiation and having surgery to remove her right breast, unfortunately in 2011 Madelaine was diagnosed with Advanced Breast Cancer in her shoulder, neck, and lymph nodes. After discussing further treatment options with her oncologist, Madelaine decided to participate in the FINER clinical trial. We spoke with Madelaine about her diagnoses, her decision to participate in the FINER clinical trial, and advice to other women who have received a diagnosis.

Katharine and Skye had never met each other, but they shared something in common. Both women carry the BRCA-1 gene mutation. This is an inherited gene which increases their chance of developing breast cancer by 70% and ovarian cancer by 40% throughout their lifetime. Until now, life-changing invasive surgery and regular breast screening have been the only options available for women like Katharine and Skye. However, the BRCA-P clinical trial aims to open up a new treatment opportunity for women with this gene mutation. BRCA-P is a preventative trial, which is testing the effectiveness of a drug called Denosumab in preventing breast cancer for these women.

Ben and Michael Kavich are brothers and race car drivers, who are asking you to support lifesaving breast cancer trials research by donating to Race for a Cure. Race for a Cure was founded by Ben’s wife, Toula, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer following the Bathurst 6 Hour in 2016. Toula’s disease shocked the Kavich family who had already lived through the harrowing impact of breast cancer after Ben and Michael’s grandmother and mother were diagnosed. The brothers are using their passion for motorsport to help spare as many families as possible from the heartache and loss caused by breast cancer.

At 31, Laura found a lump in her breast and was shortly after diagnosed with breast cancer. We spoke with Laura about her shock diagnosis, her decision to participate in the Breast MRI Evaluation Study and her advice to other young women who have also received a diagnosis.

A side effect of some chemotherapy, and targeted therapy treatments, is Hand and Foot syndrome, also known as hand-foot syndrome, Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia or PPE. We speak with Senior Podiatrist Rebecca Angus about the symptoms of the side effect and how it's treated.

Dimity Paul knew she carried an 80% risk of developing breast cancer since she was 21 years old, although it still came as a huge shock when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 31. She spoke with us about her experience with the BRCA1 gene mutation, her participation on the OlympiA clinical trial and how being a part of a supportive workplace helped her through her treatment.

Samantha was 21 years old when she found out she had the BRCA1 gene mutation. This means she has a 70% risk of developing breast cancer and a 40% risk of developing ovarian cancer. She speaks with us about her decision to be proactive in managing her risk by joining the BRCA-P Clinical Trial.

We spoke with Professor Julia White, a tenured Professor of Radiation Oncology and Koltz Sisters Chair for Cancer Research at the Ohio State University, about partial breast irradiation. We speak about the different types of this treatment, who it is best suited for and the continuing research in this area.

The CAPTURE clinical trial aims to improve survival rates for women and men with ER+, HER2- breast cancer. This study will investigate the effectiveness of treatment with a targeted cancer therapy (alpelisib) and chemotherapy (fulvestrant), compared to a chemotherapy (capecitabine) alone in men and women with ER+, HER2- breast cancer with a PIKC3A mutation.We spoke with the CAPTURE study chair, Professor Sarah-Jane Dawson, about this important clinical trial.

Being able to access support services after a breast cancer diagnosis is an important part of the recovery process for some patients, as having access meet and relate with others in a similar situation can aid in alleviating some feelings of anxiety and isolation. Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) helps to connect those with breast cancer with support services in-person and online. We caught up with BCNA's CEO Kirsten Pilatti about the importance of these groups, and how to access them.

The CHEK2 gene mutation is a genetic abnormality that can increase your risk of developing breast cancer. We spoke with Cancer Geneticist Associate Professor Judy Kirk about this genetic abnormality, why testing for the gene is not common, and what preventative measures can be taken for those who have the mutation.

It can be hard to know what to say or do when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer. It can be a very traumatic experience, so we spoke with clinical psychologist and Cancer Council SA Senior Research Fellow Lisa Beatty about how you can best support someone close to you during their diagnosis.