The Newsletter of ANZUP Cancer Trials Group Limited
SUMMER 2015
Goldilocks and immunotherapy in GU cancer HOT TOPIC
PEMBROLIZUMAB
MOR PD-L1 PRO E TRIAL S TEIN PD1 PROTEIN
Immunotherapy is transforming the treatment of cancer, with stunning results in patients with a ANDREW WEICKHARDT range of cancer. More recently there has been some very promising preliminary results using these drugs in both bladder and kidney cancers. Historically both bladder and kidney cancer have long been known to respond to immune manipulation. Bladder cancer was the first indication for which an immunotherapy was granted FDA approval when BCG vaccine injected in the wall of the bladder was shown to prevent recurrence of superficial bladder cancer. BCG vaccine leads to recruitment of immune cells and subsequent death of surrounding cancer cells. Advanced kidney cancer was commonly treated in some parts of the world with Interleukin-2 (IL-2) or Interferon-alfa over the last 20 years. While only a small proportion of patients responded to these drugs that activated the immune system, some patients experienced very long lasting control of their cancer. However IL-2 therapy was difficult to administer
OF APY S M R O F W NE HER T O N U M M I ‘JUST R IMPROVED OVERA LL SURVIVALIGHT’
because of the risk of serious side effects due to over activation of immune system and could only be used in very selective patient groups. Interferon-alfa had fewer side effects than IL-2 but it seemed much less effective. New forms of immunotherapy seem to have hit upon the Goldilocks phenomenon – just the right amount of immune activation to treat the cancer (not too cold!), but not too much to cause excessive side effects (not too hot!). These check point inhibitors such as pembrolizumab, nivolumab and atezolizumab block the ability of the cancer cell to dampen the immune response to its presence. The antibodies specifically block an interaction between the PD1 protein on the immune cells and PD-L1 protein on the cancer cell that the cancer uses to induce tolerance in the host immune system. Recent trials in kidney cancer have demonstrated improved overall survival of kidney cancer patients with nivolumab compared to everolimus. Additionally recent trials of similar PD1 inhibitors including pembrolizumab have reported encouraging responses in metastatic bladder cancer, with approximately 1 in 4 patients achieving tumour shrinkage.
More trials are planned to compare these drugs to standard of care. Encouragingly only approximately 1 in 20 patients experienced severe side effects from the drugs. While these are promising early results there are plenty of challenges ahead. How long will patients achieve sustained disease control with these well tolerated drugs? How can we identify which group of patients benefit most from the drugs? Can these drugs be given with standard chemotherapy and or radiation to further expand the group of patients that benefit? We need to be mindful that in the past it has been difficult to get the ‘porridge just right’ – that is long term control of the cancer using the immune system but free of crippling immune related toxicity. ANZUP is happy to announce an upcoming 2016 trial of the combination of pembrolizumab and chemotherapy with radiation for patients with localised bladder cancer, with aim of assessing if the combination is feasible (not too cold!) and still active (not too hot!). Hopefully the outcomes will be as Goldilocks would have it, ‘just right’. ANDREW WEICKHARDT Medical Oncologist
BRISBANE 2016
ASM 2016 Convenor’s report
ASM INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS
ANZUP ASM July 10-12 2016 Brisbane Hilton Hotel
Dean F. Bajorin, M.D. Attending Physician in the Genitourinary Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre and Professor of Medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Dean is twice Chair of the Genitourinary Scientific Committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology Program Director of the Medical Oncology/Haematology Fellowship Program since 1994.
The 2016 ANZUP ASM is shaping up to provide an outstanding and exciting avenue to “expand our horizons” with a world-class international faculty. Confirmed international faculty include Dr Dean Bajorin, Dr Freddie Hamdy, Dr Piet Ost and Dr John Oliffe, who will be complemented by an expert local faculty. In addition to state-of-the-art presentations, we will highlight developments in less common cancers, (“orphan oncology”), as well as updates on ANZUP trials, opportunities to develop new trial concepts, and of course, original clinical and translational research. The ever popular MDT Masterclass is back, with challenging cases for our local and international multidisciplinary panel of experts to discuss. Unprecedented access to our international experts for trainees of all specialties to discuss potential clinical studies as well as garner “pearls of wisdom” regarding career advice will be available through the “Meet the Professors” Breakfast Session. Abstract submissions and proposals for clinical trial concepts will open in the New Year and we are keen to hear about your research. The PCFA sponsored Nurses Breakfast will provide opportunity for Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses from around the country to meet and network and a Community Engagement Forum “a little below the belt” and an open session of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) will be held on Sunday 10 July. We look forward to welcoming you to Brisbane in 2016. For more information visit www.anzup.org.au IAN VELA 2016 ASM Convenor
10-12 JULY HILTON BRISBANE
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HAPPY
Piet Ost M.D, PhD Radiation oncologist, senior clinical investigator and assistant Professor at the University of Ghent in Belgium. His current research is in the treatment of oligometastatic prostate cancer with metastasis-directed therapy and more specifically stereotactic body radiotherapy. Recent work includes the potential influence of radiotherapy on the immune system specifically in renal cell carcinoma exploring the synergistic immunomodulatory properties of radiotherapy. Freddie Hamdy Nuffield Professor of Surgery and Head of the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Professor of Urology, and Honorary Consultant Urological Surgeon and Fellow of Balliol College at the University of Oxford. Freddie leads the Oxford NIHR BRC Surgical Innovation and Evaluation theme, and is co-Director of the first Surgical Intervention Trials Unit in the UK. Dr John Oliffe Professor at the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, founder and lead investigator of UBC’s Men’s Health Research program. John’s work focuses on masculinity as it influences men’s health behaviours and illness management, and its impact on partners, families and overall life quality.
2016 ASM www.anzup.org.au
HAPPY
GU Cancer: Expanding our horizons
HOLIDAYS
ENJOY THE FESTIVE SEASON!
Hello and welcome to ‘UPdate’
Message from the Chair
Contents
Welcome to the Summer edition of the newsletter of the Australian & New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group Ltd (ANZUP).
Hot Topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Message from the Chair . . . . . . . . . 3 Concept Development Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Pedalthon Wrap Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 SAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bladder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Germ Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Prostate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Renal Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Quality of Life and Supportive Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Correlative and Translational Research . . . . . . . . . 13 Consumer Advisory Panel . . . . . . . 14 Preceptorship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Other News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Events Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Have you noticed that when many people use the word “literally” they literally mean the exact opposite? “My head literally blew off” is a statement that probably requires quite a bit of additional substantiation. However, ANZUP takes grammatical accuracy very seriously and I can tell you with complete confidence that the 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting convening committee literally started meeting before the 2015 ASM had even finished. It is quite amazing how the ASM goes from strength to strength every year. This is due to a great deal of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure the program is refreshed and relevant, that the speakers are carefully chosen, that the venues are suitable, and that everything runs smoothly. We have great support from the ANZUP team, our conference organisers YRD, and a very hard working convening committee. The 2016 meeting is no exception. The convening committee led by Ian Vela is well down the track of pulling together a great program. Our theme for 2015 was “Redefining personalised medicine” and I think you will agree that the program reflected this brilliantly. The theme for the 2016 ASM is “GU Cancer: Expanding Our Horizons.” This reflects the ANZUP philosophy very well. It encompasses not only geography but also the multidisciplinary approach that we embody. We will cover new science and new technologies; involve new people; and definitely look beyond the mundane and the familiar. Once again the Masterclass will comprise some great basic building blocks as well as stretching the audience’s experience and understanding. We have confirmed some outstanding international speakers not to be missed: Freddie Hamdy, urologist and Nuffield Professor of Surgery at Oxford; John Oliffe, expat Australian and Professor of Nursing at the University of British Columbia; Piet Oste, radiation oncologist from Belgium; and Dean Bajorin, medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Make sure you lock in the dates now, while you’re thinking of them, and encourage your trainees and colleagues to come: 10 -12 July 2016, not a bad time of year to be in Brisbane. Go and do it now. I’ll wait. Continued over...
ANZUP UPdate | 3
Message from the Chair continued The ASM is obviously the scientific highlight of the ANZUP year and has now firmly established itself as the premier genitourinary cancer meeting in the region. You might think that is enough work for any team, but take a look at what else has been happening in ANZUP since the last UPdate: Concept Development Workshops (CDW). One of our strategic priorities was to provide more opportunities for face to face meetings and time for thinking about new trial ideas. This work is happening all the time during the year, and pivots around the subcommittee teleconferences, but the luxury of dedicating a good chunk of time to thinking and talking about the science is priceless. ANZUP held four half-day CDWs in 2014 and these were highly successful, with several excellent ideas being generated from each workshop. Half a day was not enough though so in 2015 we put aside full days for CDWs in prostate, renal and bladder cancer (the germ cell group is motoring forward with several ideas and will hold their CDW early in 2016). Once again the workshops were extremely successful. Concepts were submitted ahead of the meetings and circulated for discussion, but each day also allowed plenty of time for refinement of these ideas and pitching of new ones. Each group came away with several new initiatives and these will continue to be developed through working groups and through the subcommittees. The ideas were not just restricted to the specific diseases: there was also substantial discussion about translational studies, quality of life and supportive care, and health economics. Watch out for these ideas to continue to be fleshed out and feel free to contribute to the discussions through the subcommittees or by becoming more directly involved. Hopefully many of the concepts will move through to formal protocols. The second Below the Belt Pedalthon was held at Eastern Creek on 1 September 2015 and once again surpassed all our hopes and expectations. The Pedalthon looks set to become a regular calendar fixture and should continue to grow in profile, especially now it is a Cycling Australia sanctioned event. A very important positive outcome from this event is the extraordinary publicity and elevated awareness it generates of the diseases we study and the importance of clinical trials. Suddenly a whole range of people outside our organisation are promoting these issues and contributing in a range of ways. We are very grateful to everyone who participates, not only by riding, direct fundraising and sponsorship, but also those behind 4 | ANZUP UPdate
the scenes who do so much to ensure the day goes so smoothly.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
The financial outcome of the Pedalthon was very positive. The ANZUP Board has agreed that funds from the Pedalthon will be directed towards a new initiative: the Below the Belt Research Fund. The BtB Research Fund will support up to four concepts to a total value of up to $150,000. The idea is that this funding will enable concepts to move through proof-of-principle and be able to be translated into future ANZUP clinical trials and to help improve the prospect of full funding support and completion. This is a very exciting new initiative for ANZUP and represents a whole new way in which the resources we raise are directed back into the activities of the group. We hope to make more announcements about this funding in the near future. Another new initiative coming to fruition is the ANZUP GU Preceptorship in Prostate Cancer, 20 - 21 November 2015 in Melbourne. The Preceptorship is an interactive learning model developed by Eva Segelov covering landmark clinical trials in specific cancers, with mentorship from experts in the field. Basically the concept involves identifying trainees who each pick out key papers in various aspects of prostate cancer for detailed presentation over a 1.5 day program. The preceptors help the delegates go through the papers in detail and work through issues of trial design, study strengths and weaknesses, and placing the research into the clinical context. We have had considerable interest from trainees in participation as well as valuable support from our sponsors, Bayer, Astellas, Janssen and Amgen. We hope to continue this initiative in future years. Many thanks to all our preceptors, particularly Eva Segelov who brings a wealth of experience from convening the preceptorships over the last 3 years. October 21 was not only “Marty McFly Day”, it was also the date of this year’s Best of ANZUP meeting in Brisbane. The evening saw presentations from Declan Murphy and me involving key talks from the ANZUP ASM as well as a great talk from Mohamed Khadra on innovation and the dissemination of information and research findings. Once again many thanks to our sponsors of the evening, Janssen, Astellas and Sanofi, and to all who contributed. ANZUP’s main mission of course is clinical trials and these continue to make great progress. The ENZAMET trial is
Message from the Chair continued now open in Ireland, the UK, Canada and the US, as well as Australia and New Zealand, and recruitment is going very well. The ENZARAD trial is also open in all those regions except Canada and we hope to have more news soon on expanding into more countries. There is considerable interest also from other US sites in both trials so we hope to bring on more sites and increase recruitment even further. The Pain Free TRUS B trial, an idea brought to ANZUP by one of its urologist members Jeremy Grummet, has now been approved by ethics and is about to roll out at sites across Australia and New Zealand. This very important study is supported by Cancer Australia and the Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia and has the potential to change practice significantly. Our membership continues to grow but even more gratifying than the raw numbers is the fantastic level of involvement of our members. I would like to continue to encourage you all to be involved at whatever level you wish in our organisation. There are ample opportunities to become involved in research or leadership roles and to contribute to the broad base of education, training and mentorship that we provide to our members. We will in the near future tick over 1000 members and we plan celebrations for that milestone when it occurs. No report is complete without thanking those who contribute so brilliantly to what we do. I am very grateful to our hard working board; our ANZUP secretariat of Yi Feng, Liz Thorp, Andrew “AJ” Tennant and led by the indefatigable Marg McJannett, our Chief Executive Officer; our committee chairs and deputy chairs and members; members of the Scientific Advisory Committee and the Consumer Advisory Panel; our wonderful volunteers Lesley Tinkler and Jo Stubbs; our colleagues and collaborators at NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, the Centre for Biostatistics and Clinical Trials (BaCT) and elsewhere; our corporate supporters, sponsors and donors; and I am sure I have missed many. Thank you for all you do. It is a wonderful privilege to be part of this group and to see its effectiveness and meaningful outcomes.
Concept Development Workshops (CDW) The two concept development workshops held in Sydney in 2014 were a great success. This year these workshops were extended to incorporate 3 full days covering the tumour groups renal, bladder and prostate. These concept workshops like the previous year generated considerable interest and discussion. There are 3 major components to the CDWS. First, all members are invited to submit a brief concept to be considered for discussion at the CDW. The aim is to encourage members to consider new proposals and submit an idea. This can be helpful for concepts that require broad feedback or further refinement. Younger members can also find this process rewarding. Second, submitted concepts are presented to a multidisciplinary group at the CDW including senior investigators, statisticians and health economists and quality of life experts. The resulting discussion is often wide-ranging but aims to define clear “next steps”, which might include forming a working party to create a protocol or re-defining the concept with the help of newly identified collaborators. Finally, it’s an opportunity for the assembled group to brainstorm- considering gaps in current knowledge and new opportunities. The first workshop was the Prostate cancer session held on 23 September 2015. Scott Williams chaired the workshop which included presentations from Shomik Sengupta and Lisa Horvath involving trials on innovative imaging modalities and biomarkers. The second workshop was the Renal cancer session held on 28 September 2015. Ian Davis chaired the workshop which included presentations from Craig Gedye and Ian Davis. Discussions centred around novel treatments as well as identification of gaps in surgical, translational and supportive care concepts. The third workshop was the Bladder cancer session held on 14 October 2015 chaired by Dickon Hayne. Presentations were made by Kath Schubach, Amelia McCartney and Nat Lenzo. It involved concepts in translational research, imaging modalities and nursing care.
I wish you all my very best wishes for the festive season and a happy and healthy New Year. Please enjoy this edition of UPdate.
The CDWs are not intended to replace existing opportunities to submit a concept to any of the subcommittees nor the brainstorming sessions held at the Annual Scientific Meeting. Rather, we hope that the CDWs will offer additional opportunities for concept development and encourage participation from the breadth of our membership. We plan to hold CDWs again in 2016, and would welcome feedback about how they could be improved.
IAN DAVIS CHAIR.
HOWARD CHAN ANZUP Fellow
ANZUP UPdate | 5
Meet Amelia McCartney 1. Why did you originally join ANZUP? As a trainee, it seemed like a great opportunity to get involved in cancer research, in a tumour stream that has always particularly interested me. 2. What are the most exciting developments you see in treating metastatic disease? At the risk of jumping on the PD-1 bandwagon, it’s exciting to see an emerging role for immunotherapies in GU cancers. It’s also been interesting to see our approach to prostate cancer challenged by recent trials such as CHAARTED and STAMPEDE. 3. How did you find your first concept development workshop? Once I got over my slight case of Impostor Syndrome, it was a great
opportunity to see a trials group in action. The group was very welcoming and inclusive. 4. You also presented, what are you exploring? My concept is based around looking at the role of the androgen receptor in the setting of bladder cancer, as it may represent a possible future target for treatment. 5. How was the experience and feedback? My idea was received very positively, which was overwhelming because I honestly didn’t expect it to garner that kind of interest. The feedback was very helpful; it’s so useful to have knowledgeable people look at a potential project and identify its strengths and flaws, as well as provide direction as to how to get it off the ground. As a trainee, it was also nice
Can you help us find the next great patient story?
to interact with such an encouraging group – it was not a “firing squad”type experience at all (much to my relief!). 6. Are there any next steps for your concept? With ANZUP involvement? Yes. I’ve expanded on some of the background preclinical rationale underpinning the concept, and it should go back to the bladder subcommittee for further discussion shortly. So – watch this space… 7. What’s something very few people in ANZUP would know about you? Very few people in ANZUP know who I am, let alone any deep dark secrets! In the dim past, I completed an Arts degree, and my honours dissertation was on William Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying”.
Have you read our consumer magazine “A little below the belt”? The Magazine is produced twice a year; and provides consumers, cancer centres, families of patients, corporate supporters and philanthropists with a lay understanding of what ANZUP does, trials that are open and recruiting, definitions of cancer and treatment terms, stories from our patients currently on trials and our fundraising activities.
The last issue had a focus on our regional and remote patients. We were delighted to be asked to send replacement copies to a number of cancer centres. Patients respond well to the educative nature of the magazine and also, in particular, the interviews conducted with our trial patients. Do you have a patient on a trial with an interesting story or passionate belief in the benefit of being on a clinical trial? Please let us know, we will look after their with discretion and kid gloves. We know patients take the magazine home and digest over a few weeks. Please consider having the magazine available in your rooms or consider referring your patient to the ANZUP website to read the magazine online.
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W W W. B E L O W T H E B E LT. O R G . A U
Pedalthon Wrap Up At the end of the 2015 Pedalthon, one of the young riders turned to the camera and said, “None of us likes cancer, so we thought we would do our bit, raise some money, beat cancer”. His pithy comments summed up what more than 300 riders were thinking. They were out racing and fundraising to help ANZUP members have a war chest to bring those great ideas to the table. This year the Pedalthon raised more than $150,000 which will fund the inaugural “Below the Belt Research Fund”. You can read more about this in UPdate page 16.
START YOUR PEDALLING! KAARLE MCCULLOCH WAVING THE FLAG
We missed having Simon Clarke in Australia in the lead up to the ride. Simon is currently living in New York. His story, however, continues to resonate with our riders and donors. They have a greater understanding of the importance of clinical trials research, which we hope will lead eventually to long-term partnerships with many of these organisations. This year we welcomed 42% more riders and 46% more teams. The weather was glorious, and sunshine bathed our riders and supporters throughout the day. ANZUP Corporate Supporters Pfizer won the Pharma/Medical category with a highly successful and talented team. The ANZUP team also performed exceptionally well. Thanks to Karen Bracken, Jaclyn Verghis, Marzena Kelly, Bonnie Laxton-Blinkhorn, Peter Grimison and Howard Chan for taking an annual leave day to ride for us. Ian Davis with triple gold medallist Kaarle McCulloch started the 51 teams on their way. ANZUP has been fortunate to have a great relationship with the NSW Institute of Sports Road Development teams. They have worked with our riders in the lead up to race day and on race day to ensure they have an experience like no other charity bike ride. Kaarle is heading to Rio next year and should come home wearing a medal or two. The Pedalthon is back in 2016 so save 20 September in your diary and make your way to Sydney!
2015 ANZUP BELOW THE BELT PEDALTHON WINNERS CUSTOM CREATIVE
IAN DAVIS, KAARLE MCCULLOCH, BEN KERSTEN AND BRAD MCGEE
HAPPY NEW YEAR ANZUP UPdate | 7
UPDATES FROM SAC & SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRS Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) The SAC held its annual open meeting at the ASM on 12 July 2015. It is a tribute to the flexibility and responsiveness of ANZUP that, even though there may sometimes be considerable gaps between meetings, we are able to respond swiftly and effectively when needed. For example, a decision needed to be made in the interim regarding a specific trial and this was able to be done by email even in the absence of a formal meeting. Many groups internationally are envious of our ability to work in this way and I thank and congratulate all the SAC members for their ability to work so effectively. On Wednesday 25 November ANZUP held its first face to face SAC strategic full day planning workshop. The aim was to consider how the SAC is currently working and how it could be improved to ensure it remains a valuable and productive resource and can contribute effectively to our research agenda over the next 3 years. It was a very productive day with good discussion and a consensus around some key outcomes and next steps for the SAC and Board to endorse. IAN DAVIS Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee
Bladder Cancer Bladder Concept Development Workshop The bladder concept development workshop development workshop held in Sydney on October 14th was a great success. In addition to formal discussion of the submitted concepts the all-day event provided an invaluable opportunity to identify gaps in our research portfolio and strategically plan future directions for trial development. Amelia McCartney presented data supporting the targeting of the androgen receptor in bladder cancer along with a concept outline for a phase 2 trial. Such a trial in partnership with industry or alternatively in collaboration with Genomic Cancer Clinical Trials Initiative (GCCTI) to include other cancers in which the androgen receptor may represent a useful target, are both possibilities. Shomik Sengupta proposed a trial utilizing FDG-PET in staging bladder cancer. Whilst clearly of massive clinical relevance feasibility issues remain for such a study largely related to funding and current PET availability at different Australian sites. It was noted a potentially superior, (though yet more expensive) agent Gallium-68 Pentixafor is becoming available. Kath Schubach proposed an ANZUNS led revision of intravesical therapy guidelines to be co-badged with ANZUP and USANZ which received universal support. Those wishing to input to these guidelines should contact Kath, Shomik or myself. The brainstorming session identified numerous future possibilities for the group including device assisted intravesical therapy and new immunotherapy agents in high risk NMIBC, addition of PD-1 inhibitor to Gem-CIS for advanced bladder cancer and the future role of theranostics, for example using the alpha emitter lutetium with Gallium-68 Pentixafor.
HAPPY 8 | ANZUP UPdate
HOLIDAYS
Bladder Cancer
continued
Currently Recruiting Trials The BCG+MM trial accrual has passed the 50 patient milestone and continues to recruit steadily. This is a great achievement considering the massive issues with BCG supply and many thanks to all those who continue to work so hard. There is a long way to go but with new centres opening and BCG supply issues apparently easing things are definitely on the up and up. The BL-12 Trial (Nanoparticle albumin-bound (NAB)Paclitaxel vs. Paclitaxel as second line in metastatic urothelial cancer) has recruited its first Australian patients and continues to recruit strongly in Canada.
Existing concepts, trials in development and grant applications RAIDER-B. Successful in securing a Cancer Australia grant, this international collaboration with the UK looks at different adaptive radiotherapy techniques in muscle invasive bladder cancer and aims to recruit 60 Australian patients over 3 years.
to support the next steps including precisely defining the minimum data set, identifying interested centres and supporting their introduction of the ERP. Ultimately, we plan to complete a trial with randomised additional interventions (e.g. a gut motility agent such as alvimopram vs placebo) within the framework of the ERP.
Symptom / Q.O.L Claudia Rutherford in collaboration with Manish Patel, Madeline King and others are developing NMIBC cancer specific and other bladder cancer Q.O.L tools with the potential to validate these in a number of ANZUP trials. DICKON HAYNE Chair, Bladder Cancer Subcommittee
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OPTIMUM – Inexplicably this key trial proposal scored significantly worse in the NHMRC assessment than the previous year. This is extremely unfortunate. The study has the universal support of the sub-committee and we hope to fare better with Cancer Australia.
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Andrew Weickhardt continues to work tirelessly to progress this Merck supported phase I trial which is planned to open at 5 sites.
Advancing Cystectomy Care – an Enhanced recovery Pathway Trial (ACCEPT) This concept initially aims to develop and introduce evidence and consensus based Enhanced Recovery Pathway (ERP) for cystectomy care. An ANZUP survey has been completed to inform the content of the pathway, which is planned to be introduced at multiple sites across Australia as part of a multi-centre audit. A small grant from WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network has been secured
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The Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate (ANZUP) Cancer Trials Group Ltd is a cooperative clinical trials group, led by clinicians and scientists who conduct clinical and basic research to improve patient treatment and care in urogenital cancers. Urogenital cancers are those that come from the urinary system and include cancers of the prostate, testis, kidney and bladder.
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Donation Envelopes While we all want a good outcome for our friends and patients undertaking treatment, we know not everyone survives. At this heartbreaking time, families are then required to arrange a funeral. We have recently heard a few stories of members being asked what a family can do at this time to support cancer research. ANZUP has envelopes available for funeral homes or the family to hand out at funerals. If you would like us to send envelopes to you or your patient’s family, please call 02 9562 5033 or email us anzup@anzup.org.au and we will have them sent via express post.
ANZUP UPdate | 9
Germ Cell Phase III RCT of accelerated BEP (plus translational sub study) Now open at 29 sites and 19 patients recruited. This randomised trial of chemotherapy with accelerated BEP versus standard BEP for patients with intermediate or poor-risk advanced germ cell tumours is supported by Cancer Council Australia and Cancer Australia. All 29 ANZ sites have been activated including all 4 New Zealand sites, and 19 patients have been recruited. We continue to work with the Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit UK (PI Dr Danish Mazhar), ICORG (PI Dr Raymond McDermott), and Children’s Oncology Group (PIs Farzana Pashankar and Lindsay Frazier) regarding opening the study in the UK, Ireland and USA. Our translational substudy supported by Sydney Catalyst is active. Our trial coordinator Annie Yeung, Associate Oncology Program Manager Nicole Wong, and ANZUP research fellows Nicola Lawrence and Howard Chan continue to work actively on this important study. If you have any questions in relation to this study, then please email p3bep@ctc. usyd.edu.au.
Updates from studies in follow-up “Chemotherapy and Cognition”: Prof Ian Olver and Dr Hayley Whitford have submitted an abstract on behalf of the study team to the 2016 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium for this study of 150 patients, which has prospectively monitored cognitive function in patients managed with and without chemotherapy for testicular cancer. Phase II study of accelerated BEP for advanced germ cell tumours: Follow-up is ongoing for this study, with an updated 5-year analysis planned for the end of 2015. 10 | ANZUP UPdate
Movember ANZUP continues to work with Movember on their GAP5 Translational Research Project, which is a translational project that aims to identifying the biological drivers of relapse in this cohort of men. It is hoped that the final research plan will give ANZUP and its Australian collaborators the opportunity to participate in this important research.
Current concepts in development Concepts in development include a study for stage 1 testicular cancer addressing promotion and patterns of surveillance and unmet needs, led by Drs Andrew Weickhardt and Fritha Hanning; a national germ cell database, led by Dr Ben Tran and Keen-Hun Tai; and a surgical study for stage II seminoma, led by Drs Shomik Sengupta and Manish Patel. ANZUP hopes to participate in the TIGER study, which is an international randomised trial of high-dose chemotherapy with TI-CE versus conventional dose chemotherapy with TIP for refractory and relapsed germ cell tumours led by Alliance and by EORTC, and are grateful for interest from Movember in supporting Australia’s involvement.
Call for new members The Germ Cell Sub-committee always welcome new members including trainees who will contribute to research activity. Please encourage your interested colleagues and trainees to join the sub-committee. We are a multi-disciplinary group, and we encourage participation of members not only from medical oncology, but also from surgery, radiation oncology, nursing, psycho-oncology, and basic science. Again I thank the efforts of investigators, staff from ANZUP and the CTC, and patients for these achievements. PETER GRIMISON Chair, Germ Cell subcommittee
Prostate The prostate subcommittee continues to generate copious activity. Firstly a big THANK YOU to all the investigators and site staff for your ongoing effort and contributions to the ENZAMET and ENZARAD trials. Both trials have performed extremely well with 379 and 146 patients recruited respectively globally, with the highest recruiters in the last quarter for ENZAMET being from Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Monash Medical Centre Moorabbin and Adelaide and Meath Hospital (Ireland). For ENZARAD, Auckland Hospital, congratulations and well done to you all! We anticipate recruitment to continue to increase in the New Year with additional sites coming on board in Ireland and the United Kingdom for both trials and in Canada for ENZAMET. Please promote both trials at your MDT meetings, consider rescreening screen failures and perhaps have the eligibility criteria on hand when discussing or seeing patients. The Pain-Free TRUS-B study will be activated shortly across several centres. This is a randomised trial of inhaled Penthrox in addition to local anaesthetic for transrectal prostate biopsy. It has funding through the Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme (PdCCRS) (Cancer Australia and Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia). We look forward to announcing it has opened in a site near you soon. We held a very productive all-day Concept Development Workshop on 23 September at Lifehouse in Sydney. A number of new concepts were discussed across the different disease settings. Several of these concepts will continue to be developed by members with support from the broader subcommittee. A summary document of the day will be circulated shortly. ANZUP also held its first highly successful GU Preceptorship in prostate cancer in Melbourne in November. The feedback from the ~40 participants was overwhelmingly positive, with pretty much everyone asking when we are planning our next one! We look forward to sharing a summary of the formal feedback once we have received and collated it over the next week or two.
Our membership continues to grow (overall ANZUP membership 961 with the prostate subcommittee standing at 323 members) with a diverse range of skills represented. I remind everyone to encourage any colleagues with a prostate cancer interest to join and contribute. I would like to take the opportunity to thank my deputy chair, Carmel Pezaro, for her support and all those members who continue to turn up and contribute to the prostate teleconferences. Finally I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season. SCOTT WILLIAMS Chair, Prostate Cancer Subcommittee
Twitter Did you know ANZUP is now tweeting to over 1000 followers? Our community are sharing trial updates and news across Twitter. We’re always interested in retweeting your thoughts, stories and insights with the rest of our followers. At our ASM in July our #ANZUP15 thread made over 1.2 million impressions in 4 days. Follow @ANZUPtrials and start communicating with leading professionals today.
ALL THE BEST FOR 2016
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Renal Cell The Renal Cell Carcinoma subcommittee met by teleconference on 28 August and 6 November 2015. The major recent activity was the Concept Development Workshop held on 28 September 2015 in Sydney. Several concepts were submitted in advance for discussion at the CDW, and the agenda allowed generous time for discussion of these together with “horizon scanning,� review of the current areas of clinical need and likely changes over the next few years. The committee also discussed a range of clinical scenarios including early and advanced / metastatic disease, the next generation of research in the adjuvant setting, surgical and radiation therapy scenarios, translational questions, and psycho-oncology concepts. It is very likely that one or more of these ideas will move ahead for further development, either through the Below the Belt Research Fund initiative or with other support such as industry or competitive grants. Please consider joining and participating in the committee to whatever level you feel is appropriate. We value input from everyone including those who might prefer to attend but perhaps stay quiet! IAN DAVIS Chair, RCC subcommittee
OUR PEDALTHON JERSEYS CONTINUE TO POP UP AROUND SYDNEY
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Quality of Life and Supportive Care Living Well with Prostate Cancer The NHMRC-funded Living Well with Prostate Cancer Project has completed recruitment of our 190 participants and follow-up is continuing until December 2015. This project is trialling the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) group intervention over the telephone for men with advanced prostate cancer. We are currently analysing the data collected on our participants during the baseline assessments of the project and look forward to submitting a manuscript detailing the results of this analysis soon. Cancer Council Queensland and Griffith University would like to thank all the ANZUP members involved with the project and all our recruiting sites for your hard work referring patients. If you would like any more information about the project, please contact the Project Manager, Melissa Legg, on (07) 3634 5191 or email melissalegg@cancerqld.org.au.
Sexual Wellbeing and Quality of Life after Prostate Cancer for Gay and Bisexual Men and their Partners The Prostate Cancer in Gay and Bisexual Men and their Partners Study uses mixed methods to gain knowledge and understanding of how prostate cancer affects sexual wellbeing and quality of life in gay and bisexual men and their male partners. The study has successfully recruited 124 gay and bisexual (GB) men and 21 male partners to complete the study survey. In addition, 46 GB men and 7 male partners have participated in an interview in order to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences. Additionally, 225 surveys and 19 interviews have been completed by heterosexual men to allow for greater insight into the specific needs and experiences of gay, bisexual, and heterosexual men to inform more targeted health care provision and ongoing support post cancer. Journal articles are currently being written to disseminate the results, with two articles now under review. The first of these articles examines the meaning and consequences of erectile dysfunction (ED) and other sexual changes in GB men and their male partners. ED, loss of libido, climacturia, loss of sensitivity or pain during anal sex,
Quality of Life and Supportive Care continued non-ejaculatory orgasms and reduced penis size were associated with reports of emotional distress. Many of these changes have particular significance in the context of gay sex and gay identities, and can result in feelings of exclusion from a sexual community central to many GB men’s lives. The nature of GB relationships, wherein many men are single, engage in casual sex, or have concurrent partners, also suggests that the relational context within which men negotiate sexual changes after prostate cancer may be different from the majority of heterosexual men. Researchers and clinicians need to be aware of the meaning and consequences of sexual changes for GB men with prostate cancer when designing studies to examine the impact of prostate cancer on men’s sexuality, advising GB men of the sexual consequences of prostate cancer, and providing information and support to ameliorate sexual changes. Our second paper examines health related quality of life (HRQoL), psychological distress, and sexual changes since the onset of prostate cancer. Predictors of HRQoL were examined in a comparative study of GB and heterosexual men with PCa using a range of validated psychosocial instruments. Compared to age-matched population norms, participants in both groups reported lower HRQoL and sexual functioning, increased psychological distress, disruptions to dyadic sexual communication, and lower masculine self-esteem, sexual confidence, and sexual intimacy. In comparison to heterosexual men, GB men reported significantly lower HRQOL and masculine selfesteem; higher psychological and cancer related distress; and higher sexual functioning, sexual confidence and ejaculatory bother. No differences were found between the two groups on sexual intimacy, sexual bother and sexual communication. Psychological distress was a significant predictor of HRQoL for both groups, with cancer related distress and sexual HRQoL also being predictors for GB men, and sexual confidence a predictor for heterosexual men. These findings confirm the impact on of prostate cancer on HRQoL, across a range of domains, and suggest that sexual dysfunction after prostate cancer may have a greater impact on GB men’s HRQoL, due to specific meanings associated with sexual changes within the context of gay sex. Through further publications, the implications of these findings for understanding GB men’s unique needs in the sphere of prostate cancer, as well as for service provision
and policy guidelines, will be discussed. The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and University of Western Sydney would like to thank all ANZUP members involved in referring participants to this study. SUZANNE CHAMBERS Chair, Quality of Life and Supportive Care Committee
Correlative and Translational Research Biospecimens (tissue and blood) for translational research continue to be collected from patients from several ANZUP trials: P3BEP (germ-cell tumours), Bl.12 (urothelial cancer) for future translational research projects. Collection of biospecimens from the prostate cancer trials ENZAMET and ENZARD also continues. A review of the collection process at ~10% ANZ hospital sites for each of these trials is underway. The ENZAMET and ENZARAD Translational Research Steering Committee had a teleconference in October with its members from different disciplines across the participating countries. Opportunities for ENZA trials biospecimens to join translational studies of several large international prostate clinical trials - E3805 and RTOG 92.02 were considered. This would be a valuable research collaboration in the areas genomics and androgen / metabolic / bone turnover biomarkers. Updates of these ongoing trials and translational research activity were presented at the ANZUP ASM earlier this year and will also be have poster presentations at COSA 2015 in Hobart in November. PAUL DE SOUZA Chair, Correlative and Translational Research Committee Report by Sonia Yip, Senior Translational Research Fellow and Manager; NHMRC CTC.
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Consumer Advisory Panel (CAP) Where did 2015 go… I keep hearing only 6 more Fridays before Xmas and by the time you get to read this report there will probably be only 2 Fridays to go. Since the last update which was after the ASM it has been a relatively quiet time for the CAP and maybe it is just as well as quite a few members have taken a well-deserved holiday. Community engagement: There will be another edition of ANZUP’s consumer magazine “A little below the belt” published before the end of the year with contributions from CAP members. As always please consider recommending this publication to your patients, family and friends should they be interested in learning more about clinical trials. We do get very encouraging feedback on the quality of the information and presentation, so it is well worth promoting. Below the Belt Pedalthon: One of the features in the next magazine will be lots of photos and an update on another very successful Below the Belt Pedalthon. Ian Davis, Peter Grimison, Ray Allen and I joined Simon Clarke and the ANZUP team, along with over 350 riders, to witness what was a fabulous day where we raised not only funds but awareness of ANZUP and the important work we do. Please consider marking the date, Tuesday 20 September 2016, in your diary and join Simon and the ANZUP team at Eastern Creek. If you haven’t watched the video clip https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=11Hl2icB_EY&app=desktop please take a moment to do so, you won’t be disappointed!! As you know as a consequence of the Pedalthon and the funds raised the Board established the Below the Belt Research Fund to support ANZUP members in their research endeavours. In line with ANZUP’s strategic plan there will be CAP representation on the grant review panel.
CAP membership: The CAP Terms of Reference (TOR) calls for current members who have served a 3 year term to reapply for a further term. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the entire current CAP for their contribution, generosity and support over the past few years. It has been a steep learning curve for us all and so enjoyable working with you. We are also very grateful to those ANZUP members who have contacted Margaret and myself to nominate potential new members to serve on the CAP. This process ensures we have a well-represented panel across all the diseases we represent and who are keen to attend and contribute to the sub-committee discussions. I am pleased to report we have had several discussions with potential new members and we look forward to progressing this over the coming months. 2016: We look forward to continuing to be engaged across all ANZUP research activities and projects. The CAP is also in discussion about how we can help to increase community awareness and engagement to support ANZUP’s mission. We look forward to exploring these ideas with the broader ANZUP membership over the coming months. Thanks and Happy Christmas: On behalf of the CAP we thank the ANZUP board, Marg, Liz, Yi and Andrew for their ongoing support. Also our sincere thanks to Leonie Young, ANZ BCTG CAP Chair, who continues to provide such fantastic mentorship and guidance to the CAP. I wish you all a safe and happy festive season with family and friends. I am sure that 2016 will be another fantastic year for ANZUP and we look forward to being a part of this. BELINDA JAGO Chair ANZUP Consumer Advisory Panel
Free ClinTrial Refer ANZUP App The ClinTrial Refer ANZUP app provides a current list of clinical research trials conducted in cancer centres in Australia and New Zealand. Designed for oncologists, general practitioners, research unit staff and patients, ClinTrial Refer ANZUP has searchable clinical research trial details, hospital locations and contacts, and inclusion and exclusion criteria. 14 | ANZUP UPdate
ClinT
rial R Austr efer al Urog ian & New en Z Canceital and P ealand ro r Tria ls Gro state up
Available for download from Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple. com/au/app/clintrial-refer-anzup/ id894317413?mt=8 Google Play: https://play.google. com/store/apps/details?id=com.lps. anzup&hl=en
Preceptorship in Prostate Cancer The inaugural ANZUP Preceptorship in Prostate Cancer was held on 20 November 2015. The Preceptorship program is a two day intensive learning course based on complete review of literature to understand the evolution of treatment for a particular cancer type, in the context of current treatment paradigms. Under A/Prof Eva Segelov’s leadership, Preceptorships have been successfully conducted in colorectal and lung cancers. This year we extended to both a new tumour stream and new model with multidisciplinary representation.
A GREAT TURN OUT FOR OUR FIRST PRECEPTORSHIP IN PROSTATE CANCER
The targeted participants were trainees and consultants in their first five years of practice, from Medical, Radiation Oncology and Urology backgrounds. They were mentored by prostate cancer experts from all three subspecialties; A/Prof Jeremy Shapiro (Co-Convenor), Prof Ian Davis, Dr Amy Hayden, A/Prof Gavin Marx, A/Prof Declan Murphy, A/Prof Scott Williams, and A/Prof Henry Woo. Participants were asked to identify learning objectives and nominate two seminal papers in prostate cancer. For their assigned papers participants summarised salient features of the clinical trial design, results, limitations and impact on clinical practice in five-six slides for presentation. Preceptors reviewed and provided participants with feedback on their presentations prior to the meeting. Every participant presented at least one seminal paper, followed by commentary from Preceptors and general discussions. Participants also worked in small groups with Preceptors to put together the evidence and come up with pathways for early and late stage prostate cancer management. All papers and slides were kept in a shared Dropbox to allow review of materials prior and during the Preceptorship program, and for future reference.
presented, covering a wide spectrum in the disease course namely screening, early prostate cancer, definitive treatment for localised disease, adjuvant and salvage treatment, metastatic disease and supportive care. In the ongoing post-preceptorship survey, all participants to date reports the program has met their expectation, with 80% indicating it was above and beyond expectation. The majority felt the program engaged them in active learning (38 mostly, and 57% extremely). 95% of participants also indicated they are likely to make use of the Dropbox in future. All participants stated attendance of Preceptorship has made an impact in their clinical practice in some ways, and for 29% of participants in a significant way. ANZUP’s involvement was instrumental to the running of this program with Yi Feng providing administrative support. We are also very grateful for the educational grants from Bayer, Astellas, Janssen and Amgen to allow this program to take please. Thank you to all participants and Preceptors this year for your preparations and engagement prior and throughout the course. We hope the Preceptorship program would be supported as a regular feature in ANZUP as part of educational activities in future years to come. YADA KANJANAPAN Medical Oncology Fellow Assistant Convenor 2015 Preceptorship in Prostate Cancer
There were 36 participants, 24 Medical oncology, 8 Radiation Oncology and 4 from Urology disciplines. Fifty-three seminal papers in prostate cancer were ANZUP UPdate | 15
OTHER NEWS Quality of Life Office Update The Quality of Life (QOL) Office is funded by Cancer Australia to provide advice and support to members of ANZUP on assessing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in cancer clinical trials. This year we welcomed MargaretAnn Tait as our new Research Administration Officer. For any queries regarding the QOL Office please contact Margaret on: margaret-ann.tait@sydney.edu.au
The 2015 Below the Belt Pedalthon was a huge success. The great efforts of all involved in raising funds have allowed ANZUP to launch the Below the Belt Research Fund. The goal of the new fund is to create a pipeline of new ideas to keep trial momentum moving forward. Up to $150,000 will be made available for up to 4 successful investigator initiated studies.
We have been working on a number of projects this year including a systematic review of modes of PRO questionnaire administration to determine whether mode of administration (pen and paper, electronic, phone interview) leads to bias or differences in response rates. You can find our mode of administration frequently asked questions (FAQ) via our webpage: http://www.pocog.org.au/qolfaq.aspx?category=2.
The 2015 applications were opened in late October and we saw an excellent response. 18 high quality applications were submitted by ANZUP members. A grant panel has been appointed by the ANZUP Scientific Advisory Committee to assess the applications and will include consumer representation. The applications are currently being assessed with consideration of scientific excellence, Significance and/or innovation, feasibility, alignment with goals and objectives of ANZUP (20%) and potential to leverage additional funds.
For further details, please see our published systematic review:
Applicants will be notified in December and funds will potentially be made available to projects in January 2016.
Rutherford C, Costa DJ, Mercieca-Bebber R, Rice H, Gabb L, King M. (2015) Mode of administration does not cause bias in patient-reported outcome results: A metaanalysis. Qual Life Res; DOI 10.1007/s11136-015-1110-8 We are also available to assist ANZUP members with PRO research queries via email: https://sydneypsy. qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eV85Bh9eW84R0ln
Wishing Sandra well Sandra is stepping down from her role at ANZUP as Marketing and Communications Coordinator. We were fortunate to have Sandra join us this year with her expertise and experience across social media, marketing and stakeholder relations. As well providing another key point of view to the small ANZUP team, Sandra was a crucial part of our event production and promotions. In particular, she helped us turn the 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting into the most successful so far. We thank Sandra for all her help, and wish her the very best in future. 16 | ANZUP UPdate
ANZUP at City2Sea The Sunday Age City2Sea was held on 15th November in Melbourne. Once again Belinda Jago and the Bec’s Troops team brought friends and family to the race for a great day of fun and friendship. Together they walked, talked and supported ANZUP by reaching their amazing target of $10K of donations. We thank them kindly for all their hard work to assist ANZUP’s ongoing research.
OTHER NEWS continued PCFA Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Training 4th National Kidney and Bladder Cancer symposium The 4th National kidney and bladder cancer symposium will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground February 11-13, 2016. The multidisciplinary Uro-oncology meeting is now incorporating testis and penile cancer diagnosis and management. The 2016 meeting offers an extensive Uro-oncology update. International faculty include Bernie Bochner, Alex Kutikov, Sharokh Shariat, and David Quinn. The program will cover:
On Wednesday September 16 the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia held a specialist nurse training event at the Rendezvous hotel flinders St Melbourne. The workshop brought in brought in PCFA prostate cancer nurse specialists from across Australia for 2 days of talks around aspects of prostate cancer management and research. ANZUP’s Kath Schubach and Carmel Pezaro both presented at the event. Kath spoke about sexual function clinics and provided information on how to manage erectile dysfunctioning men with prostate cancer. While Carmel spoke about the current ANZUP trials and how nurses can get involved. The event gave nurses from different environments from big tertiary teaching hospitals to small remote communities the chance to share their range of experiences. There was also a strong expression of interest in ANZUP’s work and a number of nurses joined up immediately. Next year we hope that PCFA and ANZUP will present the event in a combined capacity.
- A NZUP Update on evaluation and management of upper tract TCC - A NZUP cobadged session providing an update on latest clinical trials in GU cancer - S tate of the art sessions on testis and penile cancer - O verview of evaluation and management of Adrenal pathology - R obotic partial nephrectomy workshop with worldrenowned expert Dr Sam Bhayani - S ub-specialised Urological nursing program focusing on kidney cancer - Breakfast Uro-radiology session for trainees - G -U oncology preceptorship with David Quinn and Ben Tran - U pdate on status of current and future ANZUP trials For more information visit http://www.bkcs2016.org
SEASONS
GREETINGS
Award winner Pam Russell AM After a truly outstanding career Professor Pamela Russell has been recognised by Canberra University with the Alumni Excellence Award. This recognition joins numerous other awards including her Order of Australia received in 2005. Pam has a long and highly decorated career across prostate and bladder cancer. Pam has held positions including Professor of Medicine at UNSW’s Prince of Wales Clinical School and more recently the Head of Biomedical Imaging and Prostate Cancer Models at the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre in the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at the Queensland University of Technology. Pam has worked hard with organisations including the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, the Australasian Genitourinary Oncology Group and of course ANZUP is extremely grateful to have Pam’s input as a member of our SAC. We congratulate her on her award. ANZUP UPdate | 17
OTHER NEWS continued THE BEST OF GU Evening Symposium On Wednesday 21st October, ANZUP visited the Queensland Cricketers Club at the GABBA. Chaired by Associate Professor Henry Woo and presented by Ian Davis, Declan Murphy and Mohamed Khadra. More than 40 guests were treated to a night of highlights of the most relevant, cutting-edge research and treatment in GU cancer. Thanks to all the presenters, guests and volunteers who made this informative night possible.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
The One Stop Prostate Clinic opens at Fiona Stanley Hospital The One Stop Prostate Clinic recently opened its doors at Fiona Stanley Hospital. Previously operating from the Fremantle Hospital, the clinic was designed to remove barriers rural men face. The FSH head of Urology, and ANZUP Bladder cancer Sub-committee Chair, Professor Dickon Hayne said : “The introduction of these sorts of clinics in other countries has been shown to reduce these delays and improve the patient’s prognosis.” The clinic’s team includes a urologist who leads the service and the urology nurse who coordinates attendance and arranges the required follow-up. Any man living in a rural or remote area with either two abnormal PSA (prostate specific antigen) or a suspicious digital rectal examination result, regardless of PSA levels are eligible to be referred to the OSPC. The clinic offers an effective model for offering better health to men living in rural and remote areas of Western Australia.
Communication Review At ANZUP we’re seeking to improve our communication. That’s why we’re undertaking a review to improve the ANZUP website for members, professionals and the public. We’re also looking at interesting new ways to deliver information to our members through our member newsletter. If you have any feedback we’d love to hear it. Email andrew.tennant@anzup.org.au
Tell us your thoughts! How can we improve the ANZUP website?
18 | ANZUP UPdate
Is UPdate delivering what you need to know?
OUR THANKS
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Thankyou to our 2015 Corporate Supporters We are very grateful for the infrastructure support we receive from Cancer Australia however the funds are not sufficient to support ANZUP’s increasing research activities. In 2012 we established our Corporate Supporter program and are delighted that this program has continued to grow. Through this program we have made significant inroads to supporting and facilitating better engagement with our members. We welcome and acknowledge our corporate supporters and partners for 2015.
It’s FREE! ANZUP Membership benefits include: • Access to a multidisciplinary network for Urogenital and Prostate cancer researchers, including clinicians, nurses, psychologists, scientists, allied health and consumer representatives • Opportunity to contribute to the scientific and strategic development of ANZUP through its SAC and subcommittees • Support for the development of investigator-initiated studies
• Mentoring and support of young investigators across all our research activities • ANZUP newsletter UPdate and regular sector news updates • Discounted registration at ANZUP’s annual scientific meeting • Access to educational resources, workshops and seminars • Access to grant opportunities • Voting rights at ANZUP annual general meeting and other general meetings
• Other benefits that will be extended from time to time for members only Please join the group and take advantage of the many opportunities for training and mentorship. Maybe you’ll be a future leader of genitourinary cancer research, and maybe you’ll make the current leaders less crusty. There is no membership fee and membership does not need to be renewed annually. Find out more http://anzup.org.au/members.aspx
ANZUP UPdate | 19
Upcoming 2016 Events FEB 11-13 National Kidney and Bladder Cancer symposium, Melbourne Cricket Ground, 2016 http://bkcs2016.org/ APR 16-19
USANZ ASM, Gold Coast http://www.usanz2015.com/
JAN 7-9 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, San Francisco, Including Enzalutamide First International Steering Committee http://gucasym.org/ MAY 4
ANZUP Prostate Concept Development Workshop, Sydney
JUN 3-7
ASCO Annual Meeting, Chicago http://am.asco.org/
JUL 10-12
ANZUP ASM Brisbane http://anzup.org.au/content.aspx?page=asm-home
SEP 20
ANZUP Below the Belt Pedalthon, Sydney http://belowthebelt.org.au
TBA
ANZUP Germ Cell Concept Development Workshop
TBA
ANZUP Bladder Concept Development Workshop
TBA
ANZUP Renal Cell Concept Development Workshop
TBA
ANZUP Best of GU
TBA
ANZUP Preceptorships
10-12 JULY HILTON BRISBANE
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
2016 ASM www.anzup.org.au
ANZUP ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING
GU Cancer: Expanding our horizons “We look forward to welcoming everyone to sunny Brisbane for an outstanding scientific program!” – Ian Vela, Convenor 20 | ANZUP UPdate
