A message from the CEO, Margaret McJannett ANZUP is a cancer cooperative trials group whose mission is to conduct clinical trial research to improve treatment and outcomes for people affected by bladder, kidney, testicular, penile and prostate cancer. This group of cancers are called urogenital cancers, but we refer to them as below the belt cancers. Despite the ongoing challenges of outbreaks and snap lockdowns due to COVID-19, ANZUP has remained committed to conducting high quality below the belt cancer trials and research. The need for improved cancer treatments and outcomes does not stop. And just as we did last year when the pandemic first reared its ugly head, we have continued to be responsive to the health advice and adjust our trials operations and plans in order to maintain productivity, while always ensuring the health and wellbeing of our ANZUP team, members and our trial participants. We have continued with our virtual Zoom meetings allowing us to host our pipeline of innovative concept development workshops and meetings. We held the second virtual fundraising event, #YourWay, which saw 146 participants around Australia and New Zealand move anywhere, anyway and at any time throughout the month of May. We are very grateful to all our generous donors, raising over $75,000 which will be directed to supporting our pipeline of future clinical trials via the Below the Belt Research Fund https://anzup.org.au/ awards-and-grants/below-the-belt-research-fund/. Due to the current situation we have been forced to move our face to face annual conference in July to a virtual meeting in October. We also made the difficult decision to postpone our Melbourne Pedalthon cycling fundraising event but are keeping our fingers crossed our Sydney Pedalthon will still go ahead later in the year. But most importantly, throughout all the ups and downs, we have continued to develop and are soon to open some exciting new research studies which are keeping us extremely busy.
The first is a research project, CLIMATE, which focusses on testicular cancer. Micro-ribonucleic acid (miRNA), is a blood test under investigation which evaluates a protein commonly found in testicular cancer. Early studies have found that miRNA is detectable in blood samples of men who have known testicular cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role for miRNA in predicting the risk of cancer recurrence following orchidectomy (surgical removal of one or both testicles) in men who do not have any additional treatment. If the protein is found following testicular cancer surgery it will indicate if further treatment, or a watch and wait approach, will be necessary. The second is a trial which also focusses on a blood protein – but this time in prostate cancer. The GUIDE trial aims to show that some men may be able to have breaks in treatment rather than having chemotherapy continuously, which is currently the standard of care. EVOLUTION is another new prostate cancer trial. This trial is combining radionuclide therapy with immunotherapy and be given to patients who are no longer responding to hormone therapy. The study is supported by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Removing the kidney (or part of a kidney) by surgery is currently the best treatment if you have kidney cancer. Our next new trial, RAMPART will investigate if taking one drug (durvalumab) or a combination of two drugs (durvalumab and tremelimumab) can prevent or delay kidney cancer coming back following surgery. All our existing trials have continued and some have reached important milestones. The DASL-HiCAP trial, which only opened last year (during COVID-19), is a new cancer trial for treatment of men with high risk, clinically localised prostate cancer. Even with COVID-19 restrictions and challenges worldwide, we are delighted that this ANZUP led international trial has now opened in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and most recently, Ireland, the UK and USA.
A LITTLE BELOW THE BELT 7
