FED: Largest ovarian cancer study set to begin
By Judy Skatssoon, National Medical Writer
SYDNEY, Feb 11 AAP - Cancer experts from around the country are collaborating on Australia'slargest ever study of ovarian cancer.
The three-pronged project, set to begin after approval and funding was finalised earlierthis year, will focus on lifestyle, genetic factors and treatment in a major assault onthe disease which kills 800 Australian women each year.
One of the chief investigators, Dr Anna deFazio of the Millennium Institute at WestmeadHospital, said a key component involved creating a genetic profile of the tumours of 1,000women.
The information will be compiled by researchers at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum CancerInstitute using a sophisticated technology known as cDNA array analysis.
The analysis enables researchers to look at the expression of thousands of genes atany one time, learning which genes are turned on or off in a particular tumour in responseto various forms of treatment.
"What we'll be looking for will be patterns of gene expression so we'll know whichpatients did well and which ones did poorly on a particular treatment," she said.
"We're looking for a signature that might predict whether a tumour will respond totherapy or not."
The procedure had already been used in other cancers including breast cancer, Dr deFazio said.
Blood, urine and tissue samples would also be collected and would be stored as a resourcefor local and international researchers, Dr deFazio said.
Meanwhile, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research will scrutinise lifestyle,diet and environmental factors affecting 2,000 women from across Australia to determinerisk factors and possible prevention.
The research would build on previous work by the QIMR, including a study suggestingwomen who have their last baby after the age of 30 decrease their chances of developingovarian cancer.
A third arm, led by Westmead Hospital and backed for $520,000 by Australian cancercouncils, will involve a clinical follow-up of patients to track how they respond to treatmentand survival rates.
The various arms would be brought together to provide for the first time a comprehensivepicture of the disease, Dr deFazio said.
"By having all those three aspects we'll be able to answer a lot of questions raisedabout ovarian cancer - about the risk factors, about whether we can predict outcome oftreatment, as well as whether there are any genetically inherited predisposition genes,"
she said.
The US is contributing $US2 million ($A3.39 million) towards the project from its Congressionally-DirectedMedical Research Program (CDMRP).
AAP jjs/mg/br
KEYWORD: OVARIAN STUDY
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