The journey to becoming the 200th participant for the TROG 18.01 NINJA Radiation Therapy Trial has been a remarkably quick process for Raymond Terrace resident, Phillip Bambach. Phillip was diagnosed with prostate cancer after he visited his GP for a flu shot. With recent years of the pandemic, he thought it wise to keep up to date with regular GP check-ups. A routine blood test by a nurse revealed an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. This prompted his GP to send Phillip for further tests. “I remember the process being incredibly fast. I was obviously overwhelmed with my diagnosi ..read more

Introducing The NewyWay Earlier this year, we were approached by Newcastle marketing agency, The Marketing GP to collaborate on a gift that keeps on giving, in collaboration with Peaberrys Coffee Roasters. As we celebrate an incredible milestone this year of reaching 15,000 trial patient recruitments, we, just like The Marketing GP (who are celebrating their tenth anniversary), have a lot to celebrate and were honoured to be able to do that collaboratively.   And with that, we introduce to you The NewyWay, a signature blend of coffee created to help us further source and facilitate canc ..read more

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers amongst men, with one in six men diagnosed before their 85th birthday (Cancer Australia). In fact, in 2019 alone over 19,000 men in Australia were diagnosed with prostate cancer. The high rate of prostate cancer diagnosis in Australian men has led this to be one of our key research focus areas at TROG Cancer Research. Members of the TROG community have achieved great outcomes through radiation therapy research and are continuing to collaborate internationally to improve treatment options and quality of life for patients ..read more

Findings from the BIG 3-07/TROG 07.01 DCIS Trial (Radiation doses and fractionation schedules in non-low-risk ductal carcinoma in situ in the breast (BIG 3–07/TROG 07.01): a randomised, factorial, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 study) has been recognised on a global scale in leading medical journal, The Lancet.  You can read and access the full journal here. Presenting treatment solutions that will make a global impact Professor Boon Chua MB BS, PhD, FRANZCR, a world-renowned clinical and academic leader in cancer research and care, is Chief Investigator and Study Chair of the BIG 3-07 ..read more

Celebrating and bringing radiation medicine research to the forefront at our 2022 ASM After a hiatus from in-person events due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was great to come together for our in-person 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting on the Gold Coast. Hosted at the RACV Royal Pines Resort from 30 June to 3 July, our theme was ‘Emerging and Evolving’ and the line-up of industry-leading speakers and workshops matched the brief. We would like to sincerely thank Co-Convenors, Associate Professor Sid Baxi, Ms Hayley Brennan and Mr David Willis for their commitment to bringing life and laughter to ..read more

The RAVES trial treating prostate cancer Participating in a clinical trial, like the TROG Cancer Research RAVES trial, often means more than just accessing new technology that could increase treatment and quality of life outcomes. For people like James, it’s about using an understandably challenging situation to help others. “The way it was put to me is that I could potentially help another person in a similar situation by participating. And that is why I did it. If you can help your fellow human beings, why don’t you?” James said. Having not long turned 50, James thought it a good idea to see ..read more

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast is characterised by abnormal cells in the milk ducts which have not spread into the breast tissue. An international study (BIG 3-07/TROG 07.01) shows that after breast conserving surgery, higher radiation doses to the part of the breast where the DCIS was found, in addition to radiotherapy of the whole breast, significantly reduced its risk of returning in patients with higher-risk DCIS. Compared to 5 weeks of whole breast radiotherapy, the study also shows that the shorter, more convenient 3 weeks of radiotherapy did not increase recurrence. Today ..read more

With a pandemic sweeping the globe, it can be easy to forget about sun safety. But it’s a dangerous threat we face and being vigilant about skin cancer risk factors is important. It may seem easy to cover up in winter, since it’s so cold – but your face, head and neck are often still exposed. With preventative measures, however, you can reduce your risk of developing skin cancer. According to the statistics, in Australia and New Zealand we have the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. An alarming two in three of us will face a skin cancer diagnosis in our lifetim ..read more

Paving the way for success in prostate cancer treatment, TROG Cancer Research are helping to reduce common side effects and the length of treatment with the TROG 15.01 SPARK Trial. The clinical trial, led by Professor Paul Keall and Professor Jarad Martin, proposes the use of kilovoltage intrafraction monitoring (KIM) alongside stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to provide more accurate results when targeting cancer cells. With over 16,000 Australian men estimated to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020, finding effective treatments for pati ..read more

The situation around the COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly changing. Like many other businesses, TROG Cancer Research is adapting to this situation to ensure the safety and welfare of staff, whilst aiming to limit interruptions to our business operations. Some of those measures include: All TROG Cancer Research Staff are working from home until further notice, resulting in the Central Operations Office being unattended. This move has been managed by the TROG Central Operations Team without impacting on TROG’s service capability Due to the office being unattended, we have placed an outgoing message ..read more