ANZSA Newsletter - July 2023
In this edition, we share with you all the latest News and Research Updates from the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association.
Message from the CEO of ANZSA
As we pass the halfway point of 2023, we would like to thank all the ANZSA members who contribute to achieving our shared goals. The ANZSA team continues to focus on delivering high-quality sarcoma research and clinical trials by working closely with our clinicians, researchers, and consumers.
So far this year, we have seen many outstanding achievements in advancing sarcoma research and awareness in the greater community.
It was great to see the ANZSA-supported study led by Dr. Mandy Ballinger and Dr. David Thomas feature in Science earlier this year. The new Australian-led study generated a comprehensive map of how the inheritance of genes may impact families affected by sarcoma, and ANZSA are proud long-time supporters of this study.
It has been great to see the ANZSA Sarcoma Guidelines body of work continues to grow this year with new questions being developed for via the SAC and CAP. The working party – chaired by Prof. Angela Hong – have recently released the second series of the guidelines, which features four new clinical questions aimed at informing the best management of patients with sarcoma using scientific evidence. Congratulations to the working party!
With this year’s Sarcoma Awareness Month campaign underway, I am happy to report that ANZSA has received great media recognition. We want to thank all ANZSA members and consumers who have agreed to participate in this year’s campaign.
I would like to remind all our members that our 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting registrations and abstract submissions are now open. This year, we will be hosting the event in Melbourne and online for those who cannot attend in person. More details surrounding this year’s meeting can be found in the newsletter below.
Our most recent Scientific Advisory Committee meeting gave us a promising insight into the ongoing sarcoma trials being held in Australia as well as new emerging trials, which will provide more treatment options for our patients.
We thank you for your ongoing support of all the work we are doing at ANZSA, we couldn’t achieve these goals without the support from the Board, ANZSA members, and the wider sarcoma consumer community. Lastly, we hope to see you all in person at our ASM later this year.
Warm Regards
Dr Denise Caruso | CEO of ANZSA
Annual Scientifc Meeting 2023
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Registrations for the 2023 ANZSA Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) on the 10th – 11th of November in Melbourne are now open! The event offers both in-person and online attendance. This years’ meeting theme is Using Data to Improve Outcomes: Lessons Learnt and Future Directions.
Event Details:
- Venue: Sofitel on Collins, 25 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
- When: 10th – 11th of November
- Friday: 9am - 5pm
- Saturday: 9am - 3pm
This is a chance to hear from researchers and sarcoma specialists — from Australia and New Zealand as well as from around the world — about the most up to date multidisciplinary research in the sarcoma field. This year, we welcome the following international guest speakers to our event:
- Prof. Jason Hornick
- Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School (Boston, United States of America)
- Prof. Ajay Puri
- Professor and Head of Department of Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital (Mumbai, India)
Register to attend here: https://aoa.org.au/events/cem-events/detail/7b2beef5-5266-46e5-8d6d-69dfd3e5934
Abstract/Poster Submissions
Submissions for abstracts and Posters for the ANZSA 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting have now opened!
Abstract/Poster submissions must be received electronically via the online form by midnight (AEST) on Friday 29th September 2023 and must include a declaration of interest.
Find out how to apply here: https://sarcoma.org.au/2023abstractsubmissions
Sarcoma Awareness Month
Join us this July as we work to raise sarcoma awareness within the broader Australian and New Zealand Community.
This year's Sarcoma Awareness Month will focus on Harnessing the full potential of real-world evidence in Sarcoma - Using the ANZSA National Sarcoma database to complement clinical trials. The topic focuses on the use of the national sarcoma database to address research questions that otherwise cannot be answered by conventional clinical trials.
The ANZSA national sarcoma database is a rich data resource to inform the landscape of sarcoma care in Australia. It allows the collection of sarcoma-specific clinical data covering diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes on patients diagnosed with bone and soft tissue tumours.
Following on from the success of last year’s campaign, we have once again partnered with Brisbane-based agency MediaCast to put together a media portfolio for the month. Already, we has featured in televised interviews, radio interviews and traditional print articles. Keep an eye out for any ANZSA features in the media for the rest of July!
Sarcoma Awareness Month Webinars
ANZSA has partnered with the VCCC Alliance to provide two informative lunch-time webinars focusing on sarcoma treatment and research.
Webinar 1: Early Diagnosis in Primary Care: A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Outcomes
- When: Monday, 17th of July, 1pm – 2pm AEST
- Speakers:
- Host: Dr. Jeremy Lewin (Medical Oncologist)
- Associate Professor Claudia Di Bella (Orthopaedic surgeon)
- Dr. Stephanie Webster (Consumer Representative)
- Dr. Meena Rafiq (Academic GP and Clinical Research Fellow)
Webinar 2: Advancing Sarcoma Research Through Clinical Trials: A Webinar on Current and Future Direction of ANZSA
- When: Thursday 27th of July, 1pm – 2pm AEST
- Speakers:
- Professor Jayesh Desai (Medical Oncologist)
- Dr. Jeremy Lewin (Medical Oncologist)
- Ms Julijana Todorovic (Consumer Representative)
- Ms Karen Lurati (Consumer Representative)
- Ms Sarah Cheung (Consumer Representative)
Sarcoma Guidelines
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The second series in the ANZSA Sarcoma Guidelines have now been released, adding new topics of focus to the existing guidelines. The guidelines working party have identified six new questions which include the role of radiation therapy, biopsy and chemotherapy in retroperitoneal sarcomas alongside other topics. The new questions being included in the guidelines are:
- Topic 2 Q1 - What is the role of radiation therapy in the management of primary retroperitoneal sarcomas?
- Topic 2 Q2 - Does multi-visceral resection improve outcomes for patients with primary retroperitoneal sarcoma outcomes?
- Topic 2 Q3 - Role of Biopsy in retroperitoneal sarcoma? Safety, accuracy?
- Topic 2 Q4 - Role of chemotherapy in primary retroperitoneal sarcoma according to histologic subtype
- Topic 3 Q4 (a) - Does the addition of high-dose chemotherapy have an impact on outcome of Ewing sarcoma compared to standard chemotherapy alone? in first line (a)? In relapse (b)?
- Topic 3 Q4 (b) - Does the addition of high-dose chemotherapy have an impact on outcome of Rhabdomyosarcoma compared to standard chemotherapy alone? in first line (a)? In relapse (b)?
The current guidelines development process commenced at the end of 2020 with full support from the board and the scientific advisory committee of ANZSA. The intended end users are health professionals involved in the care of patients with sarcoma from time of initial presentation through diagnosis, staging, treatment and follow up.
The guidelines development is an ongoing process and recommendations for other key questions will be released in the future as the working party continues to appraise evidence for the rest of the topics. This series will be updated as new evidence becomes available and at a minimum of every five years.
Find the updated guidelines here: https://sarcoma.org.au/pages/sarcoma-guidelines
ANZSA Sarcoma Research Grant Recipients
Congratulations to our four outstanding Sarcoma Research Grant recipients. These grants – which were made available thanks to Kicking Goals for Xav and Rainbows for Kate - are for direct research costs to improve early detection and therapy for sarcoma, supporting the best-emerging sarcoma research in Australia and New Zealand. Congratulations to the following:
- Ian Parish (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre)
- Carolyn Shembrey (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre)
- Minh-Son To (Flinders University)
- Angela Hong (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital & Chris O’Brien Lifehouse)
Please join us in congratulating our recipients! We thank all who applied for the research grant this year and we look forward to updating you on these projects accordingly.
New Consumer Advisory Panel Member
Introducing Stephanie ‘Steph’ Webster, the newest member of our ANZSA Consumer Advisory Panel!
Steph was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her pelvis in 2017, and completed almost four years of treatment including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy.
She is a strong advocate for sarcoma research and hope that by raising the profile of sarcoma in the community we can increase the allocation of resources and funding for sarcoma research with the aim of improving the outcomes for sarcoma patients.
Currently, Steph is working as an unaccredited trainee in Radiation Oncology and is hopeful to pursue a career in Oncology and is passionate about patients' rights and helping patients navigate the health system.
Thank you to our donors
ANZSA would like to thank all of our generous donors for their significant contributions and donations towards sarcoma research. We rely heavily on these donations to continue our work and we cannot be more grateful for the support we receive. Every dollar has impact and supports in high-quality sarcoma research to find a cure and improve outcomes.
T 1800 177 657 F 613 9656 5875 E contact@sarcoma.org.au W www.sarcoma.org.au