GI Cancer Institute

Our key priority is to undertake research to improve patient care and medical practice in the treatment of Gastro-Intestinal (GI) cancer. 

GI cancers are cancers that affect the digestive system. This includes cancer of the oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, large and small bowel, rectum and anus.

At the GI Cancer Institute we put patients with GI cancer at the centre of our research, saving and improving lives by accelerating the pace of discoveries that lead to cures.

Our dedicated group of research and health professionals translate bold new ideas in to life-saving clinical trials that help those patients as quickly as possible.

Treating GI cancer is often very complex and, usually, requires a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and specialist drugs (chemotherapy). Clinical trials can improve patient care by evaluating which combination of treatments will work best for particular cancers and groups of people.

Conducting clinical trials in Australia means those patients in Australia can access the latest treatments three to five years earlier than if those trials were conducted overseas. Major advances in treating GI cancers and improving patient quality of life are possible as a result of clinical trials.

The 57 clinical trials conducted since 1991 have involved over 4,000 participants treated at 90 sites in Australia, 8 sites in New Zealand and over 90 sites located across Asia, Europe and North America.

Our research and clinical trials are not about laboratories and test tubes – they are about real people fighting disease and getting access to the most effective treatments.

Here are some of the clinical trials we are working on:

MASTERPLAN

The five year survival for patients with pancreatic cancer is 8%. Pancreatic Cancer also has the fifth highest incidence of cancer related mortality.

MASTERPLAN investigates whether Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SBRT) in addition to modern chemotherapy is superior to the current standard of chemotherapy alone in both the neoadjuvant and definitive setting. An important component of MASTERPLAN is to incorporate high quality tissue collection to facilitate future molecular and genetic research.

SBRT enables safe radiotherapy dose escalation that increases tumour cell death, while minimising dose and toxicity to surrounding normal tissues. It is possible that this treatment may prevent tumour growth or increase chances of successful surgery.

OXTOX

Neuropathy is a side effect from Oxaliplatin, a chemotherapy used to treat advanced colorectal cancer. Patients experience pins and needles and pain in their hands and feet. This study will investigate if the tablet ibudilast could prevent and treat neurotoxicity, meaning that patients will not suffer from as much neuropathy. As well as improving their quality of life, it could enable them to have more chemotherapy and improve their survival.

METASTATIC COLORECTAL CANCER STUDY

This study will enrol 30 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have exhausted all other treatment options. A variety of well-established and new therapies will be tested on the organoids, in order to find any effective treatments that can be offered.

This study will test a new development in personalised bowel cancer treatment that could give hope to people who have no other options.

DYNAMIC-III

This trial has the potential to enable more fast and accurate cancer detection.

The DYNAMIC-III trial investigates the effectiveness of cancer detection by observing whether circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is present in a patient’s blood. When a tumour is present in the body, fragments of its DNA break off and circulate through the bloodstream. If ctDNA can be used to screen for the presence of a tumour, it could mean that cancer can be detected without the need for a biopsy.

This trial specifically examines how detection of ctDNA could be used to improve the treatment of patients with stage III colon cancer. This trial could determine whether patients with an absence of ctDNA after surgery can forgo stronger courses of chemotherapy.

To find out more about our research visit: https://gicancer.org.au/community-clinical-trials/

DR LORRAINE CHANTRILL – CHAIR

PROF NIALL TEBBUTT – DEPUTY CHAIR & TREASURER

PROF TREVOR LEONG – COMPANY SECRETARY

PROF TIM PRICE

MR DAN KENT

MS CHRISTINE MCNAMEE LIDDY AO

MR MICHAEL GORDON

PROF STEPHEN ACKLAND

PROFESSOR ANDREW BARBOUR

MS LIZ THORPE

Leaving a gift in your Will, whether large or small, can make a real difference in improving treatment and life outcomes for those with GI Cancer. A gift in your Will enables cutting edge research into new treatments that will benefit GI cancer patients and their families beyond your lifetime.

To find out more about leaving a gift in your Will to GI cancer research, contact Nicky Lancaster on 02 9562 5098 or email nicky@gicancer.org.au. 

One of our greatest challenges is lack of Government funding. Your support is vital in funding our research. Any donation, no matter what size, will help us to conduct our clinical trials and lead to better health outcomes for the 28,900 Australian patients diagnosed with GI cancer each year.

Please donate today.

Consider taking on a Gutsy Challenge fundraiser! Take part in an individual run or walk challenge, shave your head or host a dinner. Funds raised from your Gutsy Challenge will help fund our vital clinical trials research. To find out more contact Melanie: melanie@gicancer.org.au or visit our Gutsy Challenge page!