The University of Newcastle has been awarded a $595,000 grant by the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) to continue its work on early detection of the disease.
Professor Pradeep Tanwar, Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Cancer Institute NSW Career Development Fellow, is group leader of the University of Newcastle’s gynaecology oncology program, whose research aims to establish methods for detection of early-stage ovarian cancer.
The team hopes this will be achieved through developing a novel biomarker into a blood test.
The technology will “provide GPs, who are the first point of contact for patients” with “some sort of tool to rule out if a patient has ovarian cancer or not. Once they suspect a patient has, this person can be referred to a specialist for confirmation and treatment,” Professor Tanwar said.
At the moment, there is no effective technology that can achieve early detection, and Professor Tanwar says development will “take time”.
While their current patented test has “already tested the blood samples of 30 women”, the new funding will enable the team to expand their patient cohort.
“We will collect blood tests from women who were diagnosed, and women who don’t have cancer but have other kinds of disease or gynaecological disorders. This will confirm our test is picking up ovarian cancer specifically and not misdiagnosing,” he said.
The State of the Nation Research Audit, commissioned by the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation OCRF in 2020, found that a reliable and accurate early detection test could save 1.3 million lives over the next decade.
The OCRF was “thrilled” to be supporting this research, but securing the grant was no easy feat, Professor Tanwar said.
“We’re very grateful we were one of the two teams selected nationally. [The grant] was highly competitive, so it has been recognition for the work that is done here in Hunter, and recognition for the team at the university.
“It goes to show the work we do here is top notch. Even though we are a regional university, we do well in cancer research, women’s health problems” and other science faculties, he said.
Professor Tanwar said the impacts of the disease hit especially close to home here in the Hunter.
“The Hunter is a prime location for ovarian cancer research because we have almost a base of one million patients covered by John Hunter. We have a lot of women and their relatives who live in this area, so we’re able to study patients who have a family history of cancer.”
Nationally, ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer. Some 1400 Australian women are diagnosed with the disease every year. Two-thirds of these women won’t survive because the symptoms are difficult to recognise, resulting in late diagnoses.
Professor Tanwar described the disease as a “silent killer”, and he hopes to improve outcomes for those affected.
While a team of 15 researchers has been working at the University of Newcastle, Professor Tanwar said the study involved experts from all across the Hunter, and wider Australia.
Clinicians at John Hunter and Calvary Mater hospitals have been involved locally, and Professor Tanwar’s team has been supported by a group in Melbourne, who designs the physical aspects of the test such as “what it will look like” and storage logistics such as “its stability at room temperature”.
“It’s an advanced disciplinary team effort. People from different areas of expertise are coming together to work on a problem.”
Professor Tanwar also recognised the contribution of the wider Hunter community, saying research wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for the culmination of efforts by local sources.
“A lot of the early work was supported by community donations as well as funding from various local organisations,” he said.
Almost $1.3M has already been committed by the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, who Professor Tanwar said had “been a really great supporter of the university” and who “are very heavily invested” in the study.
“Investment from the State Government and local community and charities leads to national funding, which pushes the project and research forward.”
Research for the project has stalled significantly as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns across the Hunter.
It has not only caused delays in patient recruitment, it has limited access to the lab due to University of Newcastle closures.
Once the study fully recommences, “the goal is to finish this cohort of patients in three months and see what the data says. Then we’ll do a national study, so naturally we will test across other states and cover other geographical locations, which leads to international studies and this leads to approvals.”
Professor Tanwar said community awareness was critical, as one of the greatest challenges of ovarian cancer is the lack of community awareness surrounding the disease.
“A majority of patients who get diagnosed with ovarian cancer have never heard of it, so naturally it’s quite a shock. It’s only after diagnosis that these women and their families start reading up on what ovarian cancer is.”
Gaining an awareness of the disease would ensure women didn’t ignore it if they experienced symptoms, Professor Tanwar said.
“If [women] know about it they’re more likely to ask their GP to examine for it. Awareness is important for diagnosis and prevention.”
For more information on ovarian cancer, visit the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation’s website.