Evaluating the potential an innovative area of patient-friendly, non-invasive cancer screening.
The Daffodil Centre celebrates the success of a $3 million Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund grant to support exciting new research into multicancer early detection (MCED) tests, to reduce cancer burden and improve health outcomes in Australia.
The importance of early detection
Early detection improves outcomes from almost all cancers. However, to date this benefit has only been achieved through population screening for bowel, breast and cervical cancers, with lung cancer screening to be introduced next year, and a wide range of ad hoc tests in individual patients for some other cancers (e.g. melanoma, prostate cancer).
MCED tests have the potential to identify people with a wide range of cancers who do not have symptoms yet, by using a single test that snapshots many different cancer biomarkers. The technology is rapidly evolving, and the potential benefits could be game-changing. However, significant evidence gaps must be filled before MCED tests could be used for screening specific populations for cancers in a way shown to deliver more benefit than harm. This project is set to address these evidence gaps and may inform long-term changes in policy and practice in Australia.
Pioneering research at the Daffodil Centre
Associate Professor Julia Steinberg, Genomics and Precision Health lead at the Daffodil Centre and Lead Investigator on the new grant, said she is thrilled for this opportunity. “Our work will establish an evidence-based Roadmap with recommended next steps in MCED test evaluation and trials, to help maximise the potential of MCED tests for patient-friendly and more effective early detection of cancers. Importantly, we will set up a dynamic evaluation platform that can rapidly integrate emerging evidence from international studies and clinical trials, which is vital to keep pace with the rapid development of new MCED technologies. Ultimately, this work will help ensure genomics is used to optimally reduce cancer burden and help Australians live longer and healthier lives.”
She added, “I am also really delighted and excited to be working with an amazing team with diverse expertise.” The new research is a collaboration of researchers, practitioners, and consumers, including:
- Professor Karen Canfell AC, Associate Professor Michael Caruana, Dr Alison Pearce, Professor Nehmat Houssami and several other leading researchers at the Daffodil Centre, a joint venture between Cancer Council NSW and the University of Sydney
- Professor Jon Emery, the Herman Professor of Primary Care Cancer Research, and his team at the Primary Care Cancer Research at the University of Melbourne
- Professor Peter Sasieni, an internationally renowned cancer epidemiologist and lead investigator on a large UK MCED trial, based at the Centre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Queen Mary University of London
- Associate Professor Sarah Norris, a leading health economist at the Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, University of Sydney
- Associate Professor Natalie Taylor, an implementation science expert at the School of Population Health, UNSW
- Three Consumer Investigators who will provide valuable input on all aspects of the research, and Pink Hope (a national patient organisation for people at high cancer risk due to genetic predisposition) as a key partner
Professor Karen Canfell AC, Director of the Daffodil Centre and a Chief Investigator on the new work, highlighted that the timing of this project aligns with a number of parallel activities, such as a review of Australia’s Population Screening Framework and developments in risk-adjusted screening for several cancer types. “The paradigm of cancer early detection is changing and this study could be a key piece,” said Professor Canfell.
Professor Jon Emery noted, “MCED tests are in their infancy, compared with the successes of bowel, cervical and breast cancer screening, and the benefits of lung cancer screening in trial settings. This study will build the evidence for MCED tests and help to establish a framework for translating new technologies into policy and practice as they develop.”
Specifically, over the next five years, the new research will:
Provide an ongoing landscape and horizon scan of existing and emerging MCED tests.
Map potential pathways for MCED test use and subsequent clinical follow-up investigations in Australia, establishing alignment with needs and preferences of health professionals and consumers.
Assess the benefits, harms, and cost implications of various potential MCED testing scenarios in Australia, developing a dynamic, flexible evaluation platform to rapidly integrate new evidence.
Formulate a policy and practice Roadmap for future MCED test evaluation and (if/when evidence thresholds are met) pathways to evidence-based implementation in Australia.
Robyn Smith, program manager at Pink Hope, said “We, as consumers, are so lucky to have science creating better options and outcomes for cancer patients. We know early detection is key to better outcomes and tests such as MCEDs provide another potential opportunity for this – particularly important if you are a patient with a high risk of developing cancer.”
Planning of this work is now underway ahead of the formal launch of the study in early 2025.
