Post by Collaborative Centre for Genomic Cancer Medicine

Patients with neuroendocrine cancer wait a median of 9.2 years for diagnosis. A new $3 million national research platform aims to change that. "Those of us with rare cancers don't hope for better treatments from large, traditional clinical trials," says Therese Townsend, who lives with a neuroendocrine tumour. "PLANETARI will ultimately give us access to new, innovative treatments." "This is a cancer that is under-recognised and has been historically underfunded for research," says A/Prof Richard Tothill from the Collaborative Centre for Genomic Cancer Medicine. "There is a big need." Funded by the Australian Government's Medical Research Future Fund, PLANETARI will bring together researchers, clinicians and patient advocates to address unmet needs across the neuroendocrine cancer journey: • Understanding genetic risk and cancer prevention • Making an early and accurate diagnosis • Predicting cancer aggressiveness and directing personalised treatments "They have stories of where they were diagnosed with things like irritable bowel disease, or anxiety, or menopause," says Dr Emma Boehm, an endocrinologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. "But what they had was a cancer that's been growing for years." Spearheaded by A/Prof Richard Tothill from the Collaborative Centre and Dr Emma Boehm from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the initiative brings together Prof Michael Michael and A/Prof Grace Kong (co-chairs of Peter Mac's Neuroendocrine Tumour Centre of Excellence), and researchers at universities and hospitals across six states. The project was co-designed with NeuroEndocrine Cancer Australia, led by CEO Meredith Cummins. "This is vital research for a neglected cancer," says Meredith Cummins. "PLANETARI will change outcomes for our patients — in Australia and ultimately internationally." Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/g4UsPDvr #NeuroendocrineCancer #RareCancer #CancerResearch Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences