Project 2: Exploring the real-world impact of new diagnostic and therapeutic developments in lung cancer

We have entered an exciting new era in cancer therapies, where individualised therapies for specific tumour gene changes and therapies that mobilise the patient’s immune system against a tumour are becoming commonplace. In lung cancer, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (for certain EGFR gene mutations and ALK gene translocations) and PD-L1 inhibitors (immunotherapy agents such as nivolumab, pembrolizumab) are making a huge impact on survival and quality of life for some patients. The Victorian Lung Cancer Registry (VLCR) at Monash University is a clinical quality registry that has been collecting diagnosis, treatment and survival data (and some quality of life data) on a large proportion of Victorians with lung cancer since 2011 and has amassed thousands of patient records. In recent years, VLCR has included data on the molecular testing results of lung cancers (for EGFR, ALK and PD-L1) and the use of targeted therapies and immunotherapies. An opportunity exists to enhance and analyse the existing data, and explore the impact of molecular testing and targeted therapies on survival from lung cancer.

Applicants please note: Although this proposal relates to molecular pathology and immunotherapies, this is NOT laboratory research or clinical trial work – we are a health services research team focused on observing and measuring quality of care in different cancer streams, and linking these with patient outcomes.

Please contact Margaret Brand to apply for this honours project.

Phone 03 (9903 0206) Email:  margaret.brand@monash.edu