Clinical trials

The overall aim of the EARLY study is to systematically evaluate the impact of blood collection protocols, storage temperatures, transport conditions, and time to processing on the stability of extracellular vesicle (EV) biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer, with the potential to inform and improve future ovarian cancer screening practices. This prospective study will inform future screening studies by: 1. Assessing the feasibility of participant recruitment and blood sample collection for extracellular vesicle analysis in a real-world healthcare setting, including evaluation of the practicality and effectiveness of these processes. 2. Evaluating the stability of collected and transported blood samples and isolated extracellular vesicles during shipment and storage. A total of 1,500 participants will be recruited through community groups across Queensland, Australia, in collaboration with the Mater Research Biobank. Eligible participants who provide informed consent will have approximately 30 mL of blood collected for extracellular vesicle analysis. Data will also be collected on demographics (e.g. age and ethnicity), lifestyle factors (e.g. smoking status), medical, surgical and gynaecological history, family history of cancer, date of last menstrual period, and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Participation in the study will conclude after blood sample collection.

This study is a phase III, open label, multicentre, three-group, randomised clinical trial. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether intensive groin ultrasound monitoring (1) is effective and safe to replace invasive groin lymph node dissection (LND) to manage vulvar cancer, (2) decreases the morbidity associated with vulvar cancer surgery, and (3) is cost effective.

This study is an open label, prospective, experimental, randomised clinical trial. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether it is feasible to randomise vulvar cancer patients into one of two treatment arms:1) surgical groin node dissection (as delivered though either a sentinel node biopsy or inguinofemoral lymph node dissection (IFL), or 2) serial high-resolution bilateral groin ultrasound surveillance and clinical examination every 2 months for 12 months.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynaecological cancer. Current treatment of EC typically includes removal of the uterus and to determine the extent of the disease (removal of fallopian tubes, ovaries \& if required a lymph node dissection (surgical staging)). While lymph node dissection may be valuable to guide the need for adjuvant treatment (chemo or radiotherapy) after surgery, it has been a topic of controversy for the last 30 years. In some patients it causes morbidity, specifically lymphoedema. This recently has been replaced with sentinel node biopsy (SNB). It requires an injection of a dye into the cervix with specific equipment \& surgical dissection of the lymph node in which the dye first becomes visible. Despite this promising proposition \& similar to a lymph node dissection, the value to patients, cost effectiveness \& potential harms (e.g. lymphedema) of SNB compared to no-node dissection in EC has never been established. Aim: determine the value of SNB for patients, the healthcare system and exclude detriment to patients using a randomised approach 1:1. Stage 1 - 444 patients. Stage 2 additional 316 patients. Primary Outcome Stage 1: Proportion of participants returning to usual daily activities at 12 months from surgery using the EQ-5D which will determine when women in both groups can return to their usual activities. Primary Outcome Stage 2: Treatment non-inferiority as evaluated by disease-free survival status at 4.5 years post-surgery, as measured by the time interval between the date of randomisation and date of first recurrence. Confirmation of recurrent disease will be ascertained through clinical assessment, radiological work-up and/or histological results.

The main goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate dostarlimab, an immunotherapy drug, as a potential alternative to surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer with Mismatch Repair deficiency, a genetic cause for 20-30% of cases. The study aims to establish dostarlimab's efficacy and safety in early-stage endometrial cancer, exploring its potential as a non surgical option for those unsuitable or unwilling to undergo major surgery, allowing for fertility preservation or addressing specific health conditions. Participants will have seven dostarlimab sessions over 12 months. The treatment plan involves four cycles every three weeks, followed by a three-week break, and then three cycles every six weeks. This research is a promising step toward a new, less invasive treatment choice for patients with specific genetic traits. It expands the range of care options for endometrial cancer.