BRCA to the future

22 Feb 2018

22 February 2018

Researchers at St John of God Subiaco Hospital are helping more people identify their genetic risk of developing ovarian cancer as a part of the nationwide ground-breaking TRACEBACK program. 

The program, a collaboration between Ovarian Cancer Australia and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac), is aimed at preventing cases of breast and ovarian cancer - the most lethal gynaecological cancer - by identifying unaware carriers of the BRCA gene mutations.

Director of the Gynaecological Cancer Research Group at St John of God Subiaco Hospital Dr Paul Cohen said identifying this gene was particularly important as there was no current screening available for ovarian cancer.

“Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect, there are currently no effective screening tests, and unfortunately by the time women get symptoms their cancer has often already spread,” he said.

“This means for a majority of women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer it is not curable.”

Dr Cohen said some BRCA gene mutations could increase a woman’s chances of developing ovarian cancer from about one in 78 to almost one in two.

The TRACEBACK program will test tissue samples for BRCA gene mutations, and other ovarian cancer genes, from about 1,500 Australian women who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer over the past 15 years and who were not tested.

“This is important because it means that both female and male family members can choose to undergo genetic testing and, if found to carry a gene fault, can take strategies to reduce their risk of developing cancer,” he said.

“Furthermore, certain new chemotherapy drugs also work more effectively in women with recurrent ovarian cancer who carry BRCA1/2 mutations, and therefore the results can also have treatment implications.”

St John of God Subiaco Hospital’s leading role in treating ovarian cancer

Dr Cohen said a large number of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Western Australia choosing private hospital care were treated at St John of God Subiaco Hospital.

“Research shows women with ovarian cancer have better outcomes if they are looked after in a tertiary centre where they are doing research, more procedures and have the surgical and medical oncology expertise like we do at Subiaco,” he said.

The hospital has, over the past three years, been involved in a range of gynaecological cancer research including a clinical trial aimed comparing treatments for cervical pre-cancer and research that has helped to inform the TRACEBACK program.

“Over the last two years we have also hosted very successful BRCA information days which stemmed from a similar event I attended in New South Wales where women who carried BRCA gene faults spoke about the emotions and complex processes involved in deciding on treatment strategies to reduce their risk of breast and ovarian cancer” he said.

“That left a really strong impression on me and I was fortunate enough to have the support of the hospital, and Pink Hope, to host the first event in 2016 which sold out and had people flying in from places like Kalgoorlie to attend and then again in 2017.

“This year, the focus of the information day is changing to look at hereditary bowel cancers, but there will also be talks on gynaecological cancers as women with a hereditary cancer condition called Lynch Syndrome are at risk of uterine and ovarian cancers as well as bowel and other cancers.”