ALTG awarded $12 million in funding

The ALTG is pleased to announce over $12 million in funding has been successfully awarded to ALTG, NHMRC Clinical Trial Centre and the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre for the ASPiRATION project. In this ground-breaking precision medicine study, led by ALTG President A/Prof Nick Pavlakis and ALTG Scientific Advisory Committee Chair, Prof Ben Solomon, ASPiRATION will explore the benefit of routine comprehensive genomic profiling in 1000 newly-diagnosed metastatic, non-squamous, NSCLC patients in Australia. The enhanced genomic profiling will assist in personalising patient care by matching patients to targeted treatments as early as possible to improve patient outcomes.

Interim consensus guidance for managing oncology patients during COVID-19 epidemic

ALTG, together with various other expert groups, have recently endorsed an interim consensus guideline, available in Medical Journal of Australia pre-print. The guidance covers:

• risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease
• considerations for cancer patients who contract COVID-19 disease or develop symptoms of COVID-19 disease
• actions to consider phased according to the presence or absence of community transmission of COVID-19 disease and capacity of healthcare services
• suggested patient communications

The publication emphasises the need for proportionate, equitable and transparent measures and includes considerations for radiation oncology, clinical trial participation, palliative care and supportive care.