Comprehensive humoral and cellular immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination in adults with cancer.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted people with cancer. Initial vaccine studies excluded patients with malignancy. Immunocompromised individuals remain vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, necessitating detailed understanding of vaccine response.

Rapid Protocol Development, Study Startup and Enrolment of a Prospective Study of COVID-19 Vaccination for Patients with Cancer: A Collaborative Approach.

Background: COVID-19 is an unprecedented global health emergency. It has been highly disruptive for patients with cancer, both due to an increased burden of severe illness and due to pressure on healthcare systems. COVID-19 vaccination has been an important public health measure for this patient group.

Protocol for SARS-CoV-2 post-vaccine surveillance study in Australian adults and children with cancer: an observational study of safety and serological and immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (SerOzNET).

Background: Cancer is associated with excess morbidity and mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following infection by the novel pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 have been rapidly developed and proved highly effective in reducing the incidence of severe COVID-19 in clinical trials of healthy populations. However, patients with cancer were excluded from pivotal clinical trials.

The Role of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Colon Cancer.

Neoadjuvant systemic therapy has many potential advantages over up-front surgery, including tumor downstaging, early treatment of micrometastatic disease, and providing an in vivo test of tumor biology. Due to these advantages, neoadjuvant therapy is becoming the standard of care for an increasing number of tumor types. Currently, colon cancer patients are still routinely treated with up-front surgery, and neoadjuvant systemic therapy is not yet standard.

Neoadjuvant Therapy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: Recent Advances and Ongoing Challenges.

Locally advanced rectal cancer has a rising global incidence. Over the last 4 decades, advances first in surgery and later in radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy have improved outcomes, particularly with regard to local recurrence. Unfortunately, distant metastases remain a significant problem.

Use and outcomes of chemotherapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer in Australia.

Background: Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) is highly lethal. Combination chemotherapy regimens improve overall survival (OS). Historically, only one-third of mPDAC patients in Victoria received chemotherapy.

A 2020 update of anal cancer: the increasing problem in women and expanding treatment landscape.

Introduction: Anal cancer is a rare malignancy with increasing incidence, notably in women. This disease is highly associated with HPV infection and its incidence and mortality are currently rising. Most patients present with localized disease which has a high survival after definitive treatment with chemoradiation.

Medical management of metastatic prostate cancer.

Androgen deprivation therapy has an important role in the medical treatment of advanced and metastatic prostate cancer The treatment of metastatic prostate cancer is influenced by whether the patient’s disease has progressed on androgen deprivation therapy or not. It is considered to be castrate-resistant disease if the cancer has progressed despite adequate suppression of androgens Chemotherapy using docetaxel or cabazitaxel and anti-androgen drugs such as abiraterone and enzalutamide can be used to treat castrate-resistant disease. Radium-223 is an option for patients with bony metastases Metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer is now considered a chronic illness as the life expectancy of patients has almost doubled due to the new treatments.

Incident hepatitis B infection subsequent to the diagnosis of HIV infection in a Melbourne cohort: missed opportunities for prevention.

Unlabelled: Background The characteristics associated with incident hepatitis B (HBV) infection in HIV-positive individuals are not well described in the Australian setting. The aim of this study is to determine the characteristics of and risk factors for HBV infection within HIV-infected individuals in a Melbourne cohort between 1985 and 2011.

Methods: Individuals susceptible to HBV at their HIV diagnosis were identified using their HBV serology stored within the Victorian HIV database.