The Neuro-Oncology Group provides the opportunity for scientific and clinical communication between several different groups interested in aspects of the management of brain tumours.
Basic science, epidemiology, and the management of adult and paediatric brain tumours are the main terrain. The group also has an interest in brain metastases and the management of other CNS tumours such as spinal cord tumours; along with the management of cord compression.
Membership enquiries
To become a member all you need to do is tick the Neuro-Oncology Group membership box on the COSA joining or renewal form each year. You do not have to be a member of the group to attend the seminars held at the COSA Annual Scientific Meeting each year. If you are interested in becoming a member, and receiving any emailed or surface mailed information then please forward your details with a brief request and your signature to:
The Secretariat
Attention: Vicki Newman
Neuro-Oncology Group
Email: cosa@cancer.org.au
You can also join online.
About the group
Current activities
Further information
About the group
Members of the group come from diverse backgrounds including neurosurgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, neurology, neuropathology, social work, nursing, basic science, palliative care, rehabilitation medicine and neuropsychology.
This embraces the management of CNS tumours in a multidisciplinary framework – now internationally recognised as the standard of care for patients with cancer.
One of the main aims of the Neuro-Oncology Group is to cross discipline boundaries, not only in clinical care but also importantly to encourage both clinical and laboratory research.
The group meets principally during the COSA Annual Scientific Meeting Program, together with the main members who organise the detailed program in the host city where the meeting is being held each year. Many members are also members of other sections of COSA and frequently also members of other international groups and societies. The groups also meet at the biennial GLIOMA conference.
Chair: Dr Elizabeth Hovey (medical oncologist, NSW)
Deputy Chair: Dr Kate Drummond (neurosurgeon, VIC)
Executive: Dr Anna Nowak (medical oncologist, WA)
Dr Meera Agar (palliative care specialist, NSW)
Dr David Walker (neurosurgeon, QLD)
Dr Kevin Patterson (medical oncologist, SA)
Dr Gail Ryan (radiation oncologist, VIC)
Ms Laraine Cross (social worker, NSW)
Current activities
Members of the Neuro-Oncology Group are contributing to the development of Consensus Guidelines for the Management of Adult Gliomas, under the auspices of the Australian Cancer Network, an affiliate of COSA. The guidelines, chaired by Professor Michael Barton, are proceeding well with the initial draft document now complete and hopefully, after public consultation, will be launched around Australia by the end of 2008 or early 2009. Thanks to those of you who have already contributed your time and expertise to this.
The neuro-oncology community was successful in late 2007 in receiving funds to set up a National Neuro-Oncology Trials Group which has been named COGNO (Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology). COGNO will liaise with the existing Victoria trials group and the NSW trials sub-committee as well as incorporating our colleagues in the other states. This national group will aim to help co-ordinate national research (both basic science and clinical research), tumour banking etc, and be a liaison point for international clinical trials.
COGNO is already collaborating with EORTC and TROG for the Low grade Glioma Study. Canadian and US neuro-oncology consortia have already expressed interest in collaborating with COGNO. COGNO liaises closely with the COSA neuro-oncology group (but is a separate group, so it can concentrate purely on trials activity and research). COGNO intends to have an annual ASM (which may be attached to future GLIOMA conferences and/or COSA ASMs). Professor Mark Rosenthal is the Chair, Professor John Simes is the Deputy Chair and Elizabeth Hovey is the Secretary and a wonderful large group of clinicians and allied health members have agreed to participate on the committees and as general members.
There was an inaugural committee meeting in March 2008. The first SAC (Scientific Advisory Committee) was held in April. If you would like further information, please contact COGNO’s Program Manager, Helen Mueller (cogno@ctc.usyd.edu.au ).
This year the COSA neuro-oncology group ASM will be held within the 1st Annual COGNO ASM in Melbourne in Victoria (more details pending) on Saturday 22nd November (which is part of a larger Melbourne “Controversies in Neurosurgery” meeting).
In 2009, neuro-oncology will be one of the highlighted specialties at the 2009 COSA ASM in the Gold Coast in November, and we hope to have a combined meeting between COSA neuro-oncology group, COGNO, and other interested groups.
In other neuro-oncology news, there has been STREP grant funding from NSW Cancer Council for AGOG (Australian Genomics and Clinical Outcomes of High Grade Glioma) which is a collaboration between sites in Western Australia and NSW setting up tissue banking and correlating databases. Professor Lyle Palmer (a genetic epidemiologist in Perth) is the principal investigator.
The GLIOMA 2007 conference was held in August 2007 and was very successful. Congratulations to Convenors Dr Noel Dan and Dr Lawrence Cher and the rest of their organising committee. Dr Susan Chang (a US medical oncologist) gave an inspiring elegant talk for the Hubert Stuertzl memorial oration on the current and future management of gliomas with an emphasis on new molecular markers and targeted agent. Dr Peter Black, our other international guest a US neurosurgeon, also provided a number of highlights. The free paper section demonstrated that there is some very exciting neuro-oncology research taking place in Australia with a number of presentations from the Kolling Institute as well as a lot of interesting neuro-oncology psychosocial work from around Australia. The conference was followed by a highly successful and well attended patient consumer day which Peter Black addressed as well as a number of local speakers who provided expertise on the day. We worked closely to develop the programme with Kaye Duffy, the chair of BTA (Brain Tumour Australia).
The COSA neuro-oncology group will continue to encourage funding for trainees to attend neuro-oncology learning opportunities, for example, the Hubert Stuertzl travelling scholarship (Schering-Plough sponsorship) which was launched in 2006.
We will explore using our new COSA website as a way for clinicians to get advice on difficult case scenarios, for example, medulloblastoma/pinealoblastoma/choroid plexus carcinomas. Visit the Neuro-Oncology Group forum to start or participate in a discussion.
The national group also plans to advocate/lobby federally for:
- Funding for national neuro-oncology clinical care co-ordinators.
- Federal funding for young patients who require nursing homes.
- Federal subsidies for families caring for patients at home.
Finally, and most importantly, for the national group to have an impact, we need financial members. Please consider joining COSA (and nominating neuro-oncology as one of your interest groups so you receive the relevant e-correspondence). There is no longer a limit to how many groups you can participate in. If you are currently a member, please renew your membership if you haven’t already done so. If you have any suggestions or queries please contact us.
Further information
For more details regarding this group or to become a member please contact us at: cosa@cancer.org.au