The COSA Urologic Oncology Group provides a national multidisciplinary forum for clinicians and researchers involved across the spectrum of urologic malignancies to come together to discuss initiatives in treatment and management and to develop collaborative basic and clinical research programs. The group continues to aim to be inclusive and welcomes anyone with an interest in research, management or treatment of these cancers.
The management of urologic cancers has changed rapidly over recent years. New therapeutics are available for kidney and prostate cancer and treatment for bladder cancer is also evolving. Even in testicular cancer, where outcomes are already excellent, new opportunities for collaboration and improvement of care continue to arise. The optimal care of all patients with urologic malignancies is best performed in the context of a multidisciplinary group comprising urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nurses, pathologists, palliative physicians, and many other disciplines within medical and allied health. In the past, many of these groups did not ever see patients with some types of urologic cancers; now, it is increasingly recognised that they all have very important parts to play. Consumers are playing an ever increasing and important role in setting priorities for research and use of public funds.
Opportunities and activities for the COSA Urologic Oncology Group
1. COSA Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) 2009
The COSA Urologic Oncology Group has had a substantial presence at recent ASMs held in Adelaide in 2007 and Sydney in 2008, with a very significant focus on urologic cancers. The 2009 ASM to be held on the Gold Coast in November will again include an intergroup symposium. We encourage all interested people to register, submit abstracts, and enjoy what will be an exciting and interesting meeting.
2. The Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group (ANZUP)
ANZUP is a new national cooperative trials group in urologic oncology research, funded initially by a seed grant from the Victorian Cancer Agency and now with funding from Cancer Australia under its Support for Cancer Clinical Trials Program . ANZUP has several active studies including three studies in testicular cancer (phase II accelerated BEP; aprepitant; Chemo & Cognition); the RAVES study in prostate cancer being run jointly with TROG; and the SORCE trial of adjuvant sorafenib in intermediate or high risk renal cell carcinoma being run by MRC UK. SORCE will be run in Australia and New Zealand through the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre and approximately 20 sites are involved in the study. Other trial opportunities are also becoming apparent and we will continue to place the group in a leadership position for these. ANZUP will continue to foster research ideas from within its membership and also look externally to collaborations with other cooperative trials groups.
3. Research opportunities
The Group encourages its members to consider ways of setting up collaborative research opportunities with other group members or to establish new external links. Subcommittees are being established to facilitate bioinformatics and tissue acquisition
Chair: A/Prof Ian Davis
For more details regarding this group or to become a member please contact us at: cosa@cancer.org.au.