Several studies to investigate cancer have received grants. Photo: Colourbox
26-05-2021
DCCC grants 1.4 mio. DKK in total to 8 new projects. These will among other investigate proton therapy, brain cancer and the effect of nutritional interventions among patients with prostate- and rectal cancer.
Yet again, DCCC grants capital to project preparations and these shall advance cancer research - and treatment in Denmark. DCCC's Steering Committee has approved the 8 new grants, and with joy reports, that the national activities are flourishing.
The projects support DCCC's mission to improve cancer research and – treatment across geography, disciplines and tumour types. The professional level is high and thus high expectations are upon the DCCC funded projects.
In the following, you can read more about the 8 new funded projects. Also, remember the new submission deadline in September.
Multidisciplinary network for proton therapy for high-risk prostate cancer in a randomised phase III trial
Multidisciplinary organisation:
Danish Multidisciplinary Cancer Groups (DMCG), Danish Prostate Cancer Group (DaProCa)
Project description:
Proton therapy (PT) is a radiation technique with possibility to spare normal organs (primarily bladder and bowel for prostate cancer (PC)) better because the energy deposit from the proton beam is primarily in the tumour. With PT, we anticipate PC patients will experience less late side effects with PT compared to photon treatment. The project propose a national phase III randomised controlled trial (RCT) of PT versus radiation therapy (RT) of the prostate and the regional lymph nodes (LN) for localised/locally advanced PC patients combined with hormonal therapy. Data on morbidity, and survival will be collected.
When initiating such a trial, it is mandatory that all radiotherapy departments in Denmark will use same dose and constraints thereby ensure that the comparison between the treatments will be as uniform as possible. In the project, translational studies are planned and the project will depend on cooperation from all Danish Radiotherapy Clinics, both physicians and medical physicists.
DCCC has funded 196.480 DKK – funding towards preparation of this national and multidisciplinary investigator-initiated study.
Patient involvement in therapy of breast cancer patients according to the DBCG guidelines
Multidisciplinary organisation:
The Danish Breast Cancer Group (DBCG)
Project description:
The Danish Breast Cancer Group (DBCG) wants to fulfil the intentions provided in Kræftplan 4 on more patient involvement. Patient involvement can add valuable aspects to the work of DBCG, and thus all areas, where it is meaningfull, should be identified, and a strategy for implementing involvement should be made.
With the funding from DCCC, DBCG can arrange a 2-day seminar with members from 5 DBCG Committees, where meeting with patients is part of clinical work: radiology, surgery, systemic therapy, genetics and radiotherapy. At the seminar one will first explore where patient involvement is happening and learn from the experiences with it. The committees will present their strategy and identify the areas, where involvement is relevant (e.g. writing guidelines, shared decision making, planning of trials).
At the seminar, a plan will be developed for how patient involvement is going to be implemented, what are the goals and how the achievements are documented.
DCCC has funded 152.560 DKK - funding towards national knowledge promotion in this field.
Implementation of individualized treatment in patients with glioblastoma in a phase I / II clinical trial based on clonal mutations
Multidisciplinary organisation:
DCCC-Brain Tumor Center
Project description:
In recent years, research into the genome of cancerous tumors has led to the development of new targeted drugs against carcinogenic mutations. These drugs have improved survival in many cancers. Glioblastoma however, which is an incurable type of brain cancer, has not yet been able to take part in this development. The treatment and the median survival, of approx. 15 months, has been unchanged since 2005. The possible reasons for the missing development are many, including the fact that the performed clinical trials have not selected patients based on their individual mutations.
We therefore want to initiate a national clinical trial where, by using modern genomic analysis, we can identify patients' individual carcinogenic mutations and, based on those, select the targeted drug with the highest probability of increasing survival.
This trial will be a national translational collaboration between the country's leading genomic researchers and the 4 neuro oncological departments.
DCCC has funded 177.000 DKK - funding towards preparation of this national and multidisciplinary investigator-initiated study.
Post radiotherapy swallowing dysfunction and impact on quality of life (QoL) in patients with Head and Neck cancer. Rehabilitative swallowing interventions for the treatment of radiated induced dysphagia after head and neck cancer
Project description:
The purpose of the study is to research the treatment and rehabilitation of dysphagia after radiation therapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Dysphagia in patients after radiation therapy for HNC is a well-documented but underdiagnosed and undertreated condition. Patients are often at risk for severe symptoms such as silent aspiration, pneumonia, respiratory obstruction, malnutrition, social isolation and reduced quality of life. The treatment of dysphagia is a complex challenge. Support is required for the preparation of a national health and multidisciplinary study.
Financial support is needed for initial project and protocol meetings, where several different professional perspectives from the department of ENT head & neck surgery, department of oncology, and department of rehabilitation are included with a research group composed from across the country and thereto-free purchase for protocol writing and application for the National Scientific Committees.
DCCC has funded 200.000 DKK - funding towards preparation of this national and multidisciplinary investigator-initiated study.
Personalised radiotherapy for optimised glioblastoma treatment
Multidisciplinary organisation:
Danish Neuro-oncology group, DCCC BTC
Project description:
Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive and most frequent form of brain cancer, are faced with a very poor prognosis. Radiotherapy (RT) is, together with surgery, the cornerstone of treatment. RT is however still similar for the vast majority of patients, while it is more and more recognised that GBM is a very heterogeneous disease, also reflected by large clinical differences between patients. Personalising RT to the individual patient is thus expected to improve patient outcomes tremendously.
This national project aims to personalise the current 'one-size-fits-all' RT target. Artificial Intelligence will be used to personalise the target based on patient, tumour (including (epi)genetic markers), and treatment parameters, and advanced imaging. The resulting personalised target is crucial for further personalisation of RT dose intensification and modality (protons), which are complementing much needed strategies to improve the outlook of GBM patients.
DCCC has funded 200.000 DKK - funding towards preparation of this national and multidisciplinary investigator-initiated study.
Radiation-induced diarrhoea in pelvic cancer during curative external radiotherapy: The role of nutritional treatment
Multidisciplinary organisation:
DCCCs National Research Network on Nutrition in Cancer (NARNUCA).
Project description:
Approx. 70% of patients with prostate and rectal cancer who receive radiation therapy (RT) experience acute radiation-induced diarrhea (RID). RID has major impact on patients’ quality of life, can lead to pause or early termination of RT and chronic diarrhea. In a study with 8 of the Danish radiation therapy centers through our DCCC research network NARNUCA, we found, that patients with RID receive divergent and contradictory dietary advices. RID is poorly described with few details of type and severity of RID in clinical practice and in the literature. The evidence for nutritional intervention in RID is low.
We are conducting a systematic review to uncover the literature's evidence on nutritional interventions in RID. In patients who receive radiation for prostate and rectal cancer we plan to conduct two national studies to 1) uncover the frequency and characteristics of RID; 2) to assess the effect of nutritional intervention. The aim is to improve RID during RT.
DCCC has funded 191.850 DKK - funding towards preparation of this national and multidisciplinary investigator-initiated study.
Proton therapy of fragile non-small cell lung cancer patients
Multidisciplinary organisation:
Dansk Onkologisk Lungekræft gruppes radioterapiudvalg (Danish Oncological Lung Cancer Proton Therapy Committee)
Project description:
Today, the standard treatment offered to patients with non-small cell lung cancer is a combination of chemotherapy and photon based radiotherapy. Introducing proton therapy as an alternative to photon based radiotherapy holds promise of reduced radiation dose to the heart and lungs. This is expected to reduce toxicity and impact survival in fragile patients.
The Danish Oncological Cancer Group has identified a group of patients not eligible for standard combination treatment, due to large tumor burden, poor performance status or co-morbidities. For these patients we will conduct a randomized trial comparing standard radiotherapy with proton therapy.
To ensure the safety and efficacy of this trial, we will develop national strategies to ensure that breathing motion and anatomical changes are accounted for during the treatment course, thus ensuring the same precision for the two treatment modalities.
DCCC has funded 195.000 DKK - funding towards preparation of this national and multidisciplinary investigator-initiated study.
A phase 3 study of reduced-dose combination chemotherapy versus standard monotherapy (Gemcitabine) in elderly and/or fragile patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer (DPCG-01)
Multidisciplinary organisation:
Danish Pancreas Cancer Gruppe (DPGC)
Project description:
According to Danish and international guidelines the best treatment option in first-line for patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer is combination chemotherapy, whereas old and/or fragile patients could be offered Gemcitabine monotherapy. Randomized phase 3 trials show improved effect of combination chemotherapy compared to Gemcitabine, but these trials are restricted to patients younger than 75 years and in good general condition as the toxicity of combinations is increased.
As studies in metastatic colorectal cancer suggest that reduced dose of combination chemotherapy may be better than monotherapy for elderly and frail patients, we hypothesize that a reduced dose of combination chemotherapy may improve results in elderly or frail patients with pancreatic cancer as well.
The primary endpoints of this DPCG-initiated study will be overall survival and patient-reported outcome.
DCCC has funded 158.838 DKK - funding towards preparation of this national and multidisciplinary investigator-initiated study.