In this round, DCCC's pool supports, among other things, two new networks. One must increase collaboration within artificial intelligence, while another must develop and improve follow-up after surgery. Photo: DCCC.
16-03-2023
A total of 8 initiatives obtained support from DCCC in the first round of applications in 2023. The high number is a result of an unusually high number of high-quality applications. Read about the 6 activities and 2 networks receiving support in this article.
In the first application round of 2023, a total of 8 initiatives obtained support from the DCCC's pool. This means that in this round we are giving out a total of DKK 1.6 million. This is a record high amount. This is because the quantity and quality of the applications was unusually high.
Concretely, support has been given to 2 new networks and 6 applicants who want to prepare investigator-initiated studies. The initiatives range widely, and DCCC has assessed that they have the potential to increase national collaboration and ultimately help ensure that Danish cancer patients have access to the best research-based diagnostics, treatment and follow-up.
Read a bit about the individual initiatives that received support in this round, below. If you have an activity or a network that is current within DCCC's work, send your application before the next application deadline on May 7th. Read more about requirements, categories, etc. by clicking here.
New AI network will ensure that new knowledge benefits all cancer patients
Right now, many different research groups around the country are working to develop artificial intelligence (AI) in radiotherapy to improve the consistency and efficiency of, among other things, tissue drawing, treatment planning or quality assurance.
With the establishment of this new national AI network within radiotherapy, the focus is on the national distribution and use of the various AI methods.
The network will create a connection between the many Danish research groups, the clinical oncologists and the health personnel who use AI in radiation therapy, so that there is a greater degree of collaboration on both the development of the algorithms and the subsequent national validation, to ensure that the benefits of AI are best possible, cancer patients throughout the country will benefit.
Read more about the network and the planned workshops by clicking here.
New network will develop and improve follow-up programmes after cancer surgery
In line with surgical cancer treatment improves, more patients achieve long-term survival. The follow-up programmes after surgical cancer treatment have traditionally focused solely on the detection of recurrence. The purpose of this new network is to develop and improve the quality of the follow-up programmes offered to patients after cancer surgery. Across DMCGs, it is desired to investigate new methods of monitoring for relapse.
Based on the patient's perspective, the network will be used to investigate and discuss how patient-directed digital solutions can support follow-up programmes and at the same time monitor general, psychological and physical late effects through electronically collected patient-reported outcomes.
Can we get a more personalized follow-up of bowel cancer patients using ctDNA?
Patients with stage I and II colon cancer who are declared cured after surgery have only a 5-12 percent risk of recurrence. But with the current follow-up program, 30-50 percent experience treatment-related psychosocial or organ-specific sequelae.
Therefore, there is a need for better and more holistic, patient-directed follow-up programs that can also distinguish between the patients who have a high and low risk of relapse. A marker of that risk may be circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). By screening serially collected blood samples for ctDNA, relapse can be detected with both high sensitivity and specificity, whereby ctDNA can be used to tailor a personalized follow-up program.
The DCCC is granting support for the preparation of this investigator-initiated study comparing the effectiveness of a personal, ctDNA-driven follow-up program with the current follow-up program centered on CT scans.
New intervention to identify and help socially vulnerable breast cancer patients
Socially and psychologically vulnerable people are fare worse off than others when they are affected by breast cancer. They find it difficult to follow their treatment and experience a burden of disease. There is therefore a need to identify these patients to a greater extent and target support for them.
Therefore, DCCC supports the preparation of this investigator-initiated study. The vision is to gain knowledge about how we can change clinical practice to a greater extent support socially and psychologically vulnerable breast cancer patients in carrying out the treatment and dealing with side effects and late effects, thus improving their quality of life.
It will be the first time that a national attempt is made to identify particularly vulnerable breast cancer patients in order to offer them a special nursing program as part of the cancer treatment. Behind the application is an interdisciplinary research group from DBCG - Danish Breast Cancer Group
Can targeted therapy improve pancreatic cancer survival?
Almost 1,200 Danes are affected by pancreatic cancer every year. Only 11 percent are alive after 5 years. However, in recent years, genomic mapping methods have improved and new targeted treatments have been developed.
Until recently, there were no predictive biomarkers for personalized drug use as part of treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer. But in view of the aggressive course of the disease, it is now recommended in international and Danish guidelines to offer early genomic testing to all patients who are suitable for anticancer treatment.
However, it is not known whether targeted, personalized treatment is better than standard treatment. The DCCC is therefore granting support for the preparation of a national clinical phase II study that will investigate this. The Danish Pancreas Cancer Group (DPCG) is behind the application
Can ctDNA be used to assess risk when the CT scan is inconclusive?
For about 15 percent of patients who are examined for recurrence of bowel cancer (stage II and III), it will not be possible for the doctors to determine whether there is a recurrence or not. At the same time, we know that the earlier a possible recurrence is detected, the better the prospects for subsequent treatment. But can circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) be used to quickly and effectively discern whether an inconclusive CT scan should prompt further investigations?
If so, it can both reduce worry and the number of trips to the hospital for the patient - and save money for the healthcare system. Therefore, DCCC supports the preparation of this study, which will partly investigate to what extent inconclusive CT scan results delay diagnosis and treatment of recurrence for bowel cancer patients, and partly will investigate whether ctDNA can be used to provide fewer inconclusive answers.
Establishment of national infrastructure in preparation for CAR-T study
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is a new form of treatment based on genetically modified T cells. The treatments are promising, but also associated with high costs. Since in the future there will be a larger selection of cellular treatments that differ in terms of effectiveness and side effects, it is important to ensure that Denmark has an infrastructure to collect data systemically for CAR-T treatments.
This data is necessary so that we can follow the use of CAR-T in Denmark in the future, identify patients with a particularly high risk of side effects or lack of effect, and compare treatment results from different types of CAR-T. Behind the application is the Danish CAR-T cell Network (DCTN)
Nordic collaboration will prepare a study on a rare form of cancer and improve treatment
Only 90-100 Danes are diagnosed with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) each year. As it is a rare form of cancer, international collaboration is a prerequisite for obtaining a sufficiently large patient base for a larger randomized clinical trial and ultimately, improving the prognosis for PTCL.
The applicants wish to prepare an investigator-initiated clinical study via a Nordic collaboration, where patients will be recruited for the protocol across Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
The study will, among other things, address whether ctDNA can be used to improve treatment response and early detection of relapse and whether biomarker-based maintenance therapy can reduce the risk of relapse. The funds from the DCCC will be used for study preparation activities, such as protocol writing, planning meetings and a meet-up.