Joondalup Health Campus joins global trial targeting stage 4 endometrial cancer

A new clinical trial that Joondalup Health Campus is taking part in could change the way stage 4 endometrial cancer is treated in Australia.

The hospital is participating in a global study aimed at improving outcomes for women with the disease.

With more than 1900 Australians diagnosed each year, endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in the country.

The study involves giving stage 4 cancer patients a targeted chemotherapy drug intravenously once other treatments have been exhausted.

Known as anti-body drug conjugates, ADCs are a type of therapy that targets cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy tissue.

Principal investigator and JHC oncologist Dr Navin Palayoor will help conduct the phase 3 clinical trial, and said earlier studies have shown promising results.

“Some ADCs are already approved to treat other cancers. We hope this trial will reveal less severe side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy for this particular type of cancer,” Dr Palayoor said.

“Although uterine cancer is not the most aggressive gynaecological cancer, it’s frequently diagnosed and numbers are on the rise.

“If this study is proven successful, it might even become one of the first options of treatment ahead of those with worse side effects.”

The study joins several cancer research projects currently underway at the hospital.

JHC’s director of research, Professor Desiree Silva, said ongoing cancer research was essential in addressing the concerning rise in cancer diagnoses.

“There’s a concerning rise in cancer diagnoses across the board, especially in young people, which is why it’s critical to determine environmental risks and other factors contributing to this increase,” Professor Silva said.