Monica Tang

UNSW Sydney | UNSW · Centre for Big Data Research in Health

Objectives: Australian lockdowns in response to the initial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in 2020 were associated with small and transient changes in the use of systemic cancer therapy. We aimed to investigate the impacts of the longer and more restrictive lockdowns in the Australian states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria duri...

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are leading causes of death and people with cancer are at higher risk of developing CVD than the general population. Many cancer medicines have cardiotoxic effects but the size of the population exposed to these potentially cardiotoxic medicines is not known. We aimed to determine the prevalence...

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) form a cornerstone of oncology research by generating evidence about the efficacy of therapies in selected patient populations. However, their implementation is often resource- and cost-intensive, and their generalisability to patients treated in routine practice may be limited. Real-world evidence leverages data...

Introduction Based on data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are standard-of-care in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC). However, trial eligibility criteria are restrictive, and participants and outcomes may not represent the wider population. We aim to assess the generalizability of key phase II...

Background Since the emergence of COVID-19 there have been increasing global concerns about delays and/or discontinuations in cancer care. However, it is unclear to what extent systemic cancer therapy was impacted by COVID-19 in countries with relatively low COVID-19 infection rates. We examined changes in systemic cancer therapy in Australia durin...

Background Hormonal therapies are commonly prescribed to patients with metastatic granulosa cell tumours (GCT), based on high response rates in small retrospective studies. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are reported to have high response rates and an accepted treatment option. We report the results of a phase 2 trial of an AI in recurrent/metastatic G...

Objectives Older adults constitute the majority of patients with lung cancer. However, they are under-represented in clinical trials as eligibility criteria often restrict enrolment based on comorbidities that are common with aging. We aimed to describe comorbidities relating to trial exclusion criteria in older adults with lung cancer, determine t...

PurposeCardiac function assessment is important for detecting and managing trastuzumab-associated cardiotoxicity. Our study estimates rates and predictors of cardiac assessment among patients receiving trastuzumab for HER2-positive early breast cancer (HER2+EBC) in Australia.Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Australians initiatin...

Purpose We aim to describe the treatment patterns and overall survival (OS) outcomes in patients receiving trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (HER2+MBC) in routine clinical care. Methods Retrospective, whole-of-population cohort study of people initiating T-DM1 for HER2+MBC between October 2015 and May 2019 in...

PurposeGiven the high survival rate of cervical cancer patients, understanding women’s health-related quality of life (HRQL) during and after treatment is of major clinical importance. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize all available evidence about the effects of each contemporary treatment modality for cervical cancer on all dimensions...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) demonstrate that trastuzumab improves survival in patients with human epidermal growth factor 2-positive early breast cancer (HER2 + EBC), but real-world patients and clinical practice often differ from RCTs. We examine real-world treatment patterns and outcomes associated with trastuzumab for HER2 + EBC. We identi...

Objectives: We evaluated how well phase II trials in locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer (LAMPC) meet current recommendations for trial design. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of phase II first-line treatment trial for LAMPC. We assessed baseline characteristics, type of comparison, and primary end point to examine adhere...

Background: Older patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast (HER2 + MBC) cancer are underrepresented in clinical trials. We aim to describe the treatment patterns and overall survival (OS) for older women receiving trastuzumab for HER2 + MBC. Methods: Retrospective, whole-of-population cohort study using demographic, dispensing, and medical...

International collaboration in oncology trials has the potential to enhance clinical trial activity by expediting the recruitment of large patient populations, testing treatments in diverse populations and facilitating the study of rare tumours or specific molecular subtypes. However, a number of challenges continue to hinder the efficient and prod...

Objective: Treatment options are limited for patients with recurrent/metastatic low-grade ovarian cancers (LGOCs) and serous borderline ovarian tumors (SBOTs) as response rates to chemotherapy are low. A subset of patients appears to derive clinical benefit from antiestrogens, but most studies have been retrospective and clinical benefit rates (CB...

e14576 Background: Decisions to conduct P3 trials are based on evidence of activity from preceding trials. We sought the characteristics of preceding trials that were associated with a positive outcome in subsequent P3 trials of targeted and immunological therapies in oncology. Methods: We identified P3 trials of targeted and immunological therapie...

Purpose Guidelines recommend ≥5 years of endocrine therapy for hormone receptor‐positive breast cancer patients, but nonadherence and treatment discontinuation are common. We examined adherence trajectories and early discontinuation of endocrine therapy over 5 years from treatment initiation. Methods Our retrospective cohort study used a national...

Introduction: Outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer are improving, with better understanding and use of targeted therapies. Areas covered: A review of the literature and recent conference presentations was undertaken on the topic of systemic treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. This article reviews the current evidence for targeted therapi...

(Neo)adjuvant chemotherapy for early stage breast cancer is associated with side‐effects, resulting in increased emergency department (ED) presentations. Treatment‐related toxicity can affect quality of life, compromise chemotherapy delivery and treatment outcomes, and increase healthcare use. We performed a retrospective study of ED presentations...

Cancer survivors are increasing as improvements in cancer diagnosis and treatment translate to improved outcomes. As cancer survivors in their reproductive years contemplate pregnancy, it is important to understand the impact of cancer and its treatment on fertility and pregnancy outcomes. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy can...

Introduction: Oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy has been the standard of care for resected early colon cancer for over a decade. Recent results from the IDEA meta-analysis attempt to address the question of whether 3 or 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy is preferable in stage III colon cancer. Areas covered: A review of the literature and rec...

We report a case of a previously well 46-year-old man who presented with microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia (MAHA) of unknown origin. After extensive investigations, he was diagnosed with cancer-related microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia (CR-MAHA) secondary to gastric adenocarcinoma. Initial treatment with plasmapheresis was ineffective, but the...

227 Background: There has been minimal improvement in treatment outcomes in LAMPC. We examined results of Ph2t and Ph3t to better understand potential reasons in order to improve future trial design. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of published Ph2t and Ph3t (1978-2015) of first-line treatment for LAMPC. Data for baseline characteristics...

Nanotechnology based on the use of submicronic particles of inorganic and/or organic origin has the potential to revolutionalize the clinical management of cancer; the possibility of real time monitoring of disease progression and effects of therapy is now real. Especially, iron oxide super paramagnetic nanoparticles have shown clinical utility in...