Zero Childhood Cancer (ZERO), a world-leading national precision medicine program for children and young people with cancer, will receive a $112.6 million investment from the Australian Government to extend and expand so that more children and young people can benefit from the latest in scientific and clinical understanding.
Led by Children’s Cancer Institute and Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, and involving all of Australia’s children’s hospitals, the funding will ensure ZERO can continue to support this world first delivery of cutting-edge cancer care to all children with cancer (0-18 years), and expand the program to be available to many young people aged 19 to 25 with paediatric type cancers.
When a child is enrolled in ZERO, no matter where they live in Australia, a sample of their cancer and normal tissue are sent to Children’s Cancer Institute and ZERO partner organisations, where scientists and clinicians analyse it at a genomic level so they can identify which treatment and drugs are most likely to be effective.
Following multidisciplinary discussions, the patient’s doctor receives a report that highlights the critical genetic features of the tumour that may influence diagnosis, prognosis and treatment strategies. Where possible, for high risk and complex cancers, those drugs are tested to see how they perform in laboratory models of the individual child’s cancer.
“The impact of childhood cancer is far greater than most people realise,’ explained Professor Michelle Haber AM, Executive Director of Children's Cancer Institute. “In Australia, we have more than a thousand cases diagnosed every year, and globally, this number is estimated to be well over 400,000. These children endure gruelling treatment with life-long physical, emotional and psychological consequences. For them and their families, life is never the same again.”
“Nowhere else in the world do children with cancer have the opportunity of benefiting from a precision program of this depth and impact,” commented Professor Haber. “ZERO is showing just what’s possible when you combine cutting-edge research and technology with a multidisciplinary team approach to drive clinical care.”
This announcement not only ensures ZERO will continue to be available to all children in Australia with cancer but extends its support to young people aged 19-25 with cancers that are typically seen in childhood, including young people whose childhood cancer has relapsed. The expanded program is expected to support an additional 300 young Australians with cancer each year, totalling approximately 1300 children and young people annually who will have access to ZERO’s comprehensive precision medicine platform.
The Hon Mark Butler MP, Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care, said ZERO was playing a significant role in improving outcomes for children and young people with cancer.
“The ZERO Childhood Cancer program has already supported more than 2,000 Australian children with cancer, and thanks to this investment, the team will be able to expand that support to another 300 young Australians each year.
“The precision medicine that these world-leading programs make possible is a real game-changer in cancer care – particularly for children and adults with rare or otherwise incurable cancers.”
Professor David Ziegler, Senior Specialist at the Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, Chair ZERO2 Clinical Trial and Group Leader of the Brain Tumour Group at Children’s Cancer Institute, said ZERO was changing the model of care for children with cancer.
“ZERO’s results clearly demonstrate the power of precision medicine to change clinical outcomes. ZERO’s targeted, personalised approach represents a whole new model of care that has the potential to not only improve survival but also reduce damaging side effects in kids and therefore cut down on the time they need to spend in hospital. Ultimately this will be less disruptive for their families and achieve better results at a lower cost to the healthcare system.”
One child to benefit from ZERO is Carys Dawson, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at six years old. Despite initially responding well to treatment, Carys relapsed two years later. ZERO analysis at the time of relapse showed that she actually had a rare sub-type of leukaemia known as Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. This information was used to change her treatment and today Carys is back at school, having just started year 6.
Laura Dawson, Carys’ mum, says that without the ZERO results the outcome for Carys could have been very different.
“Without the Zero Childhood Cancer Program, my daughter would have continued the pattern of 'recovery' and relapse with tragic results. She was being treated for the most common type of leukaemia, and responding well, but it turned out she had a very rare sub-type and needed a different treatment approach. Everyone was shocked by the genomic test result, and it saved her life.”
ZERO is changing the future for children with cancer the world over and with ongoing support, it will continue to lead the world in precision medicine for children with cancer.
“Our goal is to create a future where precision medicine is embedded in our health system as the new model of care for all children and young people with cancer in Australia,” commented Associate Professor Vanessa Tyrrell, Zero Childhood Cancer Program Director. “With funding now secured, we can integrate emerging research to continuously improve the ZERO platform, while also planning how to embed ZERO as a permanent solution for all children and young people impacted by cancer in the future.”
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Media Contact
Tuhina Pandey
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