WA-led study offers alternative treatment for bladder cancer patients amid immunotherapy shortage
When Jack Taylor was diagnosed with high-risk bladder cancer at only 20 years old, being told there was a shortage of the potentially life-saving drug he needed was an extra blow.
Bladder cancer immune therapy drug Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), has been subject to shortages across the world since 2013 due to manufacturing issues, meaning patients are missing out on what doctors consider the gold standard treatment for the disease.
However, a West Australian-led trial could solve the issue, with the results revealing using the chemotherapy drug mitomycin on top of BCG — meaning not as much of the drug was needed — was a safe and effective alternative treatment.
The groundbreaking findings mean doctors from across the country will be able to treat patients with this cancer therapy from now on.
The trial, called ANZUP 1301, recruited 501 patients across 17 sites in Australia, including at Perth's Fiona Stanley Hospital, and the UK between 2013 and 2023.
The addition of the drug mitomycin meant patients required 40 per cent fewer doses of BCG.
Patients also completed their treatment more frequently, suggesting a combination treatment was better tolerated then just the BCG.
Bladder cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the country with the survival rate five years after diagnosis only being 57 per cent.
Mr Taylor had no signs he was unwell until he noticed blood in his urine — a month later he was diagnosed with bladder cancer.
'It's the last thing you expect as a 20-year-old really. I was a bit in shock and quite uncertain about the future,' he said.
'When I got diagnosed, you're already stressed enough and then when you get told there's this potentially life-saving, disease altering treatment but you might not be able to get it — it's pretty soul crushing.'
Mr Taylor was referred to FSH for the trial after undergoing surgery.
He still has three months left of BCG treatment to try and beat his cancer but he said being a part of the trial meant he experienced less side effects and was feeling well.
'I think having local access to high quality research is so important, because if this trial wasn't being run here, I wouldn't have been able to participate in it,' he said.
'It's really great to hear that the trials had such fantastic results and will hopefully go on to help so many other people. I think I'm just grateful that I was able to participate.
'For patients, it's always great to have more choice in terms of the treatments.'
FSH head of urology and UWA urological research and education professor Dickon Hayne said in a time of global BCG shortages, adopting this treatment could dramatically expand access to life-saving bladder cancer treatment.
'We did look at a subgroup of patients who had the nastiest sort of cancer in that group, and those patients did seem to do better in terms of the cancer being treated when we added the mitomycin,' he said.
'We're still experiencing a serious BCG shortage and that's affecting Western Australia as much as it's affecting the whole globe.
'This treatment will mean that we can treat more patients with a safe and effective treatment than we could before.'
The trial was developed through Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group in collaboration with the National Health and Medical Research Council clinical trials centre.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
Israeli fire kills 30 in Gaza as focus shifts to Iran
Israeli gunfire and strikes have killed at least 30 people across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health authorities say, as some Palestinians there say their plight is being forgotten as attention shifted to the air war between Israel and Iran. The deaths included the latest in near daily killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the three weeks since Israel partially lifted a total blockade on Gaza that it had imposed for almost three months. Medics said separate air strikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp and Zeitoun neighbourhood in central and northern Gaza killed at least 14 people, while five others were killed in an air strike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Eleven others were killed in Israeli fire at crowds of displaced Palestinians awaiting aid trucks brought in by the United Nations along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, medics said. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was looking into the reported deaths of people waiting for food. Regarding the other strikes, it said it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm". On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 397 Palestinians among those trying to get food aid had been killed and more than 3000 wounded since aid deliveries restarted in late May. Some in Gaza expressed concern that the latest escalations in the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 would be overlooked as the focus moved to Israel's five-day-old conflict with Iran. Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through a new US- and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces. It has said it will continue to allow aid into Gaza, home to more than two million people, while ensuring aid does not get into the hands of Hamas. Hamas denies seizing aid, saying Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the population in Gaza. The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies. US ally Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed almost 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all the territory's residents, and caused a severe hunger crisis. The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies. Palestinians in Gaza have been closely following Israel's air war with Iran, long a major supporter of Hamas. "We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets, but at the end of the day, one more day in this war costs the lives of tens of innocent people," said 47-year-old Shaban Abed, a father of five from northern Gaza. "We just hope that a comprehensive solution could be reached to end the war in Gaza, too. We are being forgotten." Israeli gunfire and strikes have killed at least 30 people across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health authorities say, as some Palestinians there say their plight is being forgotten as attention shifted to the air war between Israel and Iran. The deaths included the latest in near daily killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the three weeks since Israel partially lifted a total blockade on Gaza that it had imposed for almost three months. Medics said separate air strikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp and Zeitoun neighbourhood in central and northern Gaza killed at least 14 people, while five others were killed in an air strike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Eleven others were killed in Israeli fire at crowds of displaced Palestinians awaiting aid trucks brought in by the United Nations along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, medics said. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was looking into the reported deaths of people waiting for food. Regarding the other strikes, it said it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm". On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 397 Palestinians among those trying to get food aid had been killed and more than 3000 wounded since aid deliveries restarted in late May. Some in Gaza expressed concern that the latest escalations in the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 would be overlooked as the focus moved to Israel's five-day-old conflict with Iran. Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through a new US- and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces. It has said it will continue to allow aid into Gaza, home to more than two million people, while ensuring aid does not get into the hands of Hamas. Hamas denies seizing aid, saying Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the population in Gaza. The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies. US ally Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed almost 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all the territory's residents, and caused a severe hunger crisis. The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies. Palestinians in Gaza have been closely following Israel's air war with Iran, long a major supporter of Hamas. "We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets, but at the end of the day, one more day in this war costs the lives of tens of innocent people," said 47-year-old Shaban Abed, a father of five from northern Gaza. "We just hope that a comprehensive solution could be reached to end the war in Gaza, too. We are being forgotten." Israeli gunfire and strikes have killed at least 30 people across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health authorities say, as some Palestinians there say their plight is being forgotten as attention shifted to the air war between Israel and Iran. The deaths included the latest in near daily killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the three weeks since Israel partially lifted a total blockade on Gaza that it had imposed for almost three months. Medics said separate air strikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp and Zeitoun neighbourhood in central and northern Gaza killed at least 14 people, while five others were killed in an air strike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Eleven others were killed in Israeli fire at crowds of displaced Palestinians awaiting aid trucks brought in by the United Nations along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, medics said. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was looking into the reported deaths of people waiting for food. Regarding the other strikes, it said it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm". On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 397 Palestinians among those trying to get food aid had been killed and more than 3000 wounded since aid deliveries restarted in late May. Some in Gaza expressed concern that the latest escalations in the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 would be overlooked as the focus moved to Israel's five-day-old conflict with Iran. Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through a new US- and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces. It has said it will continue to allow aid into Gaza, home to more than two million people, while ensuring aid does not get into the hands of Hamas. Hamas denies seizing aid, saying Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the population in Gaza. The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies. US ally Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed almost 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all the territory's residents, and caused a severe hunger crisis. The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies. Palestinians in Gaza have been closely following Israel's air war with Iran, long a major supporter of Hamas. "We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets, but at the end of the day, one more day in this war costs the lives of tens of innocent people," said 47-year-old Shaban Abed, a father of five from northern Gaza. "We just hope that a comprehensive solution could be reached to end the war in Gaza, too. We are being forgotten." Israeli gunfire and strikes have killed at least 30 people across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health authorities say, as some Palestinians there say their plight is being forgotten as attention shifted to the air war between Israel and Iran. The deaths included the latest in near daily killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the three weeks since Israel partially lifted a total blockade on Gaza that it had imposed for almost three months. Medics said separate air strikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp and Zeitoun neighbourhood in central and northern Gaza killed at least 14 people, while five others were killed in an air strike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Eleven others were killed in Israeli fire at crowds of displaced Palestinians awaiting aid trucks brought in by the United Nations along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, medics said. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was looking into the reported deaths of people waiting for food. Regarding the other strikes, it said it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm". On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 397 Palestinians among those trying to get food aid had been killed and more than 3000 wounded since aid deliveries restarted in late May. Some in Gaza expressed concern that the latest escalations in the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 would be overlooked as the focus moved to Israel's five-day-old conflict with Iran. Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through a new US- and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces. It has said it will continue to allow aid into Gaza, home to more than two million people, while ensuring aid does not get into the hands of Hamas. Hamas denies seizing aid, saying Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the population in Gaza. The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies. US ally Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed almost 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all the territory's residents, and caused a severe hunger crisis. The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies. Palestinians in Gaza have been closely following Israel's air war with Iran, long a major supporter of Hamas. "We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets, but at the end of the day, one more day in this war costs the lives of tens of innocent people," said 47-year-old Shaban Abed, a father of five from northern Gaza. "We just hope that a comprehensive solution could be reached to end the war in Gaza, too. We are being forgotten."
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Israeli fire kills 30 in Gaza as focus shifts to Iran
Israeli gunfire and strikes have killed at least 30 people across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health authorities say, as some Palestinians there say their plight is being forgotten as attention shifted to the air war between Israel and Iran. The deaths included the latest in near daily killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the three weeks since Israel partially lifted a total blockade on Gaza that it had imposed for almost three months. Medics said separate air strikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp and Zeitoun neighbourhood in central and northern Gaza killed at least 14 people, while five others were killed in an air strike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Eleven others were killed in Israeli fire at crowds of displaced Palestinians awaiting aid trucks brought in by the United Nations along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, medics said. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was looking into the reported deaths of people waiting for food. Regarding the other strikes, it said it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm". On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 397 Palestinians among those trying to get food aid had been killed and more than 3000 wounded since aid deliveries restarted in late May. Some in Gaza expressed concern that the latest escalations in the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 would be overlooked as the focus moved to Israel's five-day-old conflict with Iran. Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through a new US- and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces. It has said it will continue to allow aid into Gaza, home to more than two million people, while ensuring aid does not get into the hands of Hamas. Hamas denies seizing aid, saying Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the population in Gaza. The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies. US ally Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed almost 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all the territory's residents, and caused a severe hunger crisis. The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies. Palestinians in Gaza have been closely following Israel's air war with Iran, long a major supporter of Hamas. "We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets, but at the end of the day, one more day in this war costs the lives of tens of innocent people," said 47-year-old Shaban Abed, a father of five from northern Gaza. "We just hope that a comprehensive solution could be reached to end the war in Gaza, too. We are being forgotten."
West Australian
3 days ago
- West Australian
‘Don't soldier on': Cook's message to those with flu symptoms as cases spike
Roger Cook has urged West Australian's who have flu-like symptoms not to 'soldier on' and go to work as cases soar across the State. Mr Cook's comments came after it was revealed there had already been more than 8000 registered cases of the influenza in Western Australia in 2025, more than double that of the same time last year. Nearly one fifth of those cases have ended up in hospital. Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Cook said those with symptoms should stay at home. 'This winter if you're feeling unwell, don't soldier on,' he said. 'Make sure you stay away from your workplace, keep yourself and your family as healthy as you can. 'Don't take your influenza, your contagious, infectious diseases to work.' The message was one echoed by chief health officer Andrew Robertson who urged anyone feeling sick to look after themselves. 'If you have flu symptoms, the message is obviously stay at home, don't go to work, don't go out shopping, don't go to sport,' he said. 'Obviously they need to rest they also need to, if they become unwell, and particularly if they have any other health issues, consider going to the GP and to our emergency department, noting that it is a busy time of year for all of our hospitals.' Dr Robertson said the State had a large number of flu cases earlier in the year, likely from travellers returning from Europe where cases had also spiked. He said vaccination rates in the State were low at just under 25 per cent, but the figure was around 2 per cent higher than this time last year. 'People have become a little complacent over the period of time (since COVID), we got very good at washing our hands, wearing masks if we were feeling unwell, sneezing into our elbows, all of those things,' he said. 'We've gotten a lot less complacent and probably more so people coming back to work when really they are unwell.' Dr Robertson said the Department of Health were looking at a number of ways to improve vaccine uptake. 'There are a number of things that could be done, we're looking at increasing the number of practitioners who can provide vaccines, we're looking at how do we better target the communications to to the different groups,' he said. 'We appreciate that targeting younger age groups and targeting older age groups requires different sort of communications, so they're a key factor we are continue to look at.' Mr Cook was emphatic in his advice to get vaccinated for the flu season. 'I warned you, I told everyone make sure you get take advantage of the State Government's free flu vax program,' he said. 'We know it's going to be a tough flu season if we're not all doing our bit, that puts our hospitals under pressure and you have seen that uplift of flu cases in our hospital system.'
