cancer
Group Leader - Doctor Richard Saffery
Despite the fact that on average 80 per cent of children with
cancer can now expect to be cured, cancer remains the second most
common cause of death in children under the age of 19. In addition,
current treatment protocols are often associated with major
long-term adverse health outcomes, including further cancer
development.
The Cancer Affinity Group represents a dynamic merger of
laboratory and multidisciplinary clinical researchers who share a
vision to understand the molecular and biological mechanisms that
cause cancers, and who are working to increase the quality of life
for families living with childhood cancer.
As the research partner of Children's Cancer Centre at the Royal
Children's Hospital, the largest paediatric cancer program in
Australia, our researchers are ideally placed to make important
research discoveries with rapid translation into real
treatments.
The Cancer Affinity Group drives collaboration and is
investigating many aspects of childhood cancer from genetic and
lifestyle factors, certain types of infections and environmental
exposures, as well as molecular diagnostics and therapeutics, and
psychosocial aspects of living with cancer.
A key focus of the group is to increase the scope and impact of
childhood cancer research through local and international
paediatric cancer research networks and to take a multidisciplinary
and holistic approach to both research and clinical care.