Associate Professor Vincent Cornelisse from the Kirby Institute at UNSW has been awarded an Accelerated Research Implementation Grant of $796,000 from Cancer Institute NSW. The grant, part of a highly competitive program that supports NSW cancer researchers whose work aims to improve treatment and outcomes for people living with cancer, was awarded for A/Prof. Cornelisse’s work titled, ‘Reducing the incidence and increasing survival of anal cancer in People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) from regional and rural NSW’.
Although anal cancer is generally regarded as rare, rates of anal cancer in specific populations, such as people with HIV, approach those of breast and prostate in the wider community, with approximately 100 cases/100,000 per year.
Anal cancers are usually diagnosed at a late stage of the disease when people have symptoms. However, late-stage diagnosis has a five-year survival rate of 70 percent even with aggressive treatment, and those who do survive have lifelong side effects from radiation treatment.
Early identification of anal high-risk Human Papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection, and treatment of pre-cancer lesions, has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of anal cancer. A/Prof. Cornelisse’s project aims to design, implement and evaluate locally based anal cancer prevention services in regional and rural NSW and to inform the roll-out of these services in other parts of the state.
A/Prof. Cornelisse’s grant is one of six awarded to UNSW Sydney researchers, totalling nearly $3.5 million, from Cancer Institute NSW.
“Our researchers are leading the way in cancer research, continuously pushing the boundaries of current understanding,” says UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Dane McCamey. “I commend these emerging research leaders, who are on track to become prominent academic figures in Australia and internationally.”
Read more about the other grants awarded to UNSW researchers or view the full list of recipients.