The Australian Brain Cancer Mission (the Mission) was announced on 29 October 2017 and aims to double survival rates and improve the quality of life for patients with brain cancer over ten years to 2027, with the longer-term aim of defeating brain cancer. As administrators of the Mission, Cancer Australia has engaged Healthcare Management Advisors (HMA) to undertake the analysis of brain cancer platforms and technologies to identify current and emerging platforms and technologies that are or could be used to support brain cancer across the cancer continuum of research, clinical trials, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical care. Platform areas included omics, molecular imaging technology, bioinformatics, histology / pathology, model systems, therapeutic technologies, registries and clinical trial collaborations.
Key tasks included:
- Rapid evidence assessment of peer reviewed and grey literature from 2016 onwards for the eight platform categories including over thirty technologies. The evidence assessment focused on the use of the technology along the cancer continuum in Australia and overseas.
- Comprehensive stakeholder consultation to determine use of the included technologies within Australia including current gaps in technologies and / or mechanisms that could enhance the current use of platforms and technologies such as improved networking and coordination, use of large data sets and bioinformatics and reduced duplication.
- Undertaking a value for money analysis of a selection of platforms and technologies identified as higher priority for the Mission. The value for money analysis included additional stakeholder consultation and literature search on the selected platforms / technologies.
- The previous stages were brought together into a final report that outlined recommendations on priority platforms and technologies to inform the Mission articulates ways to enhance brain cancer research, diagnosis and treatment through better use of existing platforms / technologies and identifying areas for potential future investment for the next 3–5 years, and horizon considerations up to 2027.
The project commenced in November 2019 and was completed in April 2021.
