Revolutionising Cancer Care in Aotearoa

Healthier Lives has released a series of three podcasts called Sticking it to Cancer. The series, produced by creative studio Daylight Group, focuses on new technologies to manage cancer using circulating tumour DNA, or ctDNA, and its potential for revolutionising cancer care in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The podcasts feature TVNZ’s Jenny-May Clarkson in conversation with University of Otago cancer researchers Parry Guilford and PhD student Jordon Lima, along with University of Auckland cancer researchers Cris Print and Sandra Fitzgerald.

This collaborative research team has been finding ways to support the integration of ctDNA into clinical practice within the New Zealand healthcare system. A simple blood test to check ctDNA levels can be used to monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatment, potentially enabling ineffective treatment to be stopped and allowing patients to try other treatments before their cancer progresses.

High-cost imaging technology (e.g. MRI), the current mainstay of cancer detection, is only available at major hospitals. However blood samples for ctDNA testing can be taken in isolated locations such as clinics on rural marae or Pacific Islands. The simplicity and accessibility of blood tests could reduce travelling time and costs for rural patients and result in more effective patient care.

As well as developing the technology, the team has engaged with communities to understand their views on cancer care. PhD candidate Jordon Lima features in podcast episode 2, talking about her interviews with whānau and clinicians from Ngāti Porou and their experiences of cancer care.

As well as being a tool for monitoring cancer treatment, ctDNA has potential for use in cancer diagnosis. The benefits of early cancer detection for saving lives makes ctDNA technology potentially a game-changer for cancer management.

Early career researcher Sandra Fitzgerald, featured in episode 3 of the podcast, is busy developing these sensitive diagnostic tools which she hopes can remove some of the challenges for patients undergoing cancer treatment: “even if we can make the difference for one cancer patient and their whānau, it makes my job worthwhile”.

Researchers and communities alike eagerly await the uptake of ctDNA detection into routine clinical care.

Photo above: Jordon Lima, Sandra Fitzgerald, Cris Print and Parry Guilford. Photo credit: Luke Pilkinton-Ching.

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The podcasts are free to access on several different platforms including Spotify and Apple podcasts:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1UYbdJo3Gd6g5msRUe0mID?si=e92c012f8f594e3c&nd=1&dlsi=d55cf004ede74cc7

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/sticking-it-to-cancer/id1762958433