Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, can affect any part of the colon or rectum; it may also be referred to as colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where the cancer is located.
Bowel cancer screening is for people who do not already have bowel cancer, symptoms of bowel cancer, or any reason to have a high risk of bowel cancer.
Patient-centred care is healthcare that is respectful of, and responsive to, the preferences, needs and values of patients and consumers.
Bowel Cancer Australia provides essential support services uniquely designed for bowel cancer patients via our confidential Helpline with specialist telehealth support, as well as a national Peer-to-Peer Support Network and Buddy Program.
Bowel Cancer Australia funds research that has the potential to improve survival and/or help build a path toward a cure and integrates published research into our awareness, advocacy, and support strategies.
Bowel Cancer Australia relies upon donations and the support of hard working and enthusiastic fundraisers across the country to continue our life saving work. We raise funds to continue our life-saving work and inspire others to do the same, so everyone affected by bowel cancer can live their best life.
The Group applies scientific expertise to questions of clinical relevance to improve prevention, early detection and personalised treatment across the care continuum for people living with bowel cancer.
The Bowel Cancer and Biomarker Research Group laboratory is located on the Royal North Shore Hospital campus to facilitate seamless engagement with multidisciplinary teams of surgeons, oncologists, and pathologists involved in the care of bowel cancer patients.
The Group is lead by Professor Mark Molloy, the inaugural Lawrence Penn Chair of Bowel Cancer Research.
Working with clinicians we use patient tissues and bloods to investigate the complex biology of the gastrointestinal system.
The Bowel Cancer and Biomarker Research Group uses proteomics, genomics, metabolomics and microbiome analyses to investigate the pathophysiology of bowel cancer and identify novel biomarkers.
Poor diet, obesity and lack of physical exercise are all risk factors associated with bowel cancer.
Altering nutrition through diet is one approach the Group is exploring in randomised clinical trials to improve metabolic health and decrease risks of bowel neoplasia.
Molecular biomarkers of lymph node risk would be helpful in sparing low risk patients from radical surgery, but there are no current molecular markers in use.
Our research to identify Lymph Node Metastases (LNM) risk markers could be employed for rectal cancers where pre-surgery biopsies are generally available.
This groundbreaking research program aims to transform treatment for one of the most aggressive forms of bowel cancer, BRAF v600e.
This mutation, present in around 10 per cent of bowel cancer cases, drives tumour growth and is associated with significantly poorer outcomes.
While two targeted therapies – encorafenib and cetuximab – have been approved for treatment, many patients quickly develop resistance, leaving a critical gap in care.
BRIDGE seeks to address this gap by uncovering why some patients respond well to treatment while others relapse, and by identifying new treatment strategies for relapsing disease.
Little is known regarding the immune cells present in early bowel polyps.
The Group observed an increased density of T-cells in polyps compared with healthy tissue.
This information will form the basis of further study to understand how specific immune cells contribute to bowel polyp growth and whether manipulating their presence could help prevent growth.
Bowel polyps are benign growths that can transition into cancers.
The Group are using genomic, proteomic, microbiome and immune analyses to provide very detailed molecular characterisation of these cancer precursors.
The study will better define the features associated with malignancy risk and may be useful to inform colonoscopy surveillance time intervals.
The Group completed whole exome DNA sequencing of early bowel polyps to determine the average number of mutations per polyp as bowel cancers have a higher average mutational burden.
The team observed some polyps could possess large mutational burdens despite their small size – a previously unknown finding as it had been assumed small polyps would have low mutational burdens.
These findings may help explain why bowel cancers occur between surveillance colonoscopy intervals.
The research team completed a proteomic and genomic analysis of colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) from patients with early recurrence as well as people living beyond bowel cancer following liver surgery.
The research team continues to collaborate with German colleagues to establish an international CRLM proteomic map, which Professor Molloy anticipates will be the first large-scale, international proteomic study of CRLM.
Most research studies have focused on the microbiome from patient stool, whereas the Group focused on the microbiome associated with bowel polyps.
The team discovered oral bacteria found in patients with bowel polyps which was not present in people without bowel polyps.
A similar finding has been reported for bowel tumours, so the team is eager to continue researching the pre-cancer association.
While investigating if small-sized bowel polyps are all benign, the research team made the surprising discovery that 15% of small-sized bowel polyps carry mutated genes that are found in bowel cancers.
This suggests even some small-sized polyps can be risky, reinforcing the idea that colonoscopy and removal of polyps is critical to prevent bowel cancers.
Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is a pre-surgical treatment for some rectal cancers that may result in tumour regression.
The Group are studying the lack of molecular biomarkers that can predict responders from non-responders.
For surgical patients we are also interested in prognostic biomarkers to identify those most likely to recur, enabling intense patient surveillance.
Advanced bowel tumours commonly spread to the liver.
The research team are investigating why some patients with liver metastases have good prognosis while others don’t.
Through an international collaboration testing 150 patient tumours from Sydney and Germany they found differences in the proteins that impact prognoses. The team discovered new proteins that can be targeted by treatments which can lead to improved outcomes for people living with metastatic bowel cancer.
The University of Sydney’s partnership with Bowel Cancer Australia provides a vital platform for accelerating global efforts to reduce the burden of bowel cancer through pioneering research.
With Bowel Cancer Australia’s support, Professor Mark Molloy and his team of talented scientists continue to pursue a range of exciting research projects to unlock discoveries that could improve patient outcomes.