Ovarian Cancer affects 1 in 85 women across Australia, with survival rates being less than 50% after 5-years post diagnosis. It is currently the 9th most common cancer diagnosed among women.
Professor Susan Ramus is paving the way for new treatment methods for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Ramus and her team of researchers, the Ovarian Tumour Tissue Analysis (OTTA), are performing clinical tests on tumours from thousands of women to detect prognostic markers. They will then group similar findings together and monitor how they change over time.
Knowing the exact changes in a cancerous tumour is vital information to allow developments in personalised treatment plans. From this research it gives doctors more information on their patients’ disease and it will help them decide on the most suitable treatment care plan, improving the survival rates for ovarian cancer.
Professor Ramus was awarded funding from Can Too Foundation in 2021. She was recently awarded the Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). This award aims to promote and nurture female researchers across all fields, and was named after Elizabeth Blackburn, who received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine.
Professor Ramus says “The majority of women with ovarian cancer receive the same treatment. My research aims to develop tumour tests that can be translated to the clinic, which determine the optimal treatment for each woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer.”
UNSW Dean of Medicine & Health, Scientia Professor Vlado Perkovic congratulated Prof. Ramus on receiving the award.
“This prestigious award acknowledges the outstanding contribution Susan is making in ovarian cancer research. Her recent research, which focuses on personalised treatments for ovarian cancer, is key to improving survival for this aggressive cancer,” Prof. Perkovic said. “It is a testament to Susan that her peers have recognised her exceptional leadership in patient-centred research for ovarian cancer.”
Congratulations Professor Susan Ramus for being honoured this highly esteemed award in health and medical research. Your innovative research gives women the best possible chance of survival.
Data taken from canceraustralia.gov.au
