Newsletter AUTUMN 2014

2014 Melanoma March attracts 6000 to walk for Left to right: Stephanie Rice and Jay Allen in Wollongong Melissa Naidu, Nigel Corps and Kate Drain-Parkin a cure around Australia! in Melbourne John Eales and Kaye Poche head up the Manly starting line

On Sunday 23 March, 6,000 welcomed BB Retail Capital and their participants across Australia Bake – Don’t Sunbake campaign, as Melanoma March united to take action against well as Raphael McGowan’s Cycling to March. Both these initiatives contributed is a month long melanoma for Melanoma to the tremendous amount of funds March 2014. So far, through the and awareness raised throughout our awareness campaign community’s generous support, campaign. Turn the page to read more dedicated to raising we have raised an incredible about these exciting events. funds and awareness half a million dollars (and still Melanoma March started as a community counting)! Money raised will walk to raise awareness for other for ‘Australia’s directly fund research into Australians, and to pay tribute to national cancer’. finding a cure for melanoma. those lost to the devastating disease. Melanoma March is now a significant We simply could not have had such contributor to finding a cure. MIA is Melanoma March is a month long success without the wonderful currently leading the world in research awareness campaign dedicated to raising contribution of our volunteers, sponsors, and trials for treatment pathways funds and awareness for ‘Australia’s partners, ambassadors, fundraisers, for melanoma patients with brain national cancer’. Melanoma March saw MIA staff and of course our Melanoma metastases – about 20% of all melanoma exciting growth in 2014 with inaugural Marchers, and for this, we thank you! marches held in 10 regional locations, patients. Funds raised from Melanoma bringing the total to 16 march locations March will contribute towards this ground Australia wide. This year we saw not only breaking research led by Associate To make a donation to the community walk take place across Professor Georgina Long and her team. Melanoma March visit the country, but for the first time we www.melanomamarch.org.au

Hayley Chalkey and family, Darwin Amanda, Nathan and the Melbourne Jarrod and Lorelai Wilson, Townsville Commemorative balloon Melanoma Marchers release, Adelaide raised over $50,000 which contributed to our overall fundraising total. 20 year landmark Raphael’s solo endurance ride has had the full endorsement of Melanoma Institute surgical trial Australia (MIA) and when he crossed the finish line in Sydney’s Centennial concludes... Park on Friday March 21, he was met by Multicenter Selective MIA Chairman Reg Richardson AM and Lymphadenectomy Trial (MSLT-1). MIA Ambassador & Olympic Champion Stephanie Rice to name a few. In February 2014 the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine Raphael’s inspiration was to continue the published the landmark trial co- hope that Tess lived by as he travelled authored by Executive Director through his journey. You can read more of Melanoma Institute Australia about Raphael’s ride or make a donation and leading melanoma surgeon at www.cyclingtomarch.com Raphael McGowan Professor John Thompson AO, demonstrating the benefits of sentinel node biopsy for melanoma A brother’s love “My sister had such patients. The Multicentre Selective courage, an incredible Lymphadenectomy (MSLT-1) trial knows no distance represents the largest surgical trial Raphael McGowan established Cycling voice and unbreakable for melanoma ever undertaken. to March after the tragic loss of his older Almost half the patients in this large sister Tess, who sadly lost her battle with spirit right up until international trial (946 of the 2001 total melanoma at just 30 yrs old. Cycling to her last breath and number) were SMU/MIA patients. March was a 1900km ride from Adelaide The trial commenced in 1994 and to Sydney to raise awareness of melanoma this is what was in my it took 8 years to complete patient and its impact on young Australians. accrual and this final trial report (with Raphael planned his ride to finish in thoughts and in my 10 year follow-up) acknowledges the Sydney on Friday 21 March to coincide heart throughout significant contribution of SMU/MIA to with Melanoma March 2014. So far, he has the journey.” this landmark, practice-changing trial.

Swimming the ocean for a cure – mia honours team playfair

On March 14 we welcomed Team Playfair to The Poche Centre to celebrate their amazing effort of raising over $130,000 towards ongoing research. Judy, Lou, and John started Team Playfair in 2010 in memory of their much loved brother Angus “Gus” Playfair, who sadly lost his BBRC team Anmol Singh, Darren Holland (CEO) and Paula Toshack battle to melanoma at age 47. After 5 years of fundraising they decided National partnership with bbrc group it was time to hang up the Speedos! Team Playfair, we thank you for your delivers “Bake – Don’t Sunbake” vigorous fundraising efforts and hope one day you will dust off the goggles As part of Melanoma March, awareness of melanoma and raise and once again proudly swim for Melanoma Institute Australia much needed funds for early detection Melanoma Institute Australia. partnered with BB Retail programs. In addition, national retailer Adairs donated 20% of sales from their Team Playfair with Associate Professor Jon Capital for the inaugural, Home Republic Flinders Towel Range. Stretch and Associate Professor Georgina Long Bake – Don’t Sunbake. It was a great day out and cupcake devotees from all over Australia came together and The one day event was held at 11 BBRC helped raise $20,000! Our thanks to the homemaker centres across Australia on staff of BBRC, their Homemaker Centres Saturday 15 March. The event invited (www.homemakercentres.com.au) and shoppers to purchase a cupcake and our dedicated volunteers for helping decorate it with the variety of decorations to make this first event such a success. supplied as an initiative to increase

Melanoma Institute Australia | newsletter Autumn 2014 Do you know what projects we are working on? Melanoma Institute Australia relies on funding from individuals and organisations to continue our ground-breaking work. Did you know 100% of money raised goes back into our work? This means your money really is making a difference! Some of the projects we are currently Research at working on thanks to community funds are: Melanoma Institute Investigator driven clinical trials Currently we are supporting Australia and facilitating the Australian and New Zealand melanoma trials group here at the Poche Centre. Australian Melanoma Genome Project In my report, Institute NSW and the NSW Cancer Council, and ongoing support from Also known as the Genome Project, I would like the Melanoma Foundation of the work commenced in 2012 with the aim to explain the University of Sydney. However, we still rely to sequence the genes of 500 melanoma significance heavily on our individual and corporate patients, to identify 99% of all genes for patients supporters to provide additional funds involved in melanoma. This is an incredible to maintain the momentum of our project which will have a huge impact of the high- research effort. on understanding and treating melanoma level of research productivity around the world. that has been achieved by Elsewhere in this Newsletter you will read of some of the innovative ways BioSpecimen Bank Melanoma Institute Australia. The reputation of a research in which our loyal corporate sponsors, Researchers aim to collect blood and institute depends upon the community, individual patients and tumor samples from all melanoma patients their families are supporting us – such seen by our clinicians. This resource, its productivity, and a key as undertaking long-distance walks and combined with clinical information stored measure of this is the number bike rides, organising fund-raising events, in our research database, provides of peer-reviewed articles cooking cupcakes, even swimming the samples for our research laboratories published in the international English Channel, or simply joining the located at Westmead, Newcastle, RNS, scientific literature. annual Melanoma March, which was an QIMR and now Macquarie Uni as well outstanding success this year, bigger as local, interstate and international The publication rate of the Sydney and better than ever. collaborations. Melanoma Unit (later to become MIA), We thank you for your partnership in Educational Fellowships has increased exponentially, from just our endeavour to improve outcomes for Each year fellowships are awarded to one publication in 1963 to 81 in 2013. melanoma patients not only in Australia aspiring doctors in the fields of medical In the first 3 months of 2014 there have but internationally. Your past support oncology, pathology, and surgery. These already been 36 publications. Over the has put us at the forefront of melanoma are specialists of the future! It costs years these publications have made many research worldwide. We rely on your approximately $120,000 to fund a fellow important contributions to improving the continuing generosity to allow us to per year and thanks to community funds, outcomes of patients with melanoma. continue that research and give hope to we are currently funding 4 fellows. Recently, we were pleased to learn that melanoma patients now and in the future. two MIA publications, one by Dr James Willmott, a PhD student at MIA, and another by MIA’s Associate Professor Georgina Long, were amongst the most frequently cited articles in their respective journals in recent years. Professor John Thompson On the basis of our research productivity Executive Director, and publication record, we have been Melanoma Institute Australia able to attract support for our research program and specific projects from national and state bodies such as the Clinical Trials Research Officer in the Biospecimen bank NHMRC, Cancer Australia, Cancer

newsletter Autumn 2014 | Melanoma Institute Australia With thanks... Our thanks goes to the following individuals and organisations for their generous support and contribution.

Ambassadors Roland Zedikas from for Melanoma Civil Industries March 2014 St John Ambulance Surfstitch Brad McEwan Hotel Steyne Manly John Eales TMS Shannon Ponton Valiant Hire Stephanie Rice Vicki Norman from and.. Join our Team Melanoma Homesglen Tafe Miguel Mastre Vision Personal (face of Bake – Don’t Training Balgowlah and run for a cure Sunbake) Roland Zedikas from Melanoma March Civil Industries sponsors and Community in-kind Marching for a cure is one Simply select Melanoma Institute Groups and supporters thing, but running for a cure Australia as your preferred charity Corporate when you register online to help 3vent Productions Sponsors will get us there faster! Join Asics make a difference. Cycling to March our City2Surf team, and run Austereo Join us for the City2Surf and help Disciple for a cure. Bowens us find a cure! Global Creatures BBRC Retail Group Invisible Zinc When people think of Australia, they For more information or to register with Cancer Institute NSW think of the outback, beautiful beaches, Rin’s Rock and us contact [email protected] Grant Broadcasters Noll night and the City2Surf! Melanoma Institute or call 1300 882 353 Hills Self Storage Save our Skins Australia is dedicated to preventing and Illawarra Sunrise Committee curing melanoma through innovative Rotary Club Sydney Lyric Theatre research, treatment and education Mambo TAL programs. To do so, we need generous Marty Haynes Uber Sydney supporters like you! Reader’s Digest World Cup Soccer Red Property Group Fundraisers

Upcoming events Melanoma March Committee Members April – May August – September Adelaide Manly Rachael Sporn, James Economides, Strictly Ballroom Black Tie Fundraiser City2Surf AMRF Garry Sladden and Meryl Jackson Wednesday 9 April Sunday 10 August Bathurst Veronica Mannock Melbourne Steve Bennett’s Golf Day Cyril’s English Channel Fundraiser Swim Bonny Hills Amanda Lucci and Wednesday 30 April August Paula Jackson Nathan Jones Bunbury, Karratha, Newcastle A dinner in Memory of Andreas Blackmores Sydney Running Festival Onslow and Perth Ashleigh McNamara Friday 23 May Sunday 21 September Clinton Heal, Townsville MelanomaWA Korine Cahill Central Coast Tweed Heads June – July To find out more about these Nicole Miller Tony Van Der upcoming events or if you are interested Darwin Wakker and Jennifer Thulborn Bunnings BBQ Artarmon Sydney in holding your own contact us at Leonie Warburton and Hayley Chalkley Wollongong Sunday 22 June [email protected] Karen Ryan, or call 1300 882 353 Stage III Community Forum Tennille Shelley, and Jay Allen Sunday 22 June 900KMFORACURE Friday July 11 – Saturday 26 July

Melanoma Institute Australia The Poche Centre P: 1300 882 353 Follow us on Facebook, 40 Rocklands Rd, E: [email protected] Twitter, YouTube North Sydney, NSW 2060 and Instagram www.melanoma.org.au