CHAIR & CEO REPORT

Dr Soozy J Smith (CEO) and Professor Sunil Lakhani (Chair).

For the past two years, our world has faced unprecedented challenges as a result of COVID-19. Despite this however, our research community remains as committed as ever to the mission of Breast Cancer Trials – to improve and save the lives of those affected by breast cancer through clinical trials research.

We sincerely thank our members, clinical trial participants, participating institutions and supporters, for their unwavering dedication to our cause during this time. The success of our research organisation lies in this unique collaboration in both Australia and New Zealand, as well as the strength in our international research ties.

With those challenges comes opportunities to look at new ways of working, communicating and engaging with all of our stakeholders, and our team have never been busier.

In a first for our organisation since our inception in 1978, we held a virtual Annual Scientific Meeting in July 2021, providing opportunities for our members and researchers to stay up to date with clinical trials. The event was a tremendous success and featured five international speakers: Professor Fraser Symmans (Pathologist, USA), Professor Eileen Rakovitch (Radiation Oncologist, Canada), Professor Frank A. Vicini (Radiation Oncologist, USA), Professor Roberto Salgado (Pathologist, Belgium) and Dr Lucy Yates (Clinical Oncologist, UK).

Professor Bruce Mann was appointed Director of Research at Breast Cancer Trials (BCT) and is Professor of Surgery at The University of Melbourne and Director of the Breast Tumour Stream at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Bruce brings a wealth of experience to the role and we look forward to working with him in this new capacity.

The FINER clinical trial opened to recruitment and aims to find out if cancer will remain under control for longer in patients with advanced ER-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer. Meanwhile the Neo-N and EXPERT clinical trials are recruiting well internationally and both studies may lead to new options for patients that involves less treatment and reduced side-effects.

The OlympiA trial results were announced, showing that olaparib (PARP inhibitor) reduces deaths by 32% and breast cancer recurrence by 42%, in patients with early-stage breast cancer with an inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene abnormality. This study is a great example of the multidisciplinary work that goes on to bring a research idea to life and improve treatment options available to patients.

BCT started a Clinical Fellowship Program within the reporting period, which is another feather in the cap of our research program and supports the development of early career researchers who have a high-level interest in clinical research. Six Fellows have been approved in the inaugural program, in the disciplines of surgery (Neshanth Easwaralingam, NSW), medical oncology (Christine Muttiah, VIC; Elizabeth Blackley, VIC), psychology (Michelle Sinclair, VIC), radiation oncology (Janice Yeh, VIC) and pathology (Anna Sokolova, QLD), and their research projects are directly relevant to BCT. We look forward to continuing this program in the future.

This is my first report as Chair of BCT and I am delighted to continue the exceptional legacy of my predecessors. We welcomed Professor Andrew Spillane to the Board of Directors in 2021 and Andrew is Professor of Surgical Oncology at The University of Sydney, Northern Clinical School. Mr Luke Bugden, who was appointed to the Board in 2019, and was appointed Chair of the Finance, Risk and Audit Committee during the reporting period.

Board Director Professor Sherene Loi and EXPERT Study Chair Professor Boon Chua were both elected to the Breast International Group’s Executive Board.

It was with great sadness that we saw the passing of a true pioneer in consumer advocacy earlier this year – Adjunct Professor Linda Reaby AM. Linda was invited to be the first patient representative on our Scientific Advisory Committee. In 1998 when the Consumer Advisory Panel (CAP) was formed, a first among clinical trials groups in Australia, Linda was the inaugural Chair – a position she held until 2009. Linda has left an extraordinary mark on improved patient outcomes and treatments, as well as consumer involvement in research.

The aim of the CAP has not changed since then and CAP members continue to ensure that a consumer perspective is provided at all stages of a clinical trial. We recently welcomed three new members to CAP – Emma Crowley, Naveena Nekkalapudi and Josepha Dietrich, who all bring a unique perspective and knowledge of breast cancer to their roles.

Staff at our head office in Newcastle, NSW, worked from home for three months in 2021, as we all adapted to the ongoing pandemic situation. We congratulate our staff on their tireless efforts throughout the pandemic and their efforts to maintain ‘business as usual’ as much as we could. To their credit, staff have seized the opportunities to develop new projects during this time, including our Q&A events and the 3 Course Challenge fundraising campaign. We recognise the following staff for their length of service: Cheryl Dodds, Corinna Beckmore and Soozy Smith (10 years); Heath Badger (20 years); and Lisa Paksec (25 years).

Our research program relies on the community to support and help achieve positive outcomes for all those affected by breast cancer. Breast cancer clinical trials are costly and take time, and thus the need for sustainable, long term income is paramount to their success. We sincerely thank our supporters for their continued generosity and loyalty throughout the year. It was wonderful to see the return of many community-based fundraising events following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including our Tee Off for Breast Cancer Trials national golf event in its 26th year. Our sincere condolences go to those who have lost loved ones to breast cancer during the past year, and we gratefully acknowledge bequests received from donors who passed away during the reporting period.

BCT continues to maintain its strong financial position, with returns from fundraising and investments offsetting the increasing expenditure on our research program. The group recorded an operating deficit of $0.8m and we increased our research expenditure by 20% in the last two years. The investment in our clinical trials will continue to increase in the years to come, as we expand our activities, diversify our portfolio and open new trials that aim to answer important questions that may result in new and better models of care for our patients.

Together as a community we have navigated our way through the pandemic and it does feel like we are continuing to move closer to a ‘new normal’. Thank you to everyone involved in the Breast Cancer Trials research program – your contributions are helping us to improve outcomes for people affected by breast cancer and save lives.