Colorectal Cancer

Research Overview

Although we understand the major factors that increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer and we know that screening for colorectal cancer reduces the number of new cases and deaths, fundamental questions remain:

  • How can we increase the effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening?
  • How can we target prevention to those most at risk?
  • What is the best way to medically manage people with a genetic predisposition?
  • What are the best treatments and most accurate prognoses for people who do get colorectal cancer?

We undertake a comprehensive approach to find the answers to these questions to reduce the burden of colorectal cancer.

Staff

Professor Mark Jenkins (unit head)

Dr Aung Ko Win (deputy unit head)

Dr Driss Ait Ouakrim

Maggie Angelakos

Dr Dan Buchanan

Dr Lanxi Huang

Lyn Buchanan

Dr Louisa Flander

Samantha Fox

Zeph Hilton

Dr Joyce Jiang

Dr Robert Macinnis

Dr Jennifer McIntosh

Lynette Walker

Professor Carlene Wilson

Collaborators

Our research programs are based in national and international collaborations that were initiated in 1997 with the formation of the Australasian Colorectal Cancer Registry. We are a principal partner in an international pregistry of tens of thousands of participants from thousands of families who have generously provided questionnaire data, blood samples, and access to tumour tissue for future research.

Funding

Our Unit's research funding builds on our National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence for Reducing the Burden of Colorectal Cancer, and the National Institutes of Health (USA) Colorectal Cancer Family Registry Cohort.