Early Career Investigator Grants 2007
The following Early Career Investigator grants were funded for 2007:
Resistance and aerobic exercise for reducing treatment side-effect in men receiving ADT for prostate cancer
Chief Investigator: Dr Daniel Galvão
Associate Investigators: Professor Robert Newton, Dr Nigel Spry, Dr Dennis Taaffe
Hormonal treatment, while being very effective for slowing prostate cancer growth, results in devastating side-effects such as muscle and bone loss, increased body fat, reduced functional capacity, and increased risk of falling and subsequent skeletal fracture. Optimal exercise strategies to counteract these side-effects are not known and in particular no study has examined the effects of combining aerobic and resistance exercise as such adjuvant treatment for prostate cancer patients. This study will examine the combined effects of a 12 week supervised program on a range of physical, functional and physiological parameters in prostate cancer patients undergoing hormonal treatment.
The Pearl Bethel Allan Research Grant Endowment proudly supports this project in full
Radiation therapy information needs: appropriate timing, sources and content
Chief Investigator: Dr Georgia Halkett
Associate Investigators: Professor Linda Kristjanson, Associate Professor Elizabeth Lobb, Dr Nigel Spry, Dr Mandy Taylor, Ms Kay O’Driscoll
The objectives of this project are to determine the information needs of breast cancer patients who are referred for radiation therapy treatment and develop an educational intervention that meets their unmet needs. This study will be conducted in four stages. During the current stage, patients will complete self-administered questionnaires at four time points so that the researcher can determine the patients’ information needs at different time points during their treatment. This project will lead to specific recommendations for improved information provision with the potential to decrease the psychological impact that cancer and radiation therapy treatment currently have on the people with breast cancer.
