05 Sep What can the UK Government take from Australia’s Zero Childhood Cancer Programme?
Last month, the Government released its strategic framework for the long-awaited Major Conditions strategy[i] – a blueprint on how it plans improve the health of the nation in the next five years, focusing on six major health conditions; cancer, chronic respiratory disease, dementia, cardiovascular disease (including stroke and diabetes), musculoskeletal disorders and mental ill health.
The framework consists of five pillars underpinned by five changes the government aims to make (see figure 1). One of these focuses on raising the rate of early diagnosis and improving treatment. The Government’s aim is that if the UK has systems in place to identify and treat conditions early, such as rare cancers, this will have a positive effect on health outcomes.
Figure 1: Summary of the Strategic Framework for the UK Government’s Major Conditions Strategy[ii]
This diagram shows an overview of the UK Government’s strategic framework for its Major Conditions Strategy. [Reproduced from the UK Government website]
To help achieve this goal, the Government plans to take a leaf out of the playbook of Australia’s Zero Childhood Cancer Programme (ZERO).
So, what exactly is ZERO and how can the UK learn from it? Here’s a quick overview:
What is Australia’s Zero Childhood Cancer Programme?
Launched in 2015 as a pilot study for high-risk cancers by Australia’s Children’s Cancer Institute and Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick, ZERO has grown into a national comprehensive precision (personalised) medicine initiative for children and young people with cancer. The Programme is supported by leading clinicians, researchers and research institutes in Australia and globally, such as France’s Curie Institute and the UK’s University of Cambridge (Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute).
How does it work?
When a child is diagnosed with a ‘high-risk’ cancer – a cancer with lower than 30% survivability – they can be enrolled into ZERO, subject to an eligibility screening. Once enrolled, a sample of their tumour is sent to the Children’s institute and ZERO’s partner organisations for analysis and recommendations on the best course of treatment. A rapid report is then developed by expert clinicians and scientists, which includes information about the tumour and tailored treatment recommendations. This is then sent to the child’s oncologist[iii]. The diagram below illustrates the full process step-by-step.
Diagram 1: Australia’s Zero Childhood Cancer Programme[iv]
This diagram shows how ZERO operates from the first diagnosis to research, treatment and to the final outcome. [Reproduced from Zero Childhood Cancer Programme website]
Through this, ZERO is putting precision medicine and personalised treatment at the centre of childhood cancer care with the goal to reduce the burden of childhood cancers in Australia and improve patient outcomes.
What can the UK government can learn from ZERO?
- Be bold
Before ZERO started in 2015, personalised medicine wasn’t even an option for children being treated for cancer in Australia, now it has become a reality for many young, high-risk cancer patients.
- Start small then go bigger
ZERO initially began as trial for high-risk cancers. Now, after 8 years of growth, by the end of 2023 the Programme will be expanded to include all eligible under 18-year-olds with cancer.
- Invest in precision medicine trials and research
With government funding and support, ZERO has already changed the lives of a thousand children and their families all over Australia[v]. Furthermore, the data collected through the Programme has led to the initiation of over 20 new global clinical trials[vi] in childhood cancer, helping to advance the development of future treatments.
- Foster partnerships with regional and global research institutes
Through partnerships and collaborative efforts with regional and global research bodies, ZERO has been able to support the development of personalised treatments for children with rare and less survivable cancers and catapulting the ranking of childhood cancer care in Australia on the global map.
At OVID, we’re always excited to see best practices from other countries, especially ones with international collaborative efforts that can be adapted in the UK. We’ll be keeping tabs on ZERO’s growth and look forward to seeing how the UK government takes these learnings and further advances its plans to improve the handling of cancer diagnosis and treatment in the UK.
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[i] Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[ii] Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[iii] About the Program | Zero Childhood Cancer
[iv] About the Program | Zero Childhood Cancer
[v] ZERO enrols 1000th child | Zero Childhood Cancer
[vi] The Impact | Zero Childhood Cancer