The Oncology Podcast

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In this episode of The Oncology Journal Club, we take a wide-ranging look at the latest oncology research, exploring treatment strategies for deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer, new evidence on organ preservation in early rectal cancer, updated ASCO recommendations for advanced non-small cell lung cancer and the potential impact of proton pump inhibitors on immunotherapy outcomes. 

The team also tackle a range of Quick Bites, including the implications of eye-watering drug prices, question the value of surrogate endpoints and emerging research into cancer vaccines. Plus... could Viagra prevent cancer metastasis?

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The Oncology Journal Club Podcast is hosted by Professor Craig Underhill, Dr Kate Clarke and Professor Chris Jackson, and proudly produced by The Oncology Network.

Join the OJC team for a lively, evidence-focused discussion of the latest oncology research, the studies that may influence clinical practice and the questions clinicians should keep asking as new treatments emerge.

In this episode

• dMMR metastatic colorectal cancer: We discuss the COMMIT study and the unanswered question of whether combination treatment or treatment sequencing offers the best approach.
• Organ preservation in rectal cancer: We discuss the STAR-TREC study comparing long-course chemoradiotherapy with short-course radiotherapy in patients with early rectal cancer, examining the potential to avoid radical surgery. 
• Updated ASCO living guidelines for advanced NSCLC: New recommendations for repotrectinib in ROS1-positive disease and zongertinib in HER2-mutant disease highlight the rapid evolution of targeted treatment options.
• Pulmonary nodules and RAS inhibition: We review new evidence on pulmonary nodule management and an emerging RAS inhibitor for previously treated RAS-mutant NSCLC, including questions around efficacy, toxicity and access.
• The cost of cancer innovation: We discuss the reported price of daraxonrasib, an emerging RAS inhibitor, raising difficult questions about affordability, equitable access, morality, clinical trial design and whether patients should be able to cross over to promising treatments.
• The DEEPER study in metastatic colorectal cancer: Does greater tumour shrinkage translate into longer survival? 
• Proton pump inhibitors and immunotherapy: A post-hoc analysis of the PACIFIC trial explores associations between PPI use and outcomes following chemoradiotherapy and durvalumab for unresectable stage III NSCLC. 
• Personalised mRNA cancer vaccines: Promising preliminary results from the INTerpath-001 trial in high-risk resected melanoma prompt discussion about the future of individualised neoantigen therapies and the challenges of manufacturing and affordability.
• Viagra and cancer outcomes: Could PDE5 inhibitors help limit cancer metastasis? The team discuss preclinical research suggesting that PDE5 inhibition may disrupt cholesterol trafficking and restrict cancer spread, alongside retrospective data associating Viagra use with improved survival in patients with lung, prostate and colorectal cancers. But is this a genuine therapeutic signal or a case of confounding? The team weigh the findings and highlight the need for further research - expect some typically irreverent OJC commentary!

For Australian listeners, don't miss the PBS Update spin-off, covering new and updated PBS listings. Visit the Oncology News and Oncology Network websites for the latest oncology research, clinical developments and drug news.

The Oncology Journal Club is an independently produced educational podcast discussing published research and emerging evidence for healthcare professionals working in cancer care. 

Visit oncologynetwork.com.au for Show Notes, to send us Voice Notes and more information. 

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Hosted by Associate Professor Jenny Liu and Rachael Babin | Proudly Produced by The Oncology Network

Welcome to Episode 2 of Making Cancer Care Smarter, brought to you by The Oncology Network. Hosted by Rachael Babin and Associate Professor Jenny Liu, this episode features Eric Yeung from CanRevive.

What does person-centred cancer care really look like when patients and families come from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds? We speak with Eric about the challenges Chinese-speaking communities and other culturally and linguistically diverse people can face, from language barriers and stigma to navigating complex medical information and making decisions about treatment.

Eric shares his lived experience, while Jenny brings the perspective of a medical oncologist working in clinical practice and trials. Together, they explore how clinicians can build trust, check that patients truly understand their options, and work with families and carers who often play a central role in decision-making.

We also look at the challenges that can go unseen: the work families do outside the clinic, the impact of having no one to advocate for you, and how gaps in interpreter services, navigation support and culturally appropriate resources can make equitable care harder to achieve.

The conversation touches on how cultural beliefs shape perceptions of palliative care, as well as the misconceptions that can put people off clinical trials. And Eric shares a different way of looking at trial participation: not just as a personal treatment decision, but as an opportunity to help future generations.

It’s a practical and thought-provoking conversation about what it takes to make cancer care more inclusive, culturally responsive and genuinely centred on the person.

Visit the Oncology Network for more information.

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In this episode, the Oncology Journal Club team take a whistle-stop tour through some of the latest evidence in breast, colorectal, lung and thyroid cancer, with plenty to discuss around AI pathology, access to palliative care and the ever-changing world of ASCO Guidelines.

We kick things off with a lively deep dive into SERENA-6 and the idea of switching treatment when an ESR1 mutation emerges — before the cancer has actually progressed — in first-line treatment of hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer. The team get into the biology behind the approach, the potential benefits for patients and, importantly, what we’re really measuring when treatment changes halfway through the journey.

Next up is a deceptively simple question with potentially big implications: could aspirin have a role as adjuvant treatment after colorectal cancer surgery? The ASCOLT translational work, alongside signals from other trials, raises the possibility that benefit may be concentrated in patients with particular PIK3CA mutations rather than applying to everyone. But that leads to a very real-world question: if the treatment is cheap but the testing isn’t, how do we make precision prevention accessible — and when should we start?

We then turn to PD-L1-high advanced non-small cell lung cancer, where a systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that chemoimmunotherapy may offer better survival than PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor monotherapy. But, as always, the numbers are only part of the story — particularly when we’re treating older or less-fit patients in the real world.

And in our Quick Bites, we look at why so many patients never receive systemic treatment, why early palliative care is still underused, the potential of faster respiratory pathways to improve access, AI-powered pathology, and new ASCO Guidelines.

If you enjoy sharp takes on new oncology papers — and  what they actually mean for patients and practice — subscribe, share the episode with a colleague and leave us a review to help others find the show.

The Oncology Journal Club Podcast is hosted by Professor Craig Underhill, Dr Kate Clarke and Professor Chris Jackson, and proudly produced by The Oncology Network.

Visit oncologynetwork.com.au for Show Notes, to send us Voice Notes and more information. 

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The September changes to Australia's PBS will have a wide and lasting impact on the oncology treatment landscape.

Rachael Babin from the Oncology Network sits down with Professor Craig Underhill to translate the latest Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) oncology and haematology listings into what clinicians actually need: who’s eligible, what the key trials show and what to watch for once the script is written. 

This month we unpack three significant PBS developments:

• We discuss the new multi-cancer listing for pembrolizumab, expanding access for patients with advanced or metastatic immunotherapy-sensitive cancers
• The listing of enfortumab vedotin in combination with pembrolizumab for previously untreated advanced urothelial cancer
• And the addition of durvalumab alongside FLOT chemotherapy as neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment for resectable gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers. 

We discuss the clinical evidence behind these changes, some of the practical considerations around managing treatment-related toxicities and new funding to expand specialist prostate cancer nursing services.

If this helped you keep up with PBS oncology and haematology updates, please subscribe, share it with a colleague and leave a review so more clinicians can find us.

Visit the Show Notes for links to the papers and other materials related to the PBS updates discussed in this episode and to send us audio feedback or questions for future episodes.

Proudly produced by The Oncology Network - with thanks to our Editor, Graham Knowles.

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PBS listings can radically reshape practice and the August changes are all about precision. Rachael Babin from the Oncology Network sits down with Professor Craig Underhill to translate the latest Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) oncology and haematology listings into what clinicians actually need: who’s eligible, what the key trials show and what to watch for once the script is written. 

We start with vorasidenib, newly listed for IDH mutant astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. Alongside a powerful public advocacy story, we unpack the INDIGO phase 3 data and why a clear progression-free survival gain matters for patients facing long treatment journeys. We also get practical about toxicity, including fatigue and liver function abnormalities, and the reality that chronic low-grade side effects still require close monitoring and supportive care to keep people well on therapy. 

Next, we move to selpercatinib for RET-mutated medullary thyroid cancer, a rare disease where “getting the target right” can be transformative. Craig talks us through the LIBRETTO-531 results, what “PFS not reached” signals, and why tolerability and discontinuation rates matter just as much as headline efficacy. 

We then cover tafasitamab (anti-CD19) added to rituximab and lenalidomide for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, including day unit visit burden, neutropenia risk and the size of the benefit reported. 

To close, we ask the bigger question: as targeted therapy and tumour-agnostic approvals increase, are we heading toward mutation specialists rather than tumour-type silos? If this helped you keep up with PBS oncology and haematology updates, please subscribe, share it with a colleague and leave a review so more clinicians can find us.

Visit the Show Notes for links to the papers and other materials related to the PBS updates discussed in this episode and to send us audio feedback or questions for future episodes.

Proudly produced by The Oncology Network

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Negative trials matter. In this episode, the Oncology Journal Club team discuss research that challenges established practice, alongside thought-provoking papers exploring how we communicate treatment goals in the era of immunotherapy and precision oncology.

Professor Chris Jackson reviews the PERISCOPE II trial, showing that adding gastrectomy, cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC to systemic therapy does not improve survival for patients with gastric cancer and limited peritoneal metastases, while substantially increasing treatment-related morbidity.

Dr Kate Clarke examines the NeoSUMMIT-01 trial, which provides further evidence supporting perioperative PD-1 inhibition alongside chemotherapy for gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancers, with encouraging improvements in event-free and overall survival.

Professor Craig Underhill leads a discussion on a JAMA Oncology viewpoint questioning whether the traditional "curative" versus "palliative" treatment framework remains fit for purpose in modern oncology, particularly as immunotherapy and targeted therapies create new patterns of long-term survival.

The team also explores:

• Smoking cessation programmes that improve outcomes for patients with cancer 
• New ctDNA data following colorectal liver metastasectomy 
• Steroids to reduce morphine-induced nausea and vomiting 
• Highlights from the ASCO Breakthrough meeting 
• The Lancet Oncology Commission on the global cancer workforce crisis 
• Tumour-agnostic therapies and the challenges of equitable implementation 
• Five-year follow-up from TOPAZ-1 in advanced biliary tract cancer 
• A comprehensive review of recent advances in prostate cancer 

The Oncology Journal Club Podcast is hosted by Professor Craig Underhill, Dr Kate Clarke and Professor Chris Jackson, and proudly produced by The Oncology Network.

Visit oncologynetwork.com.au for Show Notes, to send us Voice Notes and more information. 

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The July 2026 PBS update brings a number of important changes for oncology clinicians, with several new and expanded cancer medicine listings set to improve access to cancer treatments across breast, lung, blood and biliary tract cancers.

In this episode, Rachael Babin and Professor Craig Underhill discuss the clinical significance of the latest Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme changes, including who is now eligible for treatment, what these listings mean for multidisciplinary care and why comprehensive biomarker testing continues to grow in importance.

In this episode:

• PBS listing for pertuzumab (Perjeta®) in high-risk HER2-positive early breast cancer 
• Listing of alectinib (Alecensa®) for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer 
• Osimertinib (Tagrisso®) listing for EGFR-mutated unresectable Stage III NSCLC following chemoradiation 
• First PBS listing of romidepsin (Romidepsin-Reach®) for relapsed peripheral T-cell lymphoma 
• First PBS listing of futibatinib (Lytgobi®) for FGFR2-altered advanced cholangiocarcinoma 
• What the new broad (multi-cancer) PBS listing principles for PD-(L)1 inhibitors could mean for future cancer drug funding

Follow The PBS Update for regular discussions on PBS listings and oncology policy changes affecting Australian healthcare professionals.

Visit the Show Notes for links to the PBS updates discussed in this episode and to send us audio feedback or questions for future episodes.

Proudly produced by The Oncology Network

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Welcome to the Making Cancer Care Smarter series, brought to you by The Oncology Network. Hosted by Rachael Babin and Associate Professor Jenny Liu.

What does it really take to make cancer care smarter? In this episode of Experts on Point, host Rachael Babin is joined by Associate Professor Jenny Liu and patient advocate Beth Ivimey to explore how precision oncology is reshaping not only cancer treatment but the way clinical trials are designed and delivered. 

It's a conversation that we hope you will find inspiring - its about combining innovation with compassion—and  its a reminder that some of the biggest advances in oncology may come not only from scientific breakthroughs, but from building systems that put patients at the centre of every decision. 

Drawing on both clinical expertise and lived experience, they discuss genomic testing, trial navigation, toxicity management, patient partnership and the challenges of ensuring the right patient reaches the right trial at the right time. 

Together, they reflect on why the future of cancer research depends as much on smarter systems and meaningful collaboration as it does on scientific innovation.

We hope you enjoy listening.

For news and podcast updates subscribe to The Oncology Newsletter,  a free weekly publication for healthcare professionals with an interest in oncology. Click here to subscribe.

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Please note, this episode was originally released as episode 30 of The Oncology Podcast's Experts On Point 

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Join our Hosts Professor Craig Underhill and Rachael Babin to discuss the June 2026 PBS update including a new listing for fixed-duration acalabrutinib plus venetoclax in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. 

They also explore the growing challenges facing Australia's PBS, with special guest Professor John Zalcberg AO sharing his insights into delays in access to innovative cancer medicines, global pricing pressures, the impact of changing US drug policy and what reforms may be needed to ensure Australian patients continue to benefit from timely access to life-changing treatments.

Follow PBS Update for regular discussions on PBS listings and oncology policy changes affecting Australian healthcare professionals.

Visit the Show Notes for links to the PBS updates discussed in this episode and to send us audio feedback or questions for future episodes.

Proudly produced by The Oncology Network

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The Oncology Journal Club team returns with Part 2 of its ASCO 2026 coverage, delivering a whirlwind tour through some of the most interesting studies presented across gastrointestinal, breast, lung, genitourinary, gynaecological, skin and haematological cancers.

Craig Underhill, Kate Clarke and Christopher Jackson discuss emerging data on ctDNA-guided treatment strategies, exercise as adjuvant therapy, genomic testing in breast cancer, novel antibody-drug conjugates, immunotherapy advances, de-escalation studies and potential new standards of care. They also explore the growing role of precision medicine, evolving treatment sequencing strategies and the challenges facing the global oncology workforce.

Along the way, expect the usual OJC banter, ASCO bingo, questionable drug pronunciations and a recurring tribute to Qantas pyjamas!

The Oncology Journal Club Podcast is hosted by Professor Craig Underhill, Dr Kate Clarke and Professor Chris Jackson, and proudly produced by The Oncology Network

Visit oncologynetwork.com.au for Show Notes, to send us Voice Notes and more information. And to download your bingo card if you'd like to play along with the team!