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NSW Oncology Group: Neuro-Oncology

Chair: Kerrie McDonald, PhD

Research Fellow, Head Cerebral Research

Cancer Genetics Laboratory, Hormones and Cancer Unit, Kolling Institute of Medical Research

Dr McDonald completed her PhD in 2001 at the University of Melbourne and took up a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford in 2002. Dr McDonald joined the Cancer Genetics Laboratory at the Kolling Institute of Medical Research in 2004 and has since driven the brain tumour research. Projects supervised or conducted by Dr McDonald specifically target the identification of biological markers with utility to improve diagnosis, prognosis and response to treatment. Dr McDonald was made head of the Cerebral Tumour Research Group within the Cancer Genetics Laboratory in 2007. She has been instrumental in building the Australasian Brain Tumour Bank, obtained peer reviewed funding, published, had a provisional patent granted and is supervising four PhD students. Dr McDonald is the recipient of consecutive Cure For Life Fellowships (2006-07; 2007-08). She has active collaborations with researchers at the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI), St Vincents Hospital, Westmead Hospital, University of Otago, New Zealand and Western Australia Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR, UWA).

Key Activities of NSWOG Neuro-Oncology:

• The NSWOG Neuro-Oncology Priority Project, funded by the Cancer Institute NSW, addresses the cognitive and behavioural sequelae of brain tumour. An important component of the project is to improve the information resources about these problems for patients and their families. A series of fact sheets have been developed on typical cognitive and behavioural changes that may occur after diagnosis with a primary brain tumour.
  
  For more information or a hardcopy of these resources, please contact Kylie Wright on KylieM.Wright@sswahs.nsw.gov.au or teresa.simpson@sswahs.nsw.gov.au.
  
  
  • NSWOG Neuro-Oncology Overview | 225 KB
  • Factsheets:
    • Anger: Are you having trouble with your temper
    • Stress & Anxiety: Are you feeling tense, nervous or overwhelmed?
    • Attention and Concentration: Are you having difficulty staying on task
    • Communication: Can’t find the word or talk too much?
    • Disorientation/Appearing Confused: Feeling lost, not knowing where you are…?
    • Being Self-Centred (Egocentricity): Do you only think about yourself and find it hard to see other people’s point of view…?
    • High Level Thinking or Executive Impairments: Can’t seem to think straight…?
    • Fatigue: Do you feel exhausted or tired a lot of the time…?
    • Impulsivity: Do you sometimes act without thinking…?
    • Inappropriate social behaviour/ inappropriate sexual behaviour: Can’t seem to say or do the right thing at the right time…?
    • Lability: Do you feel that you are on an emotional roller coaster…?
    • Apathy/Lack of motivation: Can’t seem to get yourself going…? Don’t seem to care about anything…?
    • Neglecting Personal Care / Looking after yourself: When how you look no longer seems to be important…
    • Memory: Do you keep forgetting things… ?
    • Low Mood - Depression: Do you feel sad, tearful, can’t seem to enjoy yourself…?
    • Perservation: Do you repeat yourself or get stuck like a broken record…
  • Resource Sheets:
  • Anger Management
  • Checklist for getting ready
  • Goal Setting
  • How to Cope with Depression
  • Activity Scheduling
  • Memory Tips
  • Mindfulness exercise
  • Problem solving
  • Stress Management and relaxation techniques
  • Stress Management
  • Timetable

• Annual General Meeting (AGM)
• Addressing the cognitive and behavioural sequelae of adults with brain tumour: trialling a Behavioural Consultancy Model
• Clinical Trials - subcommittee formed
• Tumour Banking
• Clinical Care Coordinators
• Brain Tumour Support and Education Forum - 28 October 2008
  • Click here for session summaries, audio files and links to media and information resources