News

In 2023, ALLG celebrated our 50th anniversary and five decades of impact in blood cancer. ALLG clinical trials have advanced many treatments for blood cancers and have contributed to what are now standard treatments in many blood cancers.

This momentous anniversary saw the ALLG reflect on five decades of clinical trials success and impact, while laying the foundations to look to an even brighter future for blood cancer patients.

 

Results of ALLG’s Blood Cancer Research

Results of ALLG trials have shifted the dial, adding to global knowledge of better treatments and changed the way blood cancers are treated around the world. Through international collaborations with the UK, US, and Canada, Asia, and numerous European countries, we have had five decades of enormous impact; for example, more than tripling the survival rates for patients with the Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

“The ALLG, the oldest cancer cooperative trials group in Australia and New Zealand, has spent five decades at the cutting-edge of the global development of cures for blood cancer. At 94 hospitals across Australia and New Zealand, more than 13,000 patients have benefited from our clinical trials with extraordinary advances in survival.”

“Fifty years ago, most patients with blood cancer died within months. Now, most will have a near normal life expectancy.”

 

Professor Judith Trotman 

Chair – ALLG’s Science Advisory Committee 

 

Clinical Trials Progressing Better Treatments for Better Lives

ALLG clinical trials led by our member doctors have contributed widely to understanding the science of blood cancers and driving new treatments. Our clinical trial breakthroughs have changed the landscape and improved life expectancy greatly for patients.

In Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) – rates have improved from 45% of people surviving the 5 years after diagnosis to 77% surviving this period

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) – has changed from 49% of patients to 66% of surviving 5 years after diagnosis

Multiple Myeloma (MM) – has transformed from 28% of patients surviving 5 years or more to 57% surviving 5 years or more

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) – has improved from a dismal 15% surviving 5 years, to 53% surviving longer than 5 years

ALLG’s members continue to develop new trial concepts to increase blood cancer survival rates and to bring new innovative technologies to Australia and New Zealand.

 

The Future of Better Treatments

Help support us. ALLG is at the frontline of emerging therapies, with exciting ALLG clinical trials bringing breakthrough treatments to patients across Australia and New Zealand. ALLG provides the network and infrastructure for our member doctors to create, collaborate, and test new ideas to drive innovative new treatments, including:

Genomic screening – has transformed the understanding of blood cancers and accelerated a new generation of immunotherapies and precision medicines.

Immunotherapies – such as CAR-T cells will continue to be researched and refined

Continued work – in a range of ALLG trials today to understand the utility of PET-CT in managing blood cancers. In some areas, the use of a monoclonal antibody together with chemotherapy in slow-growing lymphomas has resulted in the cure of many more patients than the recent past.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning systems – are helping researchers discover promising drug candidates through more efficient data analysis.

Biobanks – have an increasingly important role and are crucial to facilitating future medical research.

Consumer representatives – continue to play a vital role, designing clinical trial information for participants and providing their perspectives for patient centred trial design and conduct.

Clinical trial conduct has grown enormously in sophistication. In our 51st  year, ALLG remains committed to improving the treatment, lives and survival rates of patients with blood cancers through innovative trial research and novel therapies.

 

ALLG Looks to the Future

Going forward, ALLG will continue to lead a robust and collaborative clinical research program across all blood cancers, particularly to address unmet needs, and will accelerate the best science, evidence and effective outcomes for patients.

Your support for our research is vital to help us drive the change needed to achieve our mission of Better treatments, better lives. Donate today.