cervical cancer | Grace Gawler Media

Viruses and Cancer| Professor Ian Frazer Navigating the Cancer Maze with Grace Gawler | Voice America

The subject of viruses and their role in causing or accelerating cancer is a fascinating subject. It is a topic that is often discussed in Germany where specific tests and antisense treatments are implemented to treat oncoviruses. (An oncovirus is a virus that can cause cancer.) If you missed my interview with Prof Ian Frazer last September, this special episode was encored today on Voice America on Grace Gawler’s weekly show; Navigating the Cancer Maze. To link a virus to cancer in the 1980’s was contentious, but Ian Frazer persevered, convinced this needed further investigation. Now his successful research and development of a cervical cancer vaccine has sold worldwide under the brand names Gardasil and Cervarix.

The subject of viruses and their role in causing or accelerating cancer is a fascinating subject. It is a topic that is often discussed in Germany where specific tests and antisense treatments are implemented to treat oncoviruses. (An oncovirus is a virus that can cause cancer.) If you missed my interview with Prof Ian Frazer last September, this special episode was encored today on Navigating the Cancer Maze. To link a virus to cancer in the 1980’s was contentious, but Ian Frazer persevered, convinced this needed further investigation.

Prof Ian Frazer — The Book that tells of story of one of the most important discoveries in recent medical science

Now his successful research and development of a cervical cancer vaccine has sold worldwide under the brand names Gardasil and Cervarix. To Listen to the interview select the link to Voice America below:
http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/76241/special-encore-presentation-navigating-the-cancer-maze-with-professor-ian-frazer

Professor Ian Frazer was born in 1953 in Glasgow, Scotland, into an academic family. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University and trained as a renal physician and clinical immunologist. He received a BSc(Med) in 1974 and an MB ChB in 1977.

In 1974, as part of his studies, Frazer spent three months at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. In 1981 Frazer returned to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute where he continued his clinical training and undertook studies in viral immunology and autoimmunity and became particularly interested in human papilloma viruses (HPV).

In 1985 he took up a teaching position with the University of Queensland. When he moved to Brisbane he decided to continue his work with HPV, in particular HPV and cervical cancer. He was awarded a MD from the University of Melbourne in 1988. The work of Frazer with his colleague, the late molecular virologist Dr Jian Zhou, has led to the development of a vaccine which prevents infection with HPV and cervical cancer.
Prof Ian Frazer is currently CEO and Director of Research at the Translational Research Institute (TRI). Select link below to listen to interview with prof Ian Frazer:
http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/76241/special-encore-presentation-navigating-the-cancer-maze-with-professor-ian-frazer

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rnemwyjMKs]

The theory that cancer could be caused by a virus began with the experiments of Oluf Bang and Vilhelm Ellerman in 1908 who first show that avian erythroblastosis (a form of chicken leukemia) could be transmitted by cell-free extracts. This was subsequently confirmed for solid tumors in chickens in 1910-1911 by Peyton Rous.

By the early 1950s it was known that viruses could remove and incorporate genes and genetic material in cells. It was suggested that these new genes inserted into cells could make the cell cancerous. Many of these viral oncogenes have been discovered and identified to cause cancer.

The main viruses associated with human cancers are human papillomavirus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus, Epstein-Barr virus, human T-lymphotropic virus, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus(KSHV) and Merkel cell polyomavirus. Experimental and epidemiological data imply a causative role for viruses and they appear to be the second most important risk factor for cancer development in humans, exceeded only by tobacco usage.
To continue visit source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncovirus

The Man who Saved a Million Lives | Prof Ian Frazer – book review Grace Gawler

Author of ‘Ian Frazer … The man who saved a million lives’, Brisbane’s Madonna King, has certainly done justice to telling the life story and, scientific story of Prof Ian Frazer, one of Australia’s leading medical and scientific researchers.I also had the pleasure of interviewing Prof Ian Frazer on my educational US based internet radio series “Navigating the Cancer Maze”. If you missed this interview – it comes as highly recommended as the book about his life and work.
http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/72540/navigating-the-cancer-maze-with-professor-ian-frazer

Author of ‘Ian Frazer … The man who saved a million lives’, Brisbane’s Madonna King, has certainly done justice to telling the life story and, scientific story of Prof Ian Frazer, one of Australia’s leading medical and scientific researchers.

A Review.

In 2012 I heard Prof Frazer give an excellent presentation to a Prostate Cancer Support group at Tweed heads. I was impressed, because here was a man clearly still as passionate about his work as when he began in the field of medicine, virology and immunology decades prior. Born in the same year as myself, we shared a hero.

Ian Frazer grew up in the era of TV scientist Prof Julius Sumner-Miller whose program was called “Why is it so”? I have met so many scientists around the world who name Prof Sumner-Miller as their early inspiration to pursuit of a scientific career – What a legacy he left!

I also had the pleasure of interviewing Prof Ian Frazer on my educational US based internet radio series “Navigating the Cancer Maze”. If you missed this interview – it comes as highly recommended as the book about his life and work.
http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/72540/navigating-the-cancer-maze-with-professor-ian-frazer

It is not easy to maintain that degree of dedication and passion that Ian Frazer exudes; he must work hideously long hours. Although very gracious and compassionate one gets the sense that here is a man whose reputation has been hard-earned and at a cost. The world of science, research and pharmaceutical companies is highly competitive and it is this part of the book that is so revealing about the dogged nature of Prof Frazer. Yet, this is softened by the care and compassion threaded throughout the pages especially when it came to sharing the accolades with colleagues such as Jian Zhou.

The unexpected fight of his life and the lives of his fellow researchers began following a published paper in the Journal Virology by his colleague the late Jian Zhou, his wife Xiao Yi Sun, Deborah Stenzel and Prof Frazer. The paper was to be presented at a conference in Seattle in the USA , and at the last minute – a patent was issued in Queensland before Jian Zhou and Ian Frazer left Australia to present one of the world’s biggest breakthroughs in the fight against cervical cancer. However – what ensued over the coming years was a court case to determine who was the real inventor/owner of the world’s first HPV vaccine…it was declared it was not Australia – but the US Georgetown based researchers that deserved first place and the right to say they developed the Vaccine. It was not until August 2007 that this judgement was reversed!

The story is complex but Madonna King weaves her literary skill…. the battle for rightful Australian and not US ownership of the vaccine discovery and patent reads like a spy novel crossed with a television drama – it would make a great Australian mini-series!

This book is not only significant in describing the story line of Prof Ian Frazer the man and his family and colleagues – but also it paints a picture of the behind the scenes pressures and skulduggery that happens in a medical research world that most of us know little about. It is complex and convoluted and of course as well as the discoveries – there is always the financial rewards that creates a competitive race to the finish-line approach. You will read about pharmaceutical companies, ethics and laws and the struggles that ensued to bring truth and a humane discovery to light. Prof Ian Frazer and his team shine throughout.

I would highly recommend this book. It is a great read for anybody who wants to know the science and reason and efforts behind the development of the cervical vaccine that Prof Frazer and the late Jian Zhou pioneered; and, as well, Madonna King shows us the human faces and lives of the people behind science and research that makes our live better. The book is aptly titled….”‘Ian Frazer … The man who saved a million lives’.

A great Christmas gift!

How to get your copy: available in Australia from Dymocks, Target and many other bookstores.

Not available in e-book yet, the book is published by University of Queensland Press BUY ONLINE HERE

Grace Gawler, Prof Alex Crandon Conversations about Gynaecological Cancer on Voice America

Voice America Grace Gawler talks with Prof Alex Crandon whose specialty is Surgical Gynaecologic Oncology and one of the few surgeons in the world practising Hyperthermic intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy or HIPEC; a special type of surgery recommended for some women with ovarian cancer which promises to significantly improve survival.

How to Navigate the Gynaecologic Cancer Maze with Professor Alex Crandon

February 1, 2013

Hosted by Grace Gawler
http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/67129/how-to-navigate-the-gynaecologic-cancer-maze-with-professor-alex-crandon

It is important to be educated and to educate your teenagers and grandchildren: Safe sex has never been more important for protection against future cancer development. For those who are sexually active, a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is the strategy most likely to prevent HPV infection!!!!

Did you know that …….

1.HPV ( Human Papilloma Virus ) is responsible for many cancers other than cancer of the cervix. When the new vaccines begin to act in a preventive way – we will see at least a 70% drop in diagnosed cases of cervical cancer.

2. Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by HPV infections, with just two HPV types, 16 and 18, responsible for about 70 percent of all cases.

3. We often think of the nasty diseases like Gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis as being the dreaded STDs however today a more silent offender is at work…a virus that can cause cancer 10- 15 years after the first infection….yes …it is HPV.

4. HPV also causes anal cancer, with about 85 percent of all cases caused by HPV-16. HPV types 16 and 18 have also been found to cause close to half of vaginal, vulvar, and penile cancers.

5. Most recently, HPV infections have been found to cause cancer of the oropharynx, which is the middle part of the throat including the soft palate, the base of the tongue, and the tonsils. In the United States, more than half of the cancers diagnosed in the oropharynx are linked to HPV-16.

6.The incidence of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer has increased during the past 20 years, especially among men. It has been estimated that, by 2020, HPV will cause more oropharyngeal cancers than cervical cancers in the United States . Reference: see end of blog.

Be educated on Womens Gynaecological Cancers and more……This week on Voice America’s Navigating the Cancer Maze I speak with Prof Alex Crandon whose specialty is Surgical Gynaecologic Oncology and one of the few surgeons in the world practising Hyperthermic intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy or HIPEC; a special type of surgery recommended for some women with ovarian cancer which promises to significantly improve survival. He was the first to introduce the method to Australia. When diagnosed with gynaecological cancer there are not only decisions to be made about a potentially life-threatening illness but the biggest challenge for a woman is also the morbidity factor; life quality and wellbeing and adapting to massive changes throughout and after treatments. Navigating the Cancer Maze focuses on best options for those dealing with cancer therefore I will be asking many questions of Prof Crandon covering the big 5 women’s gynaecological cancers; cervical, uterine, ovarian, vulval and ovarian germ cell cancer. Be informed! Imperative listening for all women!

http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/67129/how-to-navigate-the-gynaecologic-cancer-maze-with-professor-alex-crandon

Who Is Prof Alex Crandon? M.B., B.S., PhD (Leeds)., F.R.C.O.G(Lond)., F.R.A.C.O.G., C.G.O.

Prof Alex Crandon is the Director of the Queensland Centre of Gynaecological Cancer, (est. 1993). A graduate of University of Sydney,1973; he initially worked at the Royal Alfred Hospital before training in the UK (1975-1980).

Prof Alex Crandon grace gawler institute — Prof Alex Crandon

He completed his postgraduate studies and specialist training in surgical gynaecology oncology. Between 1980 and 1993 he was a staff gynaecologic oncologist at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital and Chair of the Gynaecological Council at the University Qld from 1993 to 2004. In1993 he established the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer- now the largest gynaecological cancer service in Australia and one of the ten largest in the World.

In 1997 Mr John Gower & Prof Alex Crandon set up the Gynaecological Cancer Society, which now provides a wide range of services to patients throughout Australia. Prof Alex Crandon has a major interest in improving the results for the treatment for ovarian cancer especially in HIPEC. Hyperthermic Intra-Peritoneal Chemotherapy.

For further helpful information about gynaecological cancer please visit: http://www.igcs.com.au/pil/default.htm

To contact prof Crandon please select: http://www.materonline.org.au/specialist/gynaecologic-oncology/prof-alex-crandon

Resources and references:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/HPV

I hope you find this edition of Navigating the Cancer Maze helpful. Email questions to: institute@gracegawler.com