Achieving significant changes in medical practice
Since 1991, we have been working towards a world free of GI cancer. We put patients with GI cancer at the centre of our research, saving and improving lives by accelerating the pace of discoveries that lead to cures.
We are proud that our independent, patient-centred research has been integral to worldwide changes in medical practice. Our clinical trials have improved outcomes for people with GI cancer and provided access to cutting-edge treatments and high care support not otherwise available.
We have extended life expectancy for patients with GI cancer by testing:
- Oral chemotherapy as an alternative to intravenous therapies
- New drug treatments
- Targeted therapies and personalised therapy
- Preoperative chemo radiation
- Novel combinations of treatments
We have improved quality-of-life for patients by:
- Reducing side effects by a different combination of chemotherapies
- Identifying patients who do not benefit from certain therapies
- Demonstrating that a shorter duration of treatment is equally efficacious but less toxic in the adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer
We have tested new targeted therapies:
- Demonstrating that a drug that acts on tumour growth is safe and active in oesophageal cancer
- Showing that a monoclonal antibody treatment is likely to benefit selected patients with bile duct cancer
We have established surgical guidelines to:
- Improve survival outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients
We are now starting to test preventative therapies in GI cancer.
Impact spotlights on trial achievements
CO.17: A breakthrough in advanced colorectal cancer treatment
In the early 1990s, there was only one treatment available for advanced colorectal, or bowel cancer, the chemotherapy drug 5-fluoracil. At the GI Cancer Institute and around the world, researchers knew there was a need for more options for patients, especially because bowel cancer affected 9,662 people every year and its incidence was growing. Continue reading
GAP: A small trial that made a big difference for people with pancreatic cancer
The GAP study challenged the prevailing standard treatment for pancreas cancer – patients that were considered curable had surgery first, followed by chemotherapy. While the standard treatment was considered effective for patients that are able to complete chemotherapy, a significant proportion of patients are not able to complete it. Continue reading
ICECREAM: Adding crucial data to the complex colorectal treatment jigsaw
If diagnosed early, colorectal cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer, but once it is advanced there are often few effective treatment options available. Research has shown that patients with a rare genetic mutation called G13D may respond to treatment differently and the ICECREAM trial aimed to find out more. Continue reading
INTEGRATE and INTEGRATE II/b: Improving survival for people with stomach cancer
Clinical trials are constantly evolving as new insights come to light and the INTEGRATE studies are a prime example of this. Finding a better treatment for stomach cancer patients is crucial; worldwide, it is the fifth most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer deaths. Continue reading

The impact of our completed trials
See our completed trials and their impact on medical research.