MondayLunchLive
Risk-stratified cancer screening using polygenic risk scores promises more personalised prevention. However, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities are consistently underrepresented in the trials that test it, limiting how well the evidence applies to all Australians.
This Monday Lunch Live brings together two linked studies in two parts. In the first, Dr Sibel Saya presents a realist review of primary care-based research with CALD populations. It explains which recruitment strategies actually work, and in what circumstances, from culturally appropriate recruiters and community partnerships to language support and adapted materials.
In the second, Yuhang (Jasmine) Zhang shares a mixed-methods study tailoring the CASSOWARY trial, Australia's first trial of PRS-guided cancer screening in general practice, for the Chinese community in Victoria. Using surveys at a community information session and focus groups, she unpacks the barriers, facilitators and cultural meanings that shape participation.
Together, our two speakers offer practical, transferable strategies for designing primary care-based cancer trials that truly reach everyone. These range from GP endorsement and in-language delivery to trust-building and reframing genomic testing as a safe, personalised test.
Watch on demand
Session recording
Recording guide
Explore the session
Chapter markers are built into the player. Select a chapter to open that point of the recording on YouTube in a new tab.
01 Introduction and overview (opens in a new tab) 0:00 →
02 What are polygenic risk scores? (opens in a new tab) 3:03 →
03 The CASCADE Trial (opens in a new tab) 7:10 →
04 Why the PHOENIX Trial was created (opens in a new tab) 11:13 →
05 What the literature told us (opens in a new tab) 15:32 →
06 What the community told us (opens in a new tab) 20:42 →
07 How the PHOENIX Trial was designed (opens in a new tab) 31:43 →
08 Measuring success in the pilot trial (opens in a new tab) 38:54 →
09 Audience questions and discussion (opens in a new tab) 43:31 →
At a glance
The session in brief
Originally held
[Monday 21 September 2026]
Online.
Who this is for
Researchers and clinicians involved in primary care-based cancer research
GPs, Clinicians, primary care and cancer researchers, clinical trialists, health equity and consumer engagement practitioners, and consumers.
Contributors
Chair and speakers
Chair
Associate Professor Justin Tse
Cancer Lead, Department of General Practice and Primary Care; Collaborative Centre for Cancer Genomic Medicine, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Justin Tse is an Academic Specialist in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on cancer prevention and early detection, with a particular interest in prostate and lung cancers, alongside a strong track record in cancer education and optimising transitions of care. He holds leadership roles at the VCCC Alliance and Cancer Council Victoria, including as a Board Director, and is immediate Past-Chair of the RACGP Specific Interest Network in Cancer.
Speaker
Dr Sibel Saya
Senior Research Fellow, Department of General Practice and Primary Care and Collaborative Centre for Cancer Genomic Medicine, University of Melbourne
Dr Saya holds a Master of Epidemiology and a PhD, with more than 10 years' experience in cancer screening research, focused on translating genomic testing into primary care. She is Research Lead on the ROSELLA (Risk-stratified Population Cancer Screening Implementation) Study and the CASSOWARY trial, evaluating the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of multi-cancer polygenic risk scores in general practice. Dr Saya supervises the CASSOWARY-CALD research project, which is examining what adaptations may be needed to support people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities to participate in primary care-based cancer clinical trials.
Speaker
Yuhang (Jasmine) Zhang
PhD Candidate, Department of General Practice and Primary Care and Collaborative Centre for Cancer Genomic Medicine, University of Melbourne
Yuhang (Jasmine) Zhang is a researcher in primary care and cancer genomic medicine at the University of Melbourne. Her work focuses on equity in risk-stratified cancer prevention. She studies how culturally and linguistically diverse communities, particularly the Chinese community in Victoria, can be meaningfully included in primary care-based cancer trials, including the CASSOWARY trial of polygenic risk score-guided screening.
Resource details
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