VCCC Alliance Precision Oncology Forum

Use and Implementation of ctDNA within the VCCC Alliance

In this Precision Oncology Forum, a panel of experts presents on the use of ctDNA within the VCCC Alliance with a focus on the currently available testing modalities, the clinical use of ctDNA within the precinct, and the use of ctDNA to provide increased access to genomic sequencing to those patients outside of a metropolitan centre. The presentation includes data produced by the Cancer Statewide project, completed in early 2025.

Dr Kortnye Smith discusses the results of Cancer Statewide project and how it is supporting equitable delivery of complex genomic profiling across Victoria. Dr Chelsee Hewitt presents on liquid biopsy in practice, including VCCC clinical assays and insights from Peter Mac studies, while Dr Lavinia Tan shares on the clinical utility of circulating tumour dna (ctDNA) in solid malignancies.

Chairs

Dr Huiling Xu
Senior Research Fellow, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr Joep Vissers
Curation Scientist Team Leader, the University of Melbourne

Speakers

Dr Kortnye Smith
Medical Oncologist and Researcher, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Eastern Health

After completing her medical oncology training, Dr Smith pursued a two-year fellowship at Peter Mac and the Melbourne Genomic Health Alliance where she investigated genomic sequencing in cancer therapy. Dr Smith works predominantly in lung cancer and melanoma as well as focusing on her passion to improve patient equity by coordinating the Oncology in the Home program in Melbourne.

Dr Chelsee Hewitt
Lead Scientist, Solid Somatic Molecular Pathology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr Hewitt leads the solid tumour somatic molecular testing at Peter Mac Pathology. After completing a PhD on ctDNA in oral cancer at the University of Manchester and a postdoctoral research position in neurogenomics at WEHI, she returned to clinical cancer genomics at Peter Mac in 2008. Here, she has led the validation and clinical implementation of multiple assays including the current small panel, fast turnaround NGS solid tumour and liquid biopsy assays. Her team provides standard of care genomic tumour profiling.

Dr Lavinia Tan
Medical Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr Tan is a medical oncologist with a sub-speciality interest in treating patients with lung cancer. She completed a clinical fellowship focusing on thoracic malignancies at the Peter Mac and a PhD in the Molecular Biomarkers and Translational Genomics Laboratory exploring the utility of circulating tumour DNA to guide precision medicine in solid malignancies. Her main research interests focus on understanding and developing novel strategies to overcome resistance to targeted therapies in oncogene driven lung cancers.