Team Teal is an annual fundraising campaign led by ANZGOG’s fundraising arm – WomenCan – in partnership with the Harness Racing industry in Australia and New Zealand.
The industry’s advocacy and support of Team Teal is a significant contributor to fundraising for women with ovarian cancer. Together, ANZGOG and Team Teal NZ are supporting the New Zealand Ovarian Cancer Genomic Pathology Programme (NOVel).
The NOVel study aims to develop a database designed to help New Zealand women diagnosed with ovarian cancer participate in research. The database will hold participant contact and demographic data, disease diagnosis and ongoing clinical data relating to the disease and treatment, including genetic results relevant to the disease.
“NOVEL will enable tumour profiling for New Zealand women with high grade serous ovarian cancer, which will allow them rapid access to participate in specific international clinical trials.” Associate Professor Bryony Simcock, Gynaecological Oncologist and ANZGOG Member (NZ)
NOVel’s outcomes:
- To establish a database designed to allow appropriate selection of women diagnosed with an epithelial ovarian cancer to participate in research trials.
- To collect clinical data relating to the diagnosis and ongoing management of an epithelial ovarian cancer.
- To store tumour and blood tissue samples from women with ovarian cancer collected either at diagnosis and at recurrence, for use in future unspecified research.
- To assess the impact of a biopsy at the time of diagnosis and suspected recurrence on patients’ quality of life.
ANZGOG and Team Teal NZ are funding the pilot phase of the NOVel study that will involve molecular testing of tumour samples from 20 patients across three sites in New Zealand – Auckland, Christchurch and Nelson.
ANZGOG is hopeful that the pilot study will lead to the establishment of an ongoing project funded by grants and public fundraising in NZ – allowing more women to participate in NOVel.
