Breast cancer is a malignant tumour that starts in breast tissue of a man or woman.
Biography
Professor Kelly-Anne Phillips is a Consultant Medical Oncologist and Senior Strategic Research Leader at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. She is a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and a National Health and Medical Research Council Leadership Fellow. She trained in Medicine and Medical Oncology in Australia and undertook her doctoral research studies in Toronto, Canada before returning to Melbourne in 1999. Her focus is on reducing the burden of breast cancer for women and their families by advancing and implementing knowledge in breast cancer genetics and treatment. Her clinical practice and research are devoted to the treatment of breast cancer and the management of women with a strong family history of the disease. Professor Phillips founded the Peter MacCallum Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk Management Clinic and is recognised internationally as an expert in breast cancer genetics and prevention research and practice. She has received awards for excellence in cancer prevention, women’s health and clinical trials research.
Professor Phillips has published over 200 research papers and has been the lead investigator on research grants worth over a total of $12 million. She led the development of iPrevent, a tool to help women understand their personal breast cancer risk and to act on it. She has led the kConFab Clinical Follow-Up Study since 2001, amassing longitudinal data from over 6,000 participants which has been used in global collaborations to better understand how to reduce breast cancer risk. She has been a Scientific Advisory Committee member for Breast Cancer Trials since 2005 and has been national and international lead for several worldwide breast cancer studies that have improved breast cancer treatments. She was European and Australian Chair of the POEMS study that showed the effectiveness of using the drug Zoladex to minimise chemotherapy-induced menopause and infertility. She was national lead on the OlympiA study which proved the effectiveness of olaparib in improving outcomes for women with breast cancer and inherited abnormalities in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. She also chaired studies in Europe and Australia that elucidated the impact of anti-hormone treatments for breast cancer on cognitive function. She serves on national and international evidence-based guideline committees, and is a Lancet Breast Cancer Commissioner.
Professor Phillips is committed to ensuring high quality research findings are translated into policy and clinical practice. Her research and advocacy have been instrumental in improving equity of access in Australia to drugs for cancer prevention and prevention of chemotherapy-induced menopause.
In the news
Fresh hope for women who carry BRCA cancer genes
OlympiA trial survival findings released – new treatment reduces breast cancer deaths by 32%
Hope for women who carry 'Jolie' cancer genes
Meet Melbourne's top scientists
New Peter Mac online tool to help women reduce breast cancer risk
Early detection of breast, ovarian cancer more likely thanks to study
Clearer picture of cancer risk for women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations
Breast cancer gene may lower women's fertility: study
Breast cancer risk reduction pill Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) added to PBS subsidy list
New treatment helps young women with breast cancer preserve their fertility during chemotherapy.
Related Links
Qualifications
MBBS (Hons), MD (by research), FRACP, FAHMS
