New trials bring hope for women with vulvar cancer

Brianna Armstrong hopes that by the time she’s ready to retire, doctors will treat women with vulvar cancer dramatically differently.

“Doctors can’t reliably detect when vulvar cancer has spread to the lymph nodes through a physical exam or medical imaging,” Brianna explained. “So, the standard treatment for most women includes surgery to remove the tumour and the groin lymph nodes. This surgery often has adverse side effects that can be lifelong and even more challenging than the cancer. Hopefully, our research will show that this is not the only safe and effective treatment option, giving women and doctors greater choice.

“Changing clinical practice can take a long time, but we have started vulvar cancer trials in Queensland that may change treatments for women with this cancer globally within the next decade,” Brianna said.

Exploring new approaches to treatment

Brianna is the Clinical Trial Manager responsible for managing QCGC Research’s three current vulvar cancer trials—Pre-ANVU, NODE, and ANVU (Australian National Vulvar Cancer). She explained that, as vulvar cancer is rare, it can be challenging to secure government funding for its research. Thankfully, Cherish stepped in to provide seed funding for the research team to set up Pre-ANVU and gather data to support their concept.

“Pre-ANVU is a feasibility study to assess whether high-resolution groin ultrasound monitoring can be used to identify if vulvar cancer has spread to a woman’s lymph nodes,” Brianna explained. “The study is ongoing, and it is too early to say if it will spare women lymph node surgery without compromising their survival, but this is just the beginning.”

“For Pre-ANVU, we will recruit up to 100 patients from across Australia and internationally. We plan to show the approach is safe and feasible before starting the ANVU study.

Donor generosity launches landmark trial

“In 2025, an individual donor, realising how hard it is to secure research grants for this cancer, stepped forward to donate $1.5 million over three years. Cherish has matched their incredible generosity, which means we can start ANVU in 2026. ANVU will be a Phase 2 randomised clinical trial with 240 participants,” Brianna said. “Once we can show results from a small sample, we will apply for government funding to expand the trial.”

“I’m organising the research ethics, setting up sites, contracts and insurance. There’s a lot of paperwork and planning, rightly so, in getting a trial started,” Brianna said. “I also recruit patients with vulvar cancer, whom we will follow through the study. There are few clinical trials for women with vulvar cancer, and they are very receptive to volunteering.”

The courage of patients leading the way

Brianna enjoys connecting with patients. “Their courage inspires me to keep speaking up for women with vulvar cancer, some of whom feel shame, fear or embarrassment.

“I’m inspired by their willingness to participate in research studies despite often facing a difficult diagnosis and treatment path. Many women I speak with have never heard of vulvar cancer before being diagnosed. Yet they want to help, even if the trial will not benefit them personally.”

The team wants to ensure women’s voices guide every step of the research journey. They have an active consumer representative group that includes women with lived experience of vulvar cancer and close family members or carers.

Exploring safer alternatives to surgery

“For the Pre-ANVU trial, women still receive the standard treatment, but they have an extra ultrasound and blood tests for our research. But NODE and ANVU will change the treatment approach for some women with early-stage vulvar cancer. Some women will have groin ultrasound monitoring every two months for 12 months instead of the standard groin lymph node surgery.

“When I explain these trials to patients, many people are excited about the prospect of ultrasound monitoring, which shows how strong the need is among patients for better treatment options.”

The team dedicated to making a difference

Before this role, Brianna worked in pharmaceutical trials for COVID-19 and cancer. She has a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from the Queensland University of Technology, a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from The University of Queensland, and a Master of Public Health from Griffith University. Meeting the QCGC Research team, Brianna was struck by their passion and drive.

“This team has built a global reputation for innovative research. I could also see their dedication and determination to conduct impactful research that delivers better outcomes for women.”

Improving awareness and access for all women

Brianna said that awareness about gynaecological cancer is not high. “This is even more pronounced in rural and regional areas and in Indigenous Australian communities.

“Many women are simply not getting the diagnosis and treatment they need in time. If they are diagnosed, many must travel to a major city like Brisbane to receive their treatment at significant personal and financial cost.

“We hope our research and the work of Cherish will help to improve awareness and reduce this inequity for women with vulvar cancer.”

Building momentum for change

Each site the QCGC Research team adds to the Pre-ANVU, NODE, and ANVU trials comes at a financial cost to cover establishment fees, legal fees, insurance, patient recruitment, and health professional training.

“The cost of running a large international trial like ANVU is enormous, and vulvar cancer research is a field that’s under-funded and often overlooked,” Brianna said. “However, we are demonstrating the potential benefits of our research using philanthropic support and hope that this will lead to government funding to finish the work.”

“Being here at the start and knowing how significant this research is, I’m particularly motivated to see it through and witness its global impact one day.”

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