Associate Professor Anna deFazio 

A/Prof deFazio has a long-standing commitment to translational research with an emphasis on gynaecological malignancies. Her research program is focused on improving treatment outcome, particularly for women with ovarian cancer, and on identifying factors that modify risk of developing cancer.

She works with a team of postdoctoral researchers, postgraduate students, research assistants and clinical colleagues, and has active collaborations with other local, national and international research groups. The group is supported by national and international peer-reviewed grants.

A/Prof deFazio is on the management committee of the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS), a national molecular epidemiology study on ovarian cancer, in collaboration with colleagues at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Queensland Institute for Medical Research, and is the head of the AOCS Clinical Follow-up Core. She is also a chief investigator for the Australasian Biospecimens Network (ABN-Oncology).

- 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - 2000 -

2011

• Anglesio M, George J, Kulbe H, Friedlander M, Rischin D, Lemech C, Power J, Coward J, Cowin P, House C, Chakravarty P, Gorringe K, Campbell I, Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group, Okamoto A, Huntsman DG, deFazio A, Kalloger S, Balkwill F, Gilks B, Bowtell DDL (2011) IL6-STAT3-HIF signalling and therapeutic response to the angiogenesis inhibitor, sunitinib, in ovarian clear cell cancer. Clinical Cancer Res 17: 2538-48
• Emmanuel C, Gava N, Kennedy C, Balleine RL, Sharma R, Wain G, Brand A, Hogg R, Etemadmoghadam D, George J, Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group, Birrer MJ, Clarke CL, Chenevix-Trench G, Bowtell DDL, Harnett PR, deFazio A (2011) Comparison of expression profiles in ovarian epithelium in vivo and ovarian cancer identifies novel candidate genes involved in disease pathogenesis. PLoS ONE 6: e17617. [Abstract]
• Helland A, Anglesio MS, George J, Cowin PA, Johnstone CN, House CM, Sheppard KE, Etemadmoghadam D, Melnyk N, Rustgi AK, Phillips WA, Johnsen H, Holm R, Kristensen GB, Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group, Pearson RB, Børresen-Dale AL, Huntsman DG, DeFazio A, Creighton CJ, Smyth GK, Bowtell DDL (2011) MYCN and Let7 in aggressive high-grade serous ovarian cancers. PLoS ONE 6: e18064.
• Nagle C, Francis J, Nelson A, Zorbas H, Luxford K, de Fazio A, Fereday S, Bowtell D, Green A, Webb P (2011) Reducing time to diagnosis does not improve outcomes for women with symptomatic ovarian cancer: a report from the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group. J Clin Oncol 29: 2253-8.
• Pharoah P, Palmieri R, Ramus S, Gayther S, Andrulis I, Anton-Culver H, Antonenkova N, Antoniou A, BCFR Investigators, Beattie M, Beckman M, Birrer M, Bogdanova N, Bolton K, Brewster W, Brooks-Wilson A, Brown B, Butzow R, Caldes T, Caligo M, Campbell I, Chang-Claude J, Chen Y, Chenevix-Trench G, Cook L, Couch F, Cramer D, Cunningham J, Despierre E, Doherty J, Dörk T, Dürst M, Eccles D, Ekici A, EMBRACE Investigators, Fasching P, de Fazio A, Fenstermacher D, Flanagan J, Fridley B, Friedman W, Gao B, GEMO Study Collaborators, Gentry-Maharaj A, Godwin A, Goode E, Goodman M, Gross J, Hansen T, Harnett P, HEBON Investigators, Heikkinen T, Hein R, Høgdall C, Høgdall E, Iversen E, Jakubowska A, Jensen A, Johnatty S, Karlan B, Kauff N, Kaye S, kConFab Investigators, Kelemen L, Kiemeney L, Kjaer S, Lambrechts D, LaPolla J, Lázaro C, Le N, Leminen A, Leunen K, Levine D, Lu Y, Lundvall L, Macgregor S, Marees T, Massuger L, McLaughlin J, Menon U, Montagna M, Moysich K, Narod S, Nathanson K, Nedergaard L, Ness R, Nevanlinna H, Nickels S, Osorio A, Paul J, Pearce C, Phelan C, Pike M, Radice P, Rossing M, Schildkraut J, Sellers T, Singer C, Song H, Stram D, Sutphen R, SWE-BRCA Investigators, Terry K, Tsai Y, van Altena A, Vergote I, Vierkant R, Vitonis A, Walsh C, Wang-Gohrke S, Wappenschmidt B, Wu A, Ziogas A, Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium, Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2, Berchuck A, Risch H (2011) The role of KRAS rs61643 in invasive epithelial ovarian cancer: implications for clinical testing. Clinical Cancer Res 17: 3742-50. [Abstract]

2010

• Ahmed AA, Etemadmoghadam D, Temple J, Lynch AG, Riad M, Sharma R, Stewart C, Fereday S, Caldas C, deFazio A, Bowtell D, Brenton JD (2010) Driver mutations in TP53 are ubiquitous in high grade serous carcinoma of the ovary. The Journal of Pathology 221: 49-56. [Abstract]
• Byrne JA, Maleki S, Hardy JR, Gloss BS, Murali R, Scurry JP, Fanayan S, Emmanuel C, Hacker NF, Sutherland RL, DeFazio A, O'Brien PM (2010) MAL2 and tumor protein D52 (TPD52) are frequently overexpressed in ovarian carcinoma, but differentially associated with histological subtype and patient outcome. BMC Cancer 10: 497. [Abstract]
• Gordon LG, Scuffham PA, Beesley VL, Green AC, DeFazio A, Wyld DK, Clavarino AM, Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group, Webb PM (2010) Medical costs and outcomes for Australian women with ovarian cancer: a patient-level analysis over 2.5 years. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer 20: 757-65. [Abstract]
• International Cancer Genome Consortium. International network of cancer genome projects. Nature 2010; 464: 993-8. [Abstract]
• Johal H, Faedo M, Faltas J, Lau A, Mousina R, Cozzi P, DeFazio A, Rawlinson W (2010) DNA of mouse mammary tumor virus-like virus is present in human tumors influenced by hormones. J Med Virol 82: 1044-50. [Abstract]
• Johnatty SE, Beesley J, Chen X, Macgregor S, Duffy DL, Spurdle AB, deFazio A, Gava N, Webb PM, Rossing MA, Doherty JA, Goodman MT, Lurie G, Thompson PJ, Wilkens LR, Ness RB, Moysich KB, Chang-Claude J, Wang-Gohrke S, Cramer DW, Terry KL, Hankinson SE, Tworoger SS, Garcia-Closas M, Yang H, Lissowska J, Chanock SJ, Pharoah PD, Song H, Whitemore AS, Pearce CL, Stram DO, Wu AH, Pike MC, Gayther SA, Ramus SJ, Menon U, Gentry-Maharaj A, Anton-Culver H, Ziogas A, Hogdall E, Kjaer SK, Hogdall C, Berchuck A, Schildkraut JM, Iversen ES, Moorman PG, Phelan CM, Sellers TA, Cunningham JM, Vierkant RA, Rider DN, Goode EL, Haviv I, Chenevix-Trench G, Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium, Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group, Australian Cancer Study (2010) Evaluation of candidate stromal epithelial cross-talk genes identifies association between risk of serous ovarian cancer and TERT, a cancer susceptibility "hot-spot". PLoS Genetics 6: e1001016. [Abstract]
• Price MA, Butow PN, Costa DS, King MT, Aldridge A, Fardell J, DeFazio A, Webb PM (2010) Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group, Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Quality of Life Investigators. Prevalence and predictors of anxiety and depression in women with invasive ovarian cancer and their carers. Med J Aust 193: S52-7. [Abstract]

2009

• Etemadmoghadam D, deFazio A, Beroukhim R, Mermel C, George J, Getz G, Tothill R, Okamoto A, Raeder MB, AOCS Study Group, Harnett P, Lade S, Akslen LA, Tinker AV, Locandro B, Alsop K, Chiew YE, Traficante N, Fereday S, Johnson D, Fox S, Sellers W, Urashima M, Salvesen HB, Meyerson M, Bowtell D (2009) Integrated genome-wide DNA copy number and expression analysis identifies distinct mechanisms of primary chemoresistance in ovarian carcinomas. Clin Cancer Res 15: 1417-27 [Abstract]
• Johnatty SE, Beesley J, Chen X, Spurdle AB, deFazio A, Webb PM, Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group; Australian Cancer Study (Ovarian Cancer), Goode EL, Rider DN, Vierkant RA, Anderson S, Wu AH, Pike M, Van Den Berg D, Moysich K, Ness R, Doherty J, Rossing MA, Pearce CL, Chenevix-Trench G (2009) Polymorphisms in the FGF2 Gene and Risk of Serous Ovarian Cancer: Results From the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium. Twin Res Hum Genet 12: 269-275 [Abstract]
• Shah SP, Kobel M, Senz J, Morin RD, Clarke BA, Wiegand KC, Leung G, Zayed A, Mehl E, Kalloger SE, Sun M, Giuliany R, Yorida E, Jones S, Varhol R, Swenerton KD, Miller D, Clement PB, Crane C, Madore J, Provencher D, Leung P, deFazio A, Khattra J, Turashvili G, Zhao Y, Zeng T, Glover JN, Vanderhyden B, Zhao C, Parkinson CA, Jimenez-Linan M, Bowtell DD, Mes-Masson AM, Brenton JD, Aparicio SA, Boyd N, Hirst M, Gilks CB, Marra M, Huntsman DG (2009) Mutation of FOXL2 in granulosa-cell tumors of the ovary. N Engl J Med 360: 2719-2729 [Abstract]
• Price MA, Zachariae R, Butow PN, deFazio A, Chauhan D, Espie CA, Friedlander M, Webb PM, the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group, the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study – Quality of Life Study Investigators. Prevalence and predictors of insomnia in women with invasive ovarian cancer: Anxiety a major factor (2009) Eur J Cancer. 45: 3262-3270. [Abstract]

2008

• Anglesio M, Arnold J, George J, Tinker A, Tothill R, Waddell N, Simms L, Locandro B, Fereday S, Traficante N, Russell P, Sharma R, Birrer M, Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group, deFazio A, Chenevix-Trench G, and Bowtell D. (2008). Mutation of ERBB2 provides a novel alternative mechanism for the ubiquitous activation of the RAS-MAPK pathway in ovarian serous LMP tumors. Mol Cancer Res 6:1678-1690. [Abstract]
• Johnatty SE, Beesley J, Paul J, Fereday S, Spurdle AB, Webb PM, Byth K, Marsh S, McLeod, H, AOCS Study Group, Harnett PR, Brown R, deFazio A, and Chenevix-Trench G. (2008) ABCB1 (MDR1) polymorphisms and progression-free survival among women with ovarian cancer following paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy. Clin Cancer Res 14: 5594-5601. [Abstract]
• Scurr LL, Guminski AD, Chiew YE, Balleine RL, Sharma R, Lei Y, Pryor K, Wain GV, Brand A, Byth K, Kennedy C, Rizos H, Harnett PR, and deFazio, A. (2008) Ankyrin repeat domain 1, ANKRD1, a novel determinant of cisplatin-sensitivity expressed in ovarian cancer. Clin Cancer Res 14: 6924-6932. [Abstract]
• Tothill RW, Tinker AV, George J, Brown R, Fox SB, Johnson DS, Trivett, MK, Etemadmoghadam D, Locandro B, Traficante N, Fereday S, Hung J, Chiew, Y-E, Haviv I, AOCS Study Group, Gertig, D, deFazio A and Bowtell DDL. (2008) Gene expression profiling identifies distinct molecular subtypes of serous and endometrioid ovarian carcinoma linked to clinical outcome. Clin Cancer Res 14: 5198-5208.
• Gava N, Clarke CL, Bye C, Byth K and deFazio, A. (2008) Global gene expression profiles of ovarian surface epithelial cells in vivo. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology 40: 281–296. [Abstract]
• O'Brien PM, Davies MJ, Scurry JP, Smith AN, Barton CA, Henderson MJ, Saunders DN, Gloss BS, Patterson KI, Clancy JL, Heinzelmann-Schwarz VA, Scolyer RA, Zeng Y, Williams ED, Scurr L, deFazio A, Quinn DI, Watts CK, Hacker NF, Henshall SM, Sutherland RL. (2008) The E3 ubiquitin ligase EDD is an adverse prognostic factor for serous epithelial ovarian cancer and modulates cisplatin resistance in vitro. Br J Cancer, 98:1085-1093. [Abstract]

2007

• Krypuy M, Ahmed AA, Etemadmoghadam D, Hyland SJ, Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group, deFazio A, Fox SB, Brenton JD, Bowtell DD, Dobrovic A. High resolution melting for mutation scanning of TP53 exons 5-8. (2007) BMC Cancer, 7:168. [Abstract]
• Greenman C, Stephens P, Smith R, Dalgliesh GL, Hunter C, Bignell G, Davies H, Teague J, Butler A, Stevens C, Edkins S, O’Meara S, Vastrik I, Schmidt EE, Avis T, Barthorpe S, Bhamra G, Buck G, Choudhury B, Clements J, Cole J, Dicks E, Forbes S, Gray K, Halliday K, Harrison R, Hills K, Hinton J, Jenkinson A, Jones D, Menzies A, Mironenko T, Perry J, Raine K, Richardson D, Shepherd R, Small A, Tofts C, Varian J, Webb T, West S, Widaa S, Yates A, Cahill DP, Louis DN, Goldstraw P, Nicholson AG, Brasseur F, Looijenga L, Weber BL, Chiew Y-E, deFazio A, Greaves MF, Green AR, Campbell P, Birney E, Easton DF, Chenevix-Trench G, Tan M-H, Khoo SK, Teh BT, Yuen ST, Leung SY, Wooster R, Futreal PA, Stratton MR. (2007). Patterns of somatic mutation in human cancer genomes. Nature. 446:153-158. [Abstract]
• Arnett-Mansfield RL, Graham J, Hanson A, Mote PA, Gompel A, Scurr L, Gava N, deFazio A,Clarke CL. (2007). Focal subnuclear distribution of progesterone is ligand-dependent and associated with transcriptional activity. Mol Endocrinol, 21:14-29. [Abstract]
• Catchpoole D, deFazio A, Devereux L, Fleming M, Hof M, Schmidt C, Thorne H, Zeps N. (2007). The importance of biorepository networks: the Australasian Biospecimen Network - Oncology. Aust J Med Sci, 28: 16-20.

2006

• Mote PA, Arnett-Mansfield RL, Gava N, deFazio A, Mulac-Jericevic B, Conneely O, Clarke CL. (2006). Overlapping and distinct expression of progesterone receptors A and B in mouse uterus and mammary gland during the estrous cycle. Endocrinology. 147:5503- 5512. [Abstract]
• Guminski, AD, Balleine, RL, Chiew, Y-E, Webster, LR, Tapner, M, Farrell, G, Harnett, PR, and deFazio, A. (2006). MRP2 (ABCC2) expression and cisplatin sensitivity in hepatocytes and human ovarian carcinoma. Gynecol Oncol. 100: 239-246. [Abstract]

2005

• Aghmesheh M, Edwards L, Clarke CL, Byth K, Katzenellenbogen BS, Russell PJ, Friedlander M, Tucker KM, deFazio A. (2005). Expression of steroid hormone receptors in BRCA1-associated ovarian carcinomas. Gynecol. Oncol. 97:16-25. [Abstract]
• Byrne J, Balleine RL, Schoenberg-Fejzo M, Mercieca J, Chiew Y-E, Livnat Y, St. Heaps L, Peters G, Byth K, Karlan B, Slamon D, Harnett PR, and deFazio A. (2005) Tumor Protein D52 (TPD52) is overexpressed and a gene amplification target in ovarian carcinoma. Int J Cancer, 117:1049-1054. [Abstract]

2004

• Gava N, Clarke CL, Byth K, Arnett-Mansfield RL, deFazio A. (2004). Expression of progesterone receptors A and B in the mouse ovary during the estrous cycle. Endocrinology. 145:3487-3494. [Abstract]
• Balleine RL, Earls P, Webster L, Mote PA, deFazio A, Harnett P, Clarke, CL. (2004). Expression of progesterone receptor A and B isoforms in low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. Int J Gyn Pathol . 23:138-144. [Abstract]
• Arnett-Mansfield RL, deFazio A, Mote PA, Clarke CL. (2004). Subnuclear distribution of progesterone receptors A and B in normal and malignant endometrium. J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 89:1429-1442. [Abstract]

2002

• Kennedy C, Byth K, Clarke CL and deFazio A. (2002). Cell proliferation in the normal mouse mammary gland and inhibition by phenylbutyrate. Mol Cancer Ther . 1: 1025-1033. [Abstract]
• Guminski AD, Harnett PR and deFazio A. (2002). Scientists and clinicians test their metal - back to the future with platinum compounds. Lancet Oncol. 3: 312-318. [Abstract]

2001

• Arnett-Mansfield RL, deFazio A, Wain GV, Jaworski R, Byth K, Mote PA and Clarke CL (2001). Relative expression of progesterone receptors A and B in endometrioid cancers of the endometrium. Cancer Res. 61: 4576-4582. [Abstract]
• Guminski A.D, Harnett PR and deFazio A. (2001). Carboplatin and paclitaxel interact antagonistically in a megakaryoblast cell line - a potential mechanism for paclitaxel-mediated sparing of carboplatin-induced thrombocytopenia. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol . 48: 229- 234. [Abstract]

2000

• Davis T, Kennedy C, Chiew Y-E, Clarke CL, deFazio A.(2000). Histone deacetylase inhibitors decrease proliferation and modulate cell cycle gene expression in normal mammary epithelial cells. Clin Cancer Res., 6: 4334-4434. [Abstract]