PROFESSOR BRUCE MANN: BRIDGING RESEARCH AND CLINICAL CARE IN BREAST CANCER

About Professor Bruce Mann

Professor Bruce Mann (MB BS, PhD, FRACS) is a specialist breast surgeon with clinical positions at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, he also holds honorary appointments at the University of Melbourne and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Professor Mann is the Director of Research at Breast Cancer Trials, and within this role he oversees the development and implementation of our research strategy, and provides strategic leadership in BCT’s research program through:

• Working with the Board to determine research priorities, with a focus on ensuring BCT has a diverse and innovative clinical research portfolio.
• Building external engagement by ensuring BCT has representation on international and national committees, investigating opportunities to contribute to national and international breast cancer research trials.
• Working with the ASM Committee to develop a program for the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) that addresses the priorities identified in the Strategic Plan.

Professor Mann works across several multidisciplinary teams and is focused on delivering care that is tailored to the needs of each individual patient, and is active in research aimed at improving breast cancer care.

Biography

Professor Mann completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1985, followed by a PhD in Cancer Genetics, which he completed in 1995. Professor Mann has successfully led several clinical trials, implementing new approaches to cancer care with evidence-based, best practice standards.

In addition, over the last 15 years, he has been central to the development of processes for tissue banking and data collection to enable translational breast cancer research. His clinical interest relates to all those with suspected or proven early breast cancer, where he was involved in the introduction of sentinel node biopsy to Australia, which involves the appropriate use of contrast imagine in early breast cancer patients, and the safe de-escalation of treatment for early breast cancer patients.

Professor Mann is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the PROSPECT clinical trial, which is investigating the role of MRI in the selective omission of radiotherapy in early breast cancer. Primary results for the PROSPECT clinical trial have been announced at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and have been published in The Lancet, providing evidence for a new treatment approach that may benefit both patients and the health system alike.

Professor Mann is also the national PI of the UK-led POSNOC clinical trial, which aims to find out if further axillary treatment is of benefit in women with macrometastases found in one or two lymph nodes. He is also co-chair of the expert advisory group for the ROSA (Roadmap to Optimising Screening in Australia) project of the Cancer Council of Australia.

Qualifications and Professional Experience

Professor Mann completed his surgical training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, followed by a PhD from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and a fellowship from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, and the National Cancer Centre Hospital in Tokyo.

His qualifications and personal experience includes:

• Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
• PhD in Cancer Genetics
• Registered on the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria

Professor Mann was appointed Director of Breast Cancer Services, bringing the breast unit at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre together with the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Royal Women’s Hospital Breast Service.