Dr Mandy Ballinger
Biography
Mandy oversees a program of work focused on genetic cancer risk. Key to this is the International Sarcoma Kindred Study (ISKS). Since 2009 she has overseen recruitment of over 2500 families worldwide. Mandy developed the Surveillance study in Multi-Organ Cancer prone syndromes (SMOC+) which has recently been extended from TP53mutation carriers to include all genotype identified cancer risk.
More recently Dr Ballinger co-ordinates the Genomic Cancer Medicine Program and leads the Genetic Cancer Risk in the Young (RisC) Study investigating the heritable aspects of cancer in a young population suggestive of a genetic etiology. Mandy has created powerful tools in these cohorts for both discovery and translation, and has well developed skills in clinical cancer genetics, cohort research, genetic counselling and clinical interventions. Mandy's goal is to utilise these cohorts to define the extent of heritable risk in sarcoma and other cancers, and to turn the cohorts into vehicles for intervention to change practice and improve outcomes for families.
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Mandy oversees a program of work focused on genetic cancer risk. Key to this is the International Sarcoma Kindred Study (ISKS). Since 2009 she has overseen recruitment of over 2500 families worldwide. Mandy developed the Surveillance study in Multi-Organ Cancer prone syndromes (SMOC+) which has recently been extended from TP53mutation carriers to include all genotype identified cancer risk.
More recently Dr Ballinger co-ordinates the Genomic Cancer Medicine Program and leads the Genetic Cancer Risk in the Young (RisC) Study investigating the heritable aspects of cancer in a young population suggestive of a genetic etiology. Mandy has created powerful tools in these cohorts for both discovery and translation, and has well developed skills in clinical cancer genetics, cohort research, genetic counselling and clinical interventions. Mandy's goal is to utilise these cohorts to define the extent of heritable risk in sarcoma and other cancers, and to turn the cohorts into vehicles for intervention to change practice and improve outcomes for families.
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Awards and Honours
Education
2006 - PhD, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
2002 - BSc First Class Honours (Major: Biochemistry), Monash University, Melbourne - Australia
2001 – BAppSc (Applied Biology), Monash University, Melbourne - Australia
Selected Publications
Ballinger ML, Best A, Mai PL et al, Baseline Surveillance in Li Fraumeni Syndrome using whole body magnetic resonance imaging: A Meta analysis, JAMA Oncol. 2017 Aug 3. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.1968. PMID: 28772291
Ballinger ML, Ferris NJ, Moodie K et al, Surveillance in germline TP53 mutation carriers utilizing whole body magnetic resonance imaging, JAMA Oncol. 2017, doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.1355. PMID: 28772290
Ballinger ML, Thomas DM. Sarcoma and germline DICER1 mutations - Authors reply. Lancet Oncology 2016 , 17(11):e471
Ballinger ML, et al. Monogenic and polygenic determinants of sarcoma risk: an international genetic study. Lancet Oncology 2016, 17(9):1261-71
Thomas DM, Ballinger ML. Diagnosis and Management of Hereditary Sarcoma. Recent Results Cancer Res. 2016;205:169-89.
Thomas DM, James PA, Ballinger ML. Clinical implications of genomics for cancer risk genetics. Lancet Oncol. 2015 Jun;16(6):e303-8.
Ballinger ML, Mitchell G & Thomas DM, Surveillance recommendations for patients with germline TP53 mutations, Current Opinion in Oncology 2015; 27(4): 332-337
Thomas DM and Ballinger ML, Advances in genetic testing for hereditary sarcoma. In: Diagnosis and management of hereditary cancer. Eds Chris Jacobs and Gabriella Pichert. Springer 2015
Thomas DM & Ballinger ML, Etiologic, environmental and inherited risk factors in sarcomas, Journal of Surgical Oncology 2015; 111: 490-495
Thomas DM, James PA, Ballinger ML, Clinical implications of genomics for cancer risk genetics, Lancet Oncology 2015; 16:e3030-8
McBride KM, Schlub TE, Ballinger ML, Thomas DM, Tattersall MHN, An international survey of awareness of genetic risk in the clinical sarcoma community, Asia Pacific Journal of Clincal Oncology 2016, Feb 29 doi: 10.1111/ajco.12457
Mirabello L, Koster R, Moriarty BS et al, A genome-wide scan identifies variants in NFIB associated with metastasis in patients with osteosarcoma, Cancer Discovery 2015; 5(9): 920-31
McBride KA, Hallowell N, Tattersall MHN, Kirk J, Ballinger ML, Thomas DM et al, Timing and Context: important considerations in the return of genetic results to research participants, Journal of Community Genetics 2015; DOI 10.1007/s12687-015-0231-7
K McBride, ML Ballinger, E Killick, J Kirk, MHN Tattersall, RA Eeles , DM Thomas* & GM Mitchell* (*equal last author), Germline TP53 mutations and Li-Fraumeni Syndrome: an evidence-based approach to cancer risks and clinical management, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology 2014; 11: 260-271
Mitchell G*, Ballinger ML*, Wong S, et al. High frequency of germline TP53 mutations in a prospective adult-onset sarcoma cohort. PLoS one 2013; 8 (7): e69026. *equal first author
Young M-A, Herlihy A, Mitchell G, Thomas DM, Ballinger ML, Tucker K, Lewis CR, Neuhaus S, International Sarcoma Kindred Study and Halliday J. The attitudes of people with sarcoma and their family towards genomics and incidental information arising from genetic research. Clinical Sarcoma Research 2013; 3:11
Downing ME, Dite GS, Ballinger ML, et al. An increased incidence of Hodgkin's lymphoma in patients with adult-onset sarcoma. Clinical Sarcoma Research 2012;2:1
Thomas DM and Ballinger ML, Environmental and genetic risk factors in sarcomas. In: Sarcomas. Eds: Pollock, Baker, O'Sullivan, Randall. PMPH-USA. (P_11099476)
