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Associate Professor Brett Hughes
Associate Professor

Brett Hughes

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Overview

Background

Dr Brett Hughes graduated from the University of NSW with a Bachelor of Medical Science and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 1997. He completed his postgraduate training in Canberra and Brisbane and was admitted as a Fellow of the Australian College of Physicians as a Specialist Medical Oncologist in 2005.

Dr Hughes is currently a Senior Staff Specialist Medical Oncologist at the RBWH and TPCH. He is also an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland since 2015. As the previous Clinical Director of Oncology (201-2017) and current Cancer Care Services Research lead at TPCH, Dr Hughes has established both an independent TPCH Oncology unit and continuing TPCH’s reputation as a lung cancer research centre of excellence.

Dr Hughes is an active senior member of the Thoracic Oncology Group Australasia (TOGA) and the Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG). He is also heavily involved in many pivotal multicentre trials of cancer therapy at both TPCH and RBWH with his principal research interests in Lung cancer, Head & Neck cancer, Mesothelioma, cutaneous SCC and Thyroid cancer. He has published over 100 peer review papers. Dr Hughes is also involved in undergraduate and post graduate teaching in his fields of research interest.

Availability

Associate Professor Brett Hughes is:
Available for supervision

Works

Search Professor Brett Hughes’s works on UQ eSpace

202 works between 2004 and 2025

21 - 40 of 202 works

2025

Journal Article

Development of a circulating tumour cell culture model from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Huang, Xiaomin, Zhang, Xi, Weeramange, Chameera Ekanayake, Leo, Paul, Hughes, Brett G. M., Dolcetti, Riccardo, Zeng, Bijun, Mazzieri, Roberta, Hartel, Gunter, Ladwa, Rahul, Taheri, Touraj, Breik, Omar, Kenny, Lizbeth, Vasani, Sarju and Punyadeera, Chamindie (2025). Development of a circulating tumour cell culture model from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. VIEW 20250085. doi: 10.1002/VIW.20250085

Development of a circulating tumour cell culture model from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

2025

Journal Article

Type I interferon drives a cellular state inert to TCR-stimulation and could impede effective T-cell differentiation in cancer

Corvino, Dillon, Batstone, Martin, Hughes, Brett G. M., Kempchen, Tim, Ng, Susanna S, Salim, Nazhifah, Schneppenheim, Franziska, Rommel, Denise, Kumar, Ananthi, Pearson, Sally, Madore, Jason, Koufariotis, Lambross T., Steinheuer, Lisa Maria, Pathirana, Dilan, Thurley, Kevin, Hölzel, Michael, Borcherding, Nicholas, Braun, Matthias and Bald, Tobias (2025). Type I interferon drives a cellular state inert to TCR-stimulation and could impede effective T-cell differentiation in cancer. European Journal of Immunology, 55 (1) e202451371, 1-13. doi: 10.1002/eji.202451371

Type I interferon drives a cellular state inert to TCR-stimulation and could impede effective T-cell differentiation in cancer

2025

Journal Article

Health-related quality of life outcomes from KEYNOTE-412: chemoradiotherapy with or without pembrolizumab in participants with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Machiels, J. P., Tao, Y., Licitra, L., Burtness, B., Tahara, M., Rischin, D., Alves, G. V., Lima, I. P.F., Hughes, B. G.M., Pointreau, Y., Aksoy, S., Laban, S., Greil, R., Burian, M., Hetnal, M., Delord, J. P., Mesia, R., Taberna, M., Waldron, J., Simon, C., Gregoire, V., Harrington, K., Black, C. M., Norquist, J. M., Wang, A., Gumuscu, B., Bidadi, B. and Siu, L. L. (2025). Health-related quality of life outcomes from KEYNOTE-412: chemoradiotherapy with or without pembrolizumab in participants with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Frontiers in Oncology, 15 1645509, 1645509. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1645509

Health-related quality of life outcomes from KEYNOTE-412: chemoradiotherapy with or without pembrolizumab in participants with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

2024

Journal Article

Real‐world outcomes for patients with pleural mesothelioma: a multisite retrospective cohort study

Chow, Kar Ven Cavan, Turner, Cassie, Hughes, Brett, Lwin, Zarnie and Chan, Bryan (2024). Real‐world outcomes for patients with pleural mesothelioma: a multisite retrospective cohort study. Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology, 20 (6), 723-730. doi: 10.1111/ajco.14098

Real‐world outcomes for patients with pleural mesothelioma: a multisite retrospective cohort study

2024

Journal Article

Circulating tumour cells predict recurrences and survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients

Zhang, Xi, Weeramange, Chameera Ekanayake, Hughes, Brett G. M., Vasani, Sarju, Liu, Zhen Yu, Warkiani, Majid, Hartel, Gunter, Ladwa, Rahul, Thiery, Jean Paul, Kenny, Liz, Breik, Omar and Punyadeera, Chamindie (2024). Circulating tumour cells predict recurrences and survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 81 (1) 233, 1-14. doi: 10.1007/s00018-024-05269-1

Circulating tumour cells predict recurrences and survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients

2024

Journal Article

Revalidation of proactive gastrostomy tube placement guidelines for head and neck cancer patients receiving helical intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Brown, Teresa E., Byrnes, Angela, Chan, Aaron C., Dwyer, Kathleen, Edwards, Anna, Blake, Claire L., Banks, Merrilyn D., Hughes, Brett G. M., Lin, Charles Y., Kenny, Lizbeth M., Spurgin, Ann-Louise and Bauer, Judith D. (2024). Revalidation of proactive gastrostomy tube placement guidelines for head and neck cancer patients receiving helical intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Current Oncology, 31 (11), 6938-6955. doi: 10.3390/curroncol31110512

Revalidation of proactive gastrostomy tube placement guidelines for head and neck cancer patients receiving helical intensity-modulated radiotherapy

2024

Journal Article

Impact of Bone Metastasis in Stage IV Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Durvalumab and Tremelimumab With or Without Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Analysis of the CCTG BR.34 Trial

Annageldiyev, Charyguly, Gaudreau, Pierre-Olivier, Leitzel, Kim, Ali, Suhail M., Ding, Keyue, Leighl, Natasha B., Vera Badillo, Francisco Emilio, Bradbury, Penelope Ann, Goss, Glenwood D., Shepherd, Lois E., Costa, Luis, Suva, Larry J., Hughes, Brett G.M., Stockler, Martin R., Drabick, Joseph J., Ma, Patrick C., Joshi, Monika, Moku, Prashanth, Polimera, Hyma V., Louis, Patricia, Ramachandrula, Priya and Lipton, Allan (2024). Impact of Bone Metastasis in Stage IV Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Durvalumab and Tremelimumab With or Without Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Analysis of the CCTG BR.34 Trial. JCO Oncology Advances (1). doi: 10.1200/oa.24.00017

Impact of Bone Metastasis in Stage IV Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Durvalumab and Tremelimumab With or Without Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Analysis of the CCTG BR.34 Trial

2024

Journal Article

Spatial dynamics of tertiary lymphoid aggregates in head and neck cancer: insights into immunotherapy response

Sadeghirad, Habib, Monkman, James, Tan, Chin Wee, Liu, Ning, Yunis, Joseph, Donovan, Meg L., Moradi, Afshin, Jhaveri, Niyati, Perry, Chris, Adams, Mark N., O’Byrne, Ken, Warkiani, Majid E., Ladwa, Rahul, Hughes, Brett G.M. and Kulasinghe, Arutha (2024). Spatial dynamics of tertiary lymphoid aggregates in head and neck cancer: insights into immunotherapy response. Journal of Translational Medicine, 22 (1) 677, 677. doi: 10.1186/s12967-024-05409-y

Spatial dynamics of tertiary lymphoid aggregates in head and neck cancer: insights into immunotherapy response

2024

Journal Article

A phase Ib study to assess the safety of the human papillomavirus DNA vaccine (AMV002) in combination with durvalumab for HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Ladwa, Rahul, Chandra, Janin, Woo, Wai-Ping, Finlayson, Neil, Liu, Howard, McGrath, Margaret, See, Adrienne, Hughes, Brett G., Cooper, Caroline L., Jackson, Jim E., Dzienis, Marcin, Xu, Yan, Panizza, Benedict, Frazer, Ian and Porceddu, Sandro V. (2024). A phase Ib study to assess the safety of the human papillomavirus DNA vaccine (AMV002) in combination with durvalumab for HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Frontiers in Oncology, 14 1419258, 1-8. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1419258

A phase Ib study to assess the safety of the human papillomavirus DNA vaccine (AMV002) in combination with durvalumab for HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

2024

Journal Article

Avelumab in combination with lorlatinib or crizotinib in patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC: phase 1b/2 results from the JAVELIN lung 101 trial

Solomon, Benjamin J., Dagogo-Jack, Ibiayi, Lee, Se-Hoon, Boyer, Michael J., Ramalingam, Suresh S., Carcereny, Enric, Felip, Enriqueta, Han, Ji-Youn, Hida, Toyoaki, Hughes, Brett G.M., Kim, Sang-We, Nishio, Makoto, Seto, Takashi, Okamoto, Tatsuro, Zhang, Xiaoxi, Martini, Jean-Francois, Wang, Erjian, De Beukelaer, Steven and Bauer, Todd M. (2024). Avelumab in combination with lorlatinib or crizotinib in patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC: phase 1b/2 results from the JAVELIN lung 101 trial. JTO Clinical and Research Reports, 5 (7) 100685. doi: 10.1016/j.jtocrr.2024.100685

Avelumab in combination with lorlatinib or crizotinib in patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC: phase 1b/2 results from the JAVELIN lung 101 trial

2024

Journal Article

Pembrolizumab plus epacadostat in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (KEYNOTE-669/ECHO-304): a phase 3, randomized, open-label study

Cho, Byoung Chul, Braña, Irene, Cirauqui, Beatriz, Aksoy, Sercan, Couture, Felix, Hong, Ruey-Long, Miller, Wilson H., Chaves-Conde, Manuel, Teixeira, Margarida, Leopold, Lance, Munteanu, Mihaela, Ge, Joy Yang, Swaby, Ramona F. and Hughes, Brett G. M. (2024). Pembrolizumab plus epacadostat in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (KEYNOTE-669/ECHO-304): a phase 3, randomized, open-label study. BMC Cancer, 23 (Suppl 1) 1254, 1-12. doi: 10.1186/s12885-023-11316-0

Pembrolizumab plus epacadostat in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (KEYNOTE-669/ECHO-304): a phase 3, randomized, open-label study

2024

Conference Publication

A phase 2 study of de-escalation in resectable, locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) with the use of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab: De-Squamate

Ladwa, Rahul, Lee, Jenny H.J., Porceddu, Sandro V., McGrath, Margaret Louise, Cooper, Caroline, Liu, Howard, Gupta, Ruta, Cuscaden, Claire, Nottage, Michelle K., Clark, Jonathan, Le, Dieu, Pauley, Marketa, Gonzalez-Cruz, Jazmina, Frazer, Ian, Hughes, Brett Gordon Maxwell and Panizza, Benedict J. (2024). A phase 2 study of de-escalation in resectable, locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) with the use of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab: De-Squamate. 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL United States, 31 May - 4 June 2024. Alexandria, VA United States: American Society of Clinical Oncology. doi: 10.1200/jco.2024.42.16_suppl.9514

A phase 2 study of de-escalation in resectable, locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) with the use of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab: De-Squamate

2024

Journal Article

Capmatinib plus nivolumab in pretreated patients with EGFR wild-type advanced non–small cell lung cancer

Felip, Enriqueta, Metro, Giulio, Tan, Daniel S.W., Wolf, Juergen, Mark, Michael, Boyer, Michael, Hughes, Brett G. M., Bearz, Alessandra, Moro-Sibilot, Denis, Le, Xiuning, Puente, Javier, Massuti, Bartomeu, Tiedt, Ralph, Wang, Yingying, Xu, Chao, Mardjuadi, Feby I. and Cobo, Manuel (2024). Capmatinib plus nivolumab in pretreated patients with EGFR wild-type advanced non–small cell lung cancer. Lung Cancer, 192 107820, 107820. doi: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2024.107820

Capmatinib plus nivolumab in pretreated patients with EGFR wild-type advanced non–small cell lung cancer

2024

Journal Article

Pembrolizumab plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus placebo plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-412): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial

Machiels, Jean-Pascal, Tao, Yungan, Licitra, Lisa, Burtness, Barbara, Tahara, Makoto, Rischin, Danny, Alves, Gustavo, Lima, Iane Pinto Figueiredo, Hughes, Brett G M, Pointreau, Yoann, Aksoy, Sercan, Laban, Simon, Greil, Richard, Burian, Martin, Hetnał, Marcin, Delord, Jean-Pierre, Mesía, Ricard, Taberna, Miren, Waldron, John N, Simon, Christian, Grégoire, Vincent, Harrington, Kevin J, Swaby, Ramona F, Zhang, Yayan, Gumuscu, Burak, Bidadi, Behzad, Siu, Lillian L, Hughes, Brett GM, Gao, Bo ... Obara, Grzegorz S (2024). Pembrolizumab plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus placebo plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-412): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial. The Lancet Oncology, 25 (5), 572-587. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(24)00100-1

Pembrolizumab plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus placebo plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-412): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial

2024

Journal Article

Human papillomavirus associated oropharyngeal cancer now the most common mucosal head and neck cancer in Queensland

Porceddu, Sandro, Negrello, Theresa, Rawson, Neal, Dunn, Nathan, Batstone, Martin, Collins, Michael, Dowthwaite, Sam, Hughes, Brett G. M., Kenny, Liz, Ladwa, Rahul, Panizza, Ben and Cossio, Danica (2024). Human papillomavirus associated oropharyngeal cancer now the most common mucosal head and neck cancer in Queensland. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology, 68 (4), 472-480. doi: 10.1111/1754-9485.13643

Human papillomavirus associated oropharyngeal cancer now the most common mucosal head and neck cancer in Queensland

2024

Conference Publication

Defining PD-1/PD-L1 receptor-ligand interactions in the head and neck cancer tumor microenvironment identifies unique ‘immune cell rivers’ of cellular interactions

Sadeghirad, Habib, Naei, Vahid Yaghoubi, Monkman, James, Basu, Subham, Wicher, Agata, Ladwa, Rahul, Hughes, Brett G.M. and Kulasinghe, Arutha (2024). Defining PD-1/PD-L1 receptor-ligand interactions in the head and neck cancer tumor microenvironment identifies unique ‘immune cell rivers’ of cellular interactions. American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024, San Diego, CA United States, 5-10 April 2024. Philadelphia, PA United States: American Association for Cancer Research. doi: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2024-5188

Defining PD-1/PD-L1 receptor-ligand interactions in the head and neck cancer tumor microenvironment identifies unique ‘immune cell rivers’ of cellular interactions

2024

Conference Publication

Spatial profiling of the tumor microenvironment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma revealed immune cell type infiltration into the TME as a predictor of immunotherapy response

Sadeghirad, Habib, Tan, Chin Wee, Liu, Ning, Monkman, James, Cooper, Caroline, O’Byrne, Ken, Davis, Melissa, Hughes, Brett and Kulasinghe, Arutha (2024). Spatial profiling of the tumor microenvironment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma revealed immune cell type infiltration into the TME as a predictor of immunotherapy response. American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024, San Diego, CA United States, 5-10 April 2024. Philadelphia, PA United States: American Association for Cancer Research. doi: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2024-1154

Spatial profiling of the tumor microenvironment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma revealed immune cell type infiltration into the TME as a predictor of immunotherapy response

2024

Journal Article

High response rate with extended dosing of cemiplimab in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Rischin, Danny, Hughes, Brett G. M., Basset-Séguin, Nicole, Schadendorf, Dirk, Bowyer, Samantha, Trabelsi Messai, Sabiha, Meier, Friedegund, Eigentler, Thomas K, Casado Echarren, Victoria, Stein, Brian, Beylot-Barry, Marie, Dalac, Sophie, Dréno, Brigitte, Migden, Michael R, Hauschild, Axel, Schmults, Chrysalyne D, Lim, Annette M, Yoo, Suk-Young, Paccaly, Anne J, Papachristos, Apostolos, Nguyen, Jenny-Hoa, Okoye, Emmanuel, Seebach, Frank, Booth, Jocelyn, Lowy, Israel, Fury, Matthew G and Guminski, Alexander (2024). High response rate with extended dosing of cemiplimab in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 12 (3) e008325, 1-8. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2023-008325

High response rate with extended dosing of cemiplimab in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

2024

Journal Article

Lurbinectedin in small cell lung cancer: real-world experience of a multicentre national early access programme

Alexander, Marliese, Rogers, Jennifer, Parakh, Sagun, Mitchell, Paul, Clay, Timothy D., Kao, Steven, Hughes, Brett G. M., Itchins, Malinda, Kong, Benjamin Y., Pavlakis, Nick, Solomon, Benjamin J. and John, Thomas (2024). Lurbinectedin in small cell lung cancer: real-world experience of a multicentre national early access programme. Internal Medicine Journal, 54 (7), 1087-1096. doi: 10.1111/imj.16348

Lurbinectedin in small cell lung cancer: real-world experience of a multicentre national early access programme

2024

Journal Article

Nutrition outcomes and treatment toxicities in patients with head and neck cancer receiving helical intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Blake, Claire, Lai, Rainbow, Brown, Teresa, Pelecanos, Anita, Moroney, Laura, Helios, Jennifer, Smith, David, Hughes, Brett G. M., Kenny, Lizbeth, Chua, Benjamin and Bauer, Judith (2024). Nutrition outcomes and treatment toxicities in patients with head and neck cancer receiving helical intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 37 (1), 182-192. doi: 10.1111/jhn.13243

Nutrition outcomes and treatment toxicities in patients with head and neck cancer receiving helical intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Funding

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2026
    From Pixels to Prognosis: Harnessing single-cell spatial analysis to predict and improve immunotherapy response in lung cancer
    Cure Cancer Early Career Research Grants
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2026
    Developing a multi-omic, high-dimensional assessment of head and neck cancer
    Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation Conjoint Grant
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2014 - 2016
    NITRO Trial: A randomised phase III trial of adding nitroglycerin to first line chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NHMRC Project Grant administered by the University of Sydney)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2016
    Improving quality of life in high-risk cancer populations: a randomised trial of a structured intervention for head and neck cancer survivors
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Associate Professor Brett Hughes is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The changing face of head and neck cancer: addressing and advancing best-practice nutritional care to improve outcomes for patients with human papillomavirus-associated disease

    Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Developing predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy using deep spatial profiling

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Arutha Kulasinghe

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

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