18F-FMC and MRS in gliomas
Research type
Research Study
Full title
18F- Fluoromethylcholine (18F-FMC) PET/CT and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) Imaging and tissue biomarkers of cell membrane turnover in primary brain gliomas
IRAS ID
132043
Contact name
Adam Waldman
Contact email
Research summary
Gliomas are types of brain tumour, which are relatively uncommon compared with other cancers, but are the commonest cause of cancer death in women under 35 and men under 45.
Behaviour of gliomas and patient outcomes are highly variable depending on the specific nature of the tumour; some gliomas grow slowly and cause minimal symptoms for a number of years, whereas fast growing brain tumours called glioblastomas are rapidly fatal. There is growing evidence that looking at the genetic makeup and detailed imaging characteristics provide better indicators of the behaviour of how the tumour will grow and react to treatment.
Two current limitations in making clinical decisions in patients with gliomas and evaluation of new treatments are:
1. Detection of the aggressive parts of the tumours, as not all of the tumour may be active.
2. Reliable evaluation of response to treatment using imaging.
These limitations are due to limitations of standard MRI which is currently used for looking at gliomas in assessing tumour activity. 'Advanced' MRI and positron emission tomography PET imaging have shown promise in answering these questions in gliomas. The relationship between the imaging results ('imaging biomarkers') and genetic and biochemical features in tumour tissue which reveal a glioma's behaviour ('tissue biomarkers') is not well understood.
The proposed research aims to assess MRI and PET CT imaging biomarkers against known tumour tissue biomarkers, so that non-invasive imaging may be used to help clinical decisions and assessment of new glioma treatments in future.REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1601
Date of REC Opinion
24 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion