Acute surgical inflammation and cancer progression
Research type
Research Study
Full title
To investigate how post surgical acute inflammation impacts on cancer cells in the vicinity: a study of cancer re-excision tissue
IRAS ID
189389
Contact name
Paul Martin
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Surgery is an essential method for curing cancer, but always causes a degree of tissue damage and inflammation. Inflammation is well recognised as a possible contributing factor to the development, progression and recurrence of a number of different cancers. Therefore, surgery may have clinical consequences beyond intended removal of the primary cancer. We have recently shown in zebrafish that cells of the immune system at the site of a wound will migrate to any pre-cancerous cells nearby and that the presence of these immune cells is associated with increased growth of the pre-cancerous cells. We have also found that the presence of certain immune cells (neutrophils) in human melanoma tumours is associated with faster growth of the tumour. We now want to know whether the same thing is seen following inflammation due to biopsy or surgery.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2
REC reference
15/ES/0206
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion