Analysis of plasma samples from multi-centre cancer study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Analysis of fatty acids in plasma samples from a multi-centre study in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and involuntary weight loss conducted in Continental Europe
IRAS ID
221061
Contact name
Philip C Calder
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 28 days
Research summary
Patients with advanced cancer can show involuntary loss of weight and changes in body composition with a loss in both muscle and fat. These changes make the patient’s quality of life worse and also prevent cancer treatment from working as well as it could. Thus identifying ways to prevent, slow or even reverse muscle and weight loss could be an important part of helping patients with cancer. Inflammation is one factor that causes loss of muscle and fat, but other factors include reduced appetite and altered body metabolism. Omega-3 fats are known to decrease inflammation and have a number of effects on metabolism and also on cancer tissue itself. There is some evidence in the scientific literature that omega-3 fats can affect inflammation, response to cancer treatment, weight loss and quality of life in patients with cancer. However this needs to be explored further to be sure. A Norwegian company called Smartfish has developed a fruit drink fortified with omega-3 fats. This drink has been used in a randomised controlled trial in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and involuntary weight loss. The trial was conducted in several places in Continental Europe (in Sweden, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia). There were a total of 70 patients involved in the study, half in the control group and half in the omega-3 group. Each group consumed two cartons of the respective drink daily for 12 weeks. Blood was sampled at study entry and after 12 weeks. The researchers measured many relevant clinical outcomes in the patients. We plan to measure the omega-3 fat content of the blood plasma. This will tell us whether patients in the omega-3 group were taking their drinks and also will allow the researchers to better understand the clinical findings.
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0227
Date of REC Opinion
26 Jan 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion