ASCENT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Analysis of screen-detected lung cancers'genomic traits
IRAS ID
271898
Contact name
SM Janes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NCT04204499, ClinicalTrials.gov
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 2 days
Research summary
The ASCENT study will explore the genetic and imaging features of lung cancers diagnosed during a lung cancer screening study (the ‘SUMMIT’ study, REC reference 17/LO/2004), that may help improve the accuracy of diagnostic techniques.
Lung cancer screening using low-dose CT (LDCT) scans is becoming increasingly widespread, supported by evidence that such screening saves lives by diagnosing lung cancers at an early stage when treatments are more effective. However, abnormalities detected on screening CT scans include fast-growing ‘aggressive’ or slow-growing ‘indolent’ cancers as well as non-cancerous lesions, and CT alone does not identify which are which. In these cases, doctors often need to decide whether to perform an invasive test like a biopsy, or keep someone under surveillance with further CT scans.
We plan to recruit people who are diagnosed with a lung cancer during the SUMMIT study and are referred for routine surgical treatment, with the aim of collecting a piece of the tumour and an extra blood sample at the time of their operation. We will request consent to add the data from these samples to the information being collected in the SUMMIT study, allowing us to match the samples to the previous CT scans and other medical information. Participating in ASCENT will not affect the participant's surgery or other treatments, and will not require additional visits to hospital.
By examining the genetics of these tumours, we hope to find differences between fast- and slow-growing cancers at a very early stage. This information will then be used to develop new diagnostic tests which, in the future, would aim to reduce the risk of having biopsies or surgery for benign nodules, support the decision for surveillance in slow-growing cancers and identify which nodules are most likely to represent aggressive cancers at the earliest stage possible.
REC name
South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/SC/0128
Date of REC Opinion
18 Mar 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion