BARONET
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Biological and Radiological Outcomes in Neoadjuvant Endocrine-treated breast cancers.
IRAS ID
166284
Contact name
E. Jane Macaskill
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Dundee
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
While most breast cancers test positive for sensitivity to female hormones such as oestrogen (approx 70%), over 20% of women started on anti-hormone therapy will develop further disease. This means that in some breast cancers another way of growing has been present at the beginning of treatment (“hormone resistance”). One way of treating cancers is to use drug treatment before surgery to shrink down the size of the cancer to allow a smaller operation. Currently patients receive treatment and the cancer size is monitored using a combination of ultrasound (US) and mammograms. \nThe aim of this project is to assess the change in cancer size in women with breast cancer on anti-hormone treatment using different types of radiology assessment and assess how this corresponds to the changes in the cancer biology. \nWomen who are receiving anti-hormone medication before surgery will be offered entry into this study. Currently it is routine to have mammogram and US at diagnosis, with 3 monthly ultrasound for monitoring, but in this study shear wave elastography, performed at the same time as US, and MRI scans will be performed in addition. All patients diagnosed with cancer routinely have a biopsy (removal of a small piece of cancer tissue) done before treatment, and we currently ask permission to take some extra tissue at that time from the cancer and the nearby breast tissue. As part of this study we would repeat biopsies after treatment when the patient is under anaesthetic having the cancer removed by an operation. \nWe can then work out from the scans and the biology of the cancer which cancers did not shrink in size in response to anti-hormone medication, and what was different about these cancers at the start compared with the ones that did reduce in size with treatment.
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0230
Date of REC Opinion
19 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion