Biomarker assessment in prostate cancer V1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of metabolic biomarkers in archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) sections from prostate tissue.
IRAS ID
186807
Contact name
Claire Perks
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 10 months, 0 days
Research summary
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males with a lifetime risk of 1:8. Post mortem data suggests that approximately half of all men in their fifties have evidence of prostate cancer but only 4% of men will die from this disease i.e. men are more likely to die with prostate cancer than from it. The main clinical challenge is being able to identify which prostate cancers will ultimately develop into aggressive tumours that will move to other parts of the body and are difficult to treat; current assessments to grade the disease (the non-invasive PSA test and the Gleason score(on a tissue sample)) have considerable limitations and are unable to differentiate between tumours that will not impact on man’s life compared with those tumours that are potentially fatal. A biological marker that would accurately predict, which prostate cancers will eventually become aggressive would allow restriction of radical therapy to those patients positive for the marker, whilst those that were negative could be safely offered more conservative treatment. Only a small proportion of prostate cancers can be accounted for by unmistakable hereditary cancer syndromes and the predominant contribution to the progression of most sporadic cancers is thought to be environmental, with nutrition having the greatest influence. Prostate cancer affects older men and approximately 62% of people aged 65 or older have two or more chronic conditions: commonly obesity and type 2 diabetes. Population studies have clearly implicated systemic metabolic factors as contributors to disease progression and poor response to therapy. Altered cell metabolism is fundamental for the increased proliferation spread and survival of cancer cells. Metabolic regulators such as the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family have been shown to play an important role in the progression of prostate cancers and may prove to serve as biomarkers of disease progression.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/WM/0449
Date of REC Opinion
25 Nov 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion