Biomolecular analysis of penile cancer, Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Biomolecular analysis of urological cancers using high-performance mass spectrometry
IRAS ID
188560
Contact name
Rainer Cramer
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Penile cancer is a potentially devastating disease. It is a relatively rare cancer in developed countries, having an incidence of about 0.21 per 100,000 inhabitants in North America and Europe. Its incidence is higher in some Asian and African countries, instead being within the region of 2 to 4 per 100,000 inhabitants. This rarity and geographic rate distribution has resulted in research into penile cancer being limited by small patient numbers and lower funding.
Following treatment of the original tumour, prognosis is significantly worsened by spread of the cancer to the lymph nodes. Currently, the most common and definitive methods for detecting and treating this spread involve surgery and can result in a high risk of subsequent morbidity and a reduction in quality of life. Further, the need for this surgery is determined by a perceived enlargement of the lymph nodes, which may arise from inflammation, rather than the cancer, or by the theoretical risk of microscopic spread in cases with impalpable lymph nodes. These unreliable indicators result in high number of patients undergoing unnecessary surgery.
This project aims to improve how penile cancer is detected and monitored, by applying modern analytical methods, namely mass spectrometry analysis. Tissue, blood and urine samples will be requested from patients at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust Hospital and University College London Hospital, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, suspected of or diagnosed as having penile cancer. The protein content of each sample will be analysed to determine how proteins are expressed differently in response to penile cancer. It is hoped that this work can make the treatment and monitoring of penile cancer more effective, and reduce unnecessary surgery.REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1373
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jul 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion