CMV exposure and phaechromocytoma or paraganglioma development
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Are phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma development associated with previous CMV exposure?
IRAS ID
264898
Contact name
Scott Akker
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Barts Health NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 9 days
Research summary
Phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas are rare tumours that produce adrenaline and related hormones. It is now recognised that around 40-50% of patients with these tumours have an underlying gene mutation. The most important of these genes is the B subunit of the SDH enzyme (SDHB) as this accounts for 25% of familial cases and has the highest rate of the tumours becoming malignant at 30-40%. However, only 30-40% of people with the SHDB mutation develop an associated tumour in their lifetime.
There are currently no identified factors that predict which people with the SDHB mutation will go onto develop a tumour, and no reliable biochemical markers that detect tumour formation. Therefore, all affected carriers have to undergo regular imaging screening to try and detect tumours early in their development so that they can be removed surgically before the tumour has a chance to become malignant and spread to the rest of the body. If metastatic spread occurs, treatment options remain very limited.
CMV is a common virus, affecting more than 50% of the population, that is usually harmless and asymptomatic. A recent study has shown that a series of paraganglioma tumours all had signs of the CMV virus. This raises the possibility that previous CMV exposure may predispose to tumour development.
We would like to investigate this by doing a pilot study testing patients who are carriers of SDHB mutations – both with and without tumours – for CMV infection. We would also like to test patients with known tumours, but not necessarily with the mutation, for previous CMV infection. This will be done by collecting an additional blood sample along with the patients’ routine blood tests, or earlier if they wish. We will then compare the groups to see if there is a link between CMV virus infection and tumour formation.
REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1158
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion