Correlation of pre- and post-operative cancer imaging techniques
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Pilot study: correlation of pre-operative cancer imaging techinques with post-operative gross and microscopic pathologic images
IRAS ID
219564
Contact name
Gabriel Reines March
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Strathclyde
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 7 months, 30 days
Research summary
Information is derived from imaging such as high resolution CT and FDG PET scans prior to deciding on radiotherapy treatment. However, it is not known what is happening at a cellular level from these images. That is, just from observing the PET/CT signal we cannot differentiate substructures in the tumour environment, such as hypoxic (areas with low oxygen supply), normoxic (areas with normal oxygen supply) or necrotic (dead) regions. Detection of hypoxic areas may be of particular interest, as radiotherapy performs rather poorly in hypoxic regions due to the lack of oxygen molecules present in the tissue.
Ultimately we want to use this study to correlate the pathological specimen with PET images using a variety of tracers so that we can get a better undertanding of the pathological information within different regions of a tumour and the relationship with the PET image. This information will then be used when deciding on the best treatment for patient with lung cancer.
Firtsly we need to be able to correlate the resected pathological specimen with a CT image. This application is to enable us to start to fuse the resected pathological lung specimen with an ex-vivo CT scan of the resected specimen.
Further studies in future applications will fuse the pre-resected in vivo CT image of the tumour with the resected specimen and then ultimately the pre-resected in vivo PET image with the resected specimen.
If we manage to better understand the tumour pathological environment and its relationship to the PET images we may be able to harness this information to adapt and individualise radiotherapy treatment in patients who are not undergoing surgical resection of their tumour.REC name
West of Scotland REC 4
REC reference
17/WS/0027
Date of REC Opinion
28 Feb 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion