CTC tumourgenicity in early stage NSCLC
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Tumourigenicity of Circulating Tumour Cells in Early Stage Lung Cancer to Predict Disease Recurrence
IRAS ID
156284
Contact name
Phil Crosbie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UHSM
Duration of Study in the UK
6 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Surgical resection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can produce long-term survival however disease recurrence occurs in 50% of cases, most commonly at sites distant to the primary tumour. Metastatic spread is thought to be mediated by circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and the number of CTCs detected in blood is a prognostic marker in several solid tumour types including NSCLC. We have shown that CTCs enriched from blood of patients with small cell lung cancer and engrafted into immune-compromised mice may grow into tumours, called CTC derived explants (CDX). The primary aim of this study is to determine whether CTCs form CDX in patients with early stage NSCLC and whether the formation of CDX predicts for disease recurrence after surgical resection.
Blood taken from the tumour draining pulmonary vein during surgery will be used for CTC enrichment as we have shown previously this has significantly more CTCs than peripheral blood. Matched resected tumour tissue will also be engrafted into mice to determine how patient derived explants, or PDX, reflect the biological behaviour and genetic make-up of CDX as well as the primary tumour. If successful a small pilot study will explore the responsiveness of CDX/PDX to standard chemotherapy regimes.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0060
Date of REC Opinion
23 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion