Decisions and outcomes After initial brain TUmour Management (DATUM)

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Decisions and outcomes After initial brain TUmour Management (DATUM)

  • IRAS ID

    300372

  • Contact name

    Paul M Brennan

  • Contact email

    paul.brennan@ed.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Edinburgh

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    6 years, 6 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    Brain tumours are the commonest cancer killer of people aged 40 or below. People diagnosed with a brain tumour are at risk of tumour recurrence (tumour coming back) after the initial treatment. Understanding the patient journey around the time of recurrence and the factors that may affect survival can guide clinical decision making and help in the development of new therapies. Published clinical studies tend to favour reporting of those patients who have better outcomes without considering the overall group of brain tumour patients. This impedes improvement of care for the wider patient population. Previous research has also tended to focus only on initial treatment rather than what happens when the tumour recurs.
    Our research study will describe the patient journey and outcomes from initial brain tumour diagnosis, focusing on events after initial treatment. We will include all patients aged 16 years or above diagnosed with a brain tumour seen in the South East Scotland regional brain tumour centre in Edinburgh between 2010 and 2025. Data collection from routine clinical records will include information about patient symptoms at presentation, imaging findings, brain tumour characteristics, treatment and outcomes. This study does not change any aspect of care that a patient receives. Findings from this study will provide detailed insights into patient and tumour characteristics associated with recurrent brain tumours. This work is a continuation of the diagnostic pathway project funded by The Brain Tumour Charity and is a part of Cancer Research UK Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence Award (C157/A27589).

  • REC name

    East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    21/EM/0207

  • Date of REC Opinion

    19 Aug 2021

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion