Development of a QoL questionnaire for use in advanced ovarian cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development of a QoL tool for use in the initial treatment phase of advances ovarian cancer. Exploring the treatment burden in up-front surgery vs delayed surgery.
IRAS ID
277596
Contact name
Brett Winter-Roach
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 6 days
Research summary
Ovarian cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. In the United Kingdom, approximately 7,500 females are diagnosed with ovarian cancer while more than 4,000 patients die from the disease every year. It is estimated that approximately 80% of women present with advance disease at the time of diagnosis.
Advanced ovarian cancer is rarely cured. It is therefore, important to ensure that the treatment offered to these patients not only manages their disease, but has the least impact on their quality of life. Historically, patients with advanced ovarian cancer have been treated with primary debulking surgery, which aims to remove as much of the volume of the tumour as possible, and were given adjuvant chemotherapy afterwards. However, recent studies have demonstrated that there is no difference in the overall survival rates when patients are given chemotherapy first (also called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy) followed by interval debulking surgery. When two studies have comparable survival outcomes, other means such as the impact an intervention has on their quality of life, otherwise known as the treatment burden, can be used to facilitate clinicians in choosing the treatment that can be most beneficial to each patient.
The Christie National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe and treats a significant number of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Our study aims to apply a questionnaire we have developed to such patients undergoing surgery as part of their initial treatment to investigate the effect the treatments they are receiving have on their life. Patients, at different timepoints of their treatment, will be asked to fill out the questionnaire to help us assess if it is relevant and convenient to them. Consequently, it is hoped that this questionnaire will help optimise the treatments provided to patients.REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/SW/0068
Date of REC Opinion
23 Apr 2020
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion