ECC CUP BioStudy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Cancer of Unknown Primary Bio Study: Prospective biosample and clinical data collection
IRAS ID
273168
Contact name
Sally Clive
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Lothian
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
AC19124, Sponsor Ref
Duration of Study in the UK
9 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
In the UK a new diagnosis of cancer is made every 2 minutes. Usually, the original site of the cancer, or ‘primary,’ is identified by routine investigations. Cancers of unknown primary (CUP) are advanced, or metastatic, cancers for which a primary site is not found despite comprehensive investigations. CUP represents 2% of all new cancer cases in the UK, with approximately 10,000 cases each year. Despite being the 15th most common cancer by incidence it is the 4th most common cause of cancer death each year.
CUP is a variable condition with regards to the way it may affect patients. It's management also vary greatly, depending on the overall assessment of an individual patient and their disease. Unfortunately, treatment options are limited and, on average, patients only survive for a small number of months.
The overall aim of this study is to collect biosamples, such as pieces of tumour tissue, blood samples and other bodily fluids, and clinical data from patients that can be used to try to understand the behaviour of these cancers and to develop new tests and treatments for this disease.
The study will be open to NHS patients over the age of 18 who have been referred to the CUP service at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, NHS Lothian. Patients will be asked to donate samples from tumour biopsies taken as part of their initial investigations or later during their treatment. We will also ask for blood samples at different times during a patient’s management. These samples will be analysed in the laboratory using a number of techniques including DNA analysis. Finally, we will collect data from patients medical records so that scientific findings can be interpreted in a way that is meaningful to patient care.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/EM/0172
Date of REC Opinion
7 Sep 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion