Mapping the genetic and epigenetic landscape of sinonasal carcinoma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Mapping the genetic and epigenetic landscape of sinonasal carcinoma
IRAS ID
288288
Contact name
David Thomson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
A type of cancer affecting the sinus and nasal spaces, termed Sinonasal carcinomas, show a variable appearance under the microscope, hence diagnosis and classifying these cancers can be challenging. Recently, genetic testing has identified specific sub-types of sinonasal carcinomas that have different treatment pathways including their responsiveness to chemo-radiotherapy and patient survival (both overall survival and disease free survival).
This research aims to investigate the genetics of sinonasal carcinomas and link identified genetic mutations with key clinical events (such as response to treatment, patient survival and cancer recurrence). Additionally, this study will investigate the role of the Human Papilloma Virus, a known virus which causes oropharyngeal cancer, in our sinonasal carcinoma samples to determine if there is a link with this virus and sinonasal carcinoma or its subtypes. The study design is to collect pathology tissue samples from hospital archives of known patients with sinonasal carcinoma and undertake genetic testing on the tissue. This confers an advantage in that the patients treatment and their outcome will be known. The benefits of this study are that identification key genetic markers has the potential to improve standardisation in diagnosis, further inform the current classification and map clinical outcomes with specific genetic mutations, improving clinical decision making and patient-centred care. Additionally, this study will form the scientific basis for a prospective proton beam sinonasal carcinoma treatment clinical trial. This research will be funded by Cancer Research UK, no patient recruitment will take place as only previously collected tissues will be used in the study. The research will take place at The Manchester Cancer Research Centre.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/PR/0993
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jan 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion