MEDLEY

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Methods of Early Detection of Lung cancEr in primarY care: The MEDLEY Study

• IRAS ID

  327612

• Contact name

  Matthew E J Callister

• Contact email

  matthew.callister@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Leeds

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 5 months, 4 days

• Research summary

  What is the problem?
  The chances of surviving lung cancer are much better if it is picked up early. A chest X-ray (CXR) is used to diagnose lung cancer, which are cheap, quick, and convenient for patients. However, CXR misses about 20% of lung cancers, which can delay diagnosis.

  Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is more expensive, but gives more detailed images. This means patients can have extra tests and treatments for findings that may not have caused them problems. There is also a shortage of CT scanners and radiologists.

  We don’t know how much more accurate LDCT is compared with CXR for symptomatic people, so we don’t know if switching to LDCT is worth the extra cost and downsides.

  What are we trying to find out?
  1) To work out if a study comparing LDCT and CXR in diagnosing lung cancer, in symptomatic people is feasible.
  2) To find out if what we will learn would justify the cost of a larger study.
  3) To work out if replacing CXR with LDCT is feasible in the health service.

  What will we do?
  1) To work out if a larger study is feasible, we will pilot the study with 900 patients from UK hospitals. Adults aged 40+ who have a CXR requested by their GP will also have a LDCT. We will review their medical records at 4 and 12 months to check which patients have been diagnosed with lung cancer. Participants will complete two questionnaires (baseline and 4 months) during the 12-months.
  
  2) The ‘value of information’ study – to tell us whether the cost of a larger study is worth the extra information it would provide.
  
  3) Talk to patients, healthcare professionals (GPs), and health service leaders to understand the feasibility and acceptability of using LDCT instead of CXR.

• REC name

  West of Scotland REC 5

• REC reference

  25/WS/0008

• Date of REC Opinion

  24 Jan 2025

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion