MEMO version 1.1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Molecular Epidemiology of Malignant Mesothelioma
IRAS ID
121513
Contact name
Sanjay Popat
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon but fatal cancer that affects mainly the lining of the lung, pleura. The main causative agent is asbestos and due to its long latency period between exposure and development of the condition, the number of new cases is expected to rise rapidly in the next few years. The overall life expectancy of patients with malignant mesothelioma is poor and without treatment only half of the patients will be expected to be alive in 6 to 8 months from the time of diagnosis. Complete removal by surgery or radiotherapy is not possible due to the diffuse nature of the disease. The mainstay of treatment is chemotherapy but eventually the disease will progress and there are no other standard treatment options. There are few laboratory data on molecular abnormalities that affect the development and growth of mesothelioma. However, there is little correlation of this data with the clinical behaviour of the disease. This research aims to describe and identify the molecular variations and changes in mesothelioma tumour cells. This will then be correlated with patients’ clinical outcomes such as response to treatment and survival. The tissue materials used in this study will also be used to validate the findings from ongoing genetic analyses occurring with Imperial College, London and external collaborators. The source of tissues will be surplus tissues to clinical requirements of patients diagnosed or treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital or St George’s Hospital. The analyses will be performed using laboratory techniques that will yield the most information under stringent quality control. Approvals from the ethics committee and other relevant authority will be sought before the start of the project.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
13/NS/0107
Date of REC Opinion
5 Aug 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion