Molecular Profiling of Primary and Metastatic Penile Cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Molecular Profiling of Primary and Metastatic Penile Cancer
IRAS ID
170111
Contact name
Stuart McCracken
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
City Hopsitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
By targeting important cancer molecular pathways, we have now embarked into the era of targeted drug therapy. Unfortunately, this remarkable progress in drug design and discovery has not encompassed all tumour types. Penile cancer is a rare tumour. Less than 600 men are diagnosed every year in the UK. However, the incidence in much higher in developing countries such as India, Brazil and Uganda, up to 10% of all male cancer diagnoses. This bears a major problem for the patients and urologists alike, as there is only limited fundamental biological and clinical knowledge, and our ability to extensively study this malignancy remains somewhat hindered by low case numbers. Sunderland Royal Hospital is one of ten supra-regional penile cancer centres nationwide and covers a population in excess of 3.5 million. Archived FFPE penile tissue samples, taken prior to September 2006, will be available for construction of tissue microarray, pending ethical approval.
Palpable lymph nodes are present in 30-60% at presentation, and of these half will harbour metastases. Even node-negative patients harbour micrometastases in approximately 20% of cases. Despite surgical resection/amputation and chemotherapy treatment, overall 5-year survival for patients with inguinal nodes is 28%: for patients with pelvic nodes is 2%. Although comparatively rare in this country, metastatic penile cancer has a devastatingly poor survival rate, and we believe there is currently very limited understanding of biological mediators of prognostic and therapeutic importance. The identification of biomolecular markers that would aid in the identification of lymph node metastasis would greatly aid in bridging this gap. Specifically, the identification of growth factor receptor signatures of invasion and metastatic spread offers the possibility of the detection of penile neoplasms which are best suited with early aggressive therapy as well as the design and discovery of new small molecule target agents.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NE/0199
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion