MyxofibroSarcoma staging using PET-MRI: comparison to standard MRI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does PET-MRI of myxofibrosarcoma improve the local staging of disease compared to standard MRI? A pilot and feasibility study. (SarcoPET)
IRAS ID
200543
Contact name
George Petrides
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Myxofibrosarcomas (MFS) are cancerous tumours that can develop anywhere in the body including the arms and legs. The best treatment is surgery, but this is often compromised because MFS ‘infiltrate’ or blend into the surrounding normal tissues making it difficult to distinguish between normal tissue and tumour. This can mean that some tumour is left behind, which can mean further operations, and in some cases may necessitate amputation of the affected limb.
To help plan the surgery, patients with MFS have an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan days or weeks in advance, allowing us to ‘see’ the tumour. However, even with MRI it can still mean that not all the tumour is seen. We hope that using a new type of scan, PET-MRI, will help us to see the tumour better and in the future, allow the surgeon to be able to remove the whole tumour during the first operation.
PET (Positron Emission Tomography) is already used for imaging other types of cancer, and works differently to MRI by showing tumour ‘function’ or ‘activity’, rather than what the tumour looks like. Usually PET and MRI scans are done separately, but Newcastle University’s new combined PET-MRI scanner allows both scans to be done simultaneously.
Our initial pilot study plans to recruit between 10 and 15 patients with MFS to have a combined PET-MRI scan before their surgery in addition to any other MRI scan the patient may already have had. The results of the combined PET-MRI scan will be compared against those from PET alone, MRI alone and the removed tumour after surgery to see whether PET-MRI gives us more accurate information about the tumour and to see whether it would have helped the surgeon. We will also be looking to see if PET-MRI demonstrates disease elsewhere in the body (metastases).
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NE/0324
Date of REC Opinion
29 Sep 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion