Odontogenic tumours as markers for WNT pathway cancers
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Odontogenic tumours as prognostic markers for cancers involving WNT pathway deregulation
IRAS ID
199148
Contact name
Martyn Cobourne
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 7 months, 8 days
Research summary
Odontogenic tumours are rare tumours which arise from tooth-forming tissues of the jaws. The vast majority of these tumours are benign and the most common type is the odontoma. Odontomas present at an early age, are considered to be an overgrowth of mature cells and tissues (hamartoma) and therefore follow a slow-growing and self-limiting course. However, most odontomas are removed because they impede the development and alignment of normal teeth.
The WNT pathway is a cell signalling pathway important for the normal development and maintenance of numerous body tissues. Abnormalities in this pathway lead to the development of certain types of cancer in later life. There is laboratory evidence from animal studies that abnormalities in the WNT pathway is a cause of these tumours, but there is currently no robust data to indicate similar abnormalities of this pathway human odontomas.
We plan to characterise genetic changes in archived odontoma and other odontogenic tumour specimens, surplus to diagnostic and therapeutic requirements, in order to determine the rate of WNT signalling abnormalities in odontomas. It is anticipated that our study will lead to future benefit for patients since determining the rate and type of WNT pathway abnormalities in odontomas may serve to elucidate whether these patients are at higher risk of developing future diseases in other tissues, including certain types of cancer.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0116
Date of REC Opinion
30 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion