Oesophageal Cancer Staging Using 3T MRI v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Use of 3T MRI for Staging Oesophageal Cancer: a Feasibility Study
IRAS ID
184762
Contact name
Stuart Ashley Roberts
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Despite advances in modern healthcare, the prognosis of cancer of the gullet (oesophagus), remains poor. Cancer at the junction of the gullet and stomach are called gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ) tumours. Radiological tests called staging scans are performed to tell doctors about the extent and spread of the tumour.
Patients are initially staged with computed tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen to exclude distant spread and incurable disease. If the patient has curable disease, then specialist tests called endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and positron emission tomography combined with CT (PET/CT) are performed for more information.
EUS is the best test for assessing the depth (called T-stage) and number of lymph nodes the tumour has spread to (N-stage) but is invasive and has risk of complications. PET/CT is unreliable in identifying these lymph nodes due to the resolution of the images. Occasionally, very tight tumours do not allow the camera (endoscope) to pass through for a full EUS assessment, therefore important information is missing when the MDT decides upon the best treatment for the patient.
An MRI scan may provide an alternative, non-invasive staging investigation to EUS, and allow more accurate local staging. The majority of scanners in current clinical use are 1.5 Tesla (T), a measure of how strong the MRI machine is. Clinical research using a higher strength magnet (3T) is sparse. A higher strength magnet should produce better images.
Patients with oesophageal cancer will be identified at the MDT and in local hospitals. If the MDT decides the best treatment is surgery, the patient will be invited to join the MRI study. The MRI will be performed before any treatment is given in the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) 2, Swansea University. Two radiologists will look at the MRI scans independently and decide on the depth and spread of the tumour. The MRI will be compared to the pathological specimen report when it is removed and the other specialist scans to assess how accurate it is.
REC name
Wales REC 1
REC reference
15/WA/0393
Date of REC Opinion
21 Dec 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion