Paediatric Solid Tumour Ecology
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Paediatric Solid Tumour Ecology
IRAS ID
351466
Contact name
Juliet Gray
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
10 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Paediatric malignancy is the leading cause of death due to disease amongst children around the world, with solid tumours contributing the majority of cases. The need for the development of novel targeted therapies is widely recognised. This has recently been highlighted by inclusion of paediatric solid tumours in the 2023 Cancer Grand Challenges by The National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK.
The aim of this study is to employ diverse research strategies to characterise the tumour ecology of paediatric solid tumours. Furthermore, to enable patient stratification based on underlying molecular signatures, thereby optimising use of emerging targeted therapies. This will alleviate reliance on established regimes of cytotoxic agents and radiotherapy which have limited cellular selectivity and consequently risk significant side effects.
All patients under the age of 18 years of age with suspected solid tumours presenting to Southampton Children's Hospital will be approached. Patients whose parents give written informed consent will be included. Any surplus tumour samples at either diagnostic biopsy or surgical excision will be processed for research. In addition, biological samples including blood and urine samples will be collected at pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative timepoints (up to a maximum of 5 blood collections).
The aim of this study is to increase understanding of the biology of paediatric solid tumours with the eventual hope of identifying targets for new therapies. Our focus will be on the interplay between cancer cells and the normal cells that surround them in the tumour micro-environment.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/SC/0384
Date of REC Opinion
6 Feb 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion