Pilot study for rapid pathology techniques Version 1

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Pilot study for rapid pathology techniques on surplus free flap tissue from head and neck cancer reconstructive surgery

• IRAS ID

  327103

• Contact name

  Clare Schilling

• Contact email

  clare.schilling@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  University College London Hospital

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  The decision to offer head and neck cancer patients additional treatment following surgery (post operative radiotherapy (PORT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is based on the histopathological findings of the resected tissue. Pathological processing and analysis of tissue, especially lymph nodes and bone, can take many weeks - at UCLH the median time is 32 days and up to 64 days for final pathology results.
  Adjuvant treatment (PORT/CRT) is most effective when commenced within 6 weeks of surgery and requires 2 week lead time for planning. The wait for pathology results contributes significant delay to PORT/CRT with recent national audit showing just 12% of patients commenced treatment by 42 days post surgery.
  This pilot study aims to develop novel methods of processing and analysis of human lymph node and bone tissue in order to reduce the time to obtain pathology results. This study will use surplus tissue which is removed as part of common reconstructive procedures undertaken simultaneously with head and neck cancer resection. We plan to analyse excised lymph nodes by contrast enhanced whole node microCT imaging. Bone tissue will be processed by a rapid microwave decalcification procedure and imaged by x-ray and micro-CT. These novel methods have not been tested in for reliability and compatibility with current clinical histopathological gold standards and thus we seek to obtain a small number of samples to develop optimum parameters to process and image the specimens whilst reducing the time taken to achieve a reliable result. In this study we will not use diagnostic tissue (cancer specimens) but if we are successful in developing a reliable and time-saving protocol we would seek further resources and approvals to translate this into the clinical pathway.

• REC name

  HSC REC A

• REC reference

  24/NI/0106

• Date of REC Opinion

  28 Aug 2024

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion