PROLIFIC v1.2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Parametric mapping of tumour proliferation in breast cancer using 18F-FLT positron emission tomography (PET)
IRAS ID
162876
Contact name
Fiona/J Gilbert
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Breast cancer cells, as with all cancer cells, can multiply very quickly. In order to see the size and location of the breast tumour, doctors often take a picture of these cancers. This image can also give them information about how quickly the tumour is growing, but it cannot tell them how fast different parts of the cancer are growing, as indeed some parts may be growing more quickly than others. Clinical studies have shown that these fast growing areas within tumours are important in making these cancers more aggressive, more likely to spread to other parts of the body, and therefore harder to treat. Currently, we do not have a way of telling if some parts of the tumour are growing faster than others before treatment, and doctors would like to find these tumour areas early, so that they can choose treatment with this in mind.
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical imaging method that can be used to picture the cancer, and with the use of appropriate mathematical models give information about how the tumour functions. This study aims to use a type of scan called an 18F-FLT PET/CT scan to see how quickly different parts of a cancer grow. A PET/CT scan combines two scans, a PET scan and CT scan, and uses a mildly radioactive drug (a radiotracer) to show the activity of the cancer. The radiotracer used in this study, 18F-FLT, shows up more in cancer cells than normal cells, because cancer cells grow more quickly. We hope that 18F-FLT will reveal the fastest growing parts of the cancer. If we can identify these areas within a tumour, we can gain a better understanding of how cancer cells grow and select patient treatment more appropriately.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0042
Date of REC Opinion
19 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion