REPEAT phases 1 and 2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Reaccumulation rate of Pleural Effusions After Therapeutic Aspiration: An observational cohort study to determine baseline factors associated with rate of pleural fluid reaccumulation following therapeutic aspiration in patients with malignant pleural effusion attending a pleural clinic
IRAS ID
295614
Contact name
Eleanor Mishra
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
People with incurable cancer commonly feel breathless due to build up of fluid around the lung. Aims of treatment are to help symptoms and prevent admission to hospital. We do this by draining fluid off, but it often comes back. When this happens, we offer the patient a permanent implanted drain, so they can drain the fluid off regularly at home. However, sometimes the fluid builds up very quickly, before we have time to implant a drain. The patient becomes very breathless and needs an emergency hospital admission. In other people, the fluid builds up slowly and they may never need another drain.
The aim of this study is to improve treatment by finding a way to predict how quickly fluid will come back. It will be run in 5 hospitals across England and involve 240 patients over 3 years. When patients first come to have fluid drained, we will record information about them and their disease. We will measure how quickly the fluid comes back by comparing their chest X-ray after draining the fluid with their chest X-ray a week later. We will record hospital admissions and need for fluid drainage over the following 3 months. We will use this information to create a clinical score which can predict how quickly fluid will come back. We will then test this score in a second group of 40 patients to make sure it works. The study is designed so that people don’t have to make extra hospital visits or have extra tests, which means there are no disadvantages for people who get involved.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/PR/0607
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jun 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion