RETROSPECTIVE CHOLANGIOCARCINOMA STUDY (FGFR)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A RETROSPECTIVE TRANSLATIONAL STUDY ASSESSING THE FGFR STATUS OF CHOLANGIOCARCINOMA PATIENTS
IRAS ID
178878
Contact name
DAVID CUNNINGHAM
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Cholangiocarcinoma or cancer of the bile ducts is a very common cancer worldwide and 1500 people per year die of this in the UK. Most patients are diagnosed when the cancer cannot be operated on and even with chemotherapy the average survival is less than two years. Therefore there is a need for research into the cellular basis for cholangiocarcinoma growth in order to improve treatments.
The fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) is a protein on the outside of cells, and changes in this protein are associated with cancer growth. In cholangiocarcinoma there is evidence that when the gene that codes for the FGFR protein is joined to another gene in an abnormal way (gene translocation) it causes activation of the FGFR protein and leads to cancer growth. This is of interest as there are drugs that target the FGFR gene and protein may have the potential to stop cancer growth.
We plan to look in cholangiocarcinoma cancers (which have previously been sampled at biopsy or removed at surgery) for evidence of this genetic abnormality. We will do this in two ways, these are RT-PCR which looks at DNA extracted from cells and FISH which looks at gene copies on a pathology slide with a microscopy. The aim of the project is to assess how common this abnormality is in patients with cholangiocarcinoma in the UK, and also how the presence of the genetic change impacts on their survival and response to chemotherapy. The results of this study might help in designing clinical trials for patients with cholangiocarcinoma in future.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0476
Date of REC Opinion
19 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion