Safety and Feasibility of CPET in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Safety and Feasibility of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Head and Neck Cancer Patients with Special Reference to Determinants of Exercise Intolerance during Different Stages of Treatment
IRAS ID
190953
Contact name
Simon N. Rogers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aintree Universirty Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 30 days
Research summary
CPET involves a person doing exercise, usually on a treadmill or a special bicycle. The person starts the exercise at a low level and the level is increased until the person feels he or she cannot continue. The activity of the heart and lungs are measured during CPET. This type of exercise test has been used to find out why patients might not be able to perform much physical activity. CPET has also been used to decide if it is safe for patients to take part in an exercise programme and for setting exercise levels. CPET has been found to be safe and practical in patients with various cancers, but no research has been published for head and neck cancer. Head and neck cancer patients often have symptoms that are specific to the location of the cancer and that could affect their responses to the CPET. The main aim of this study was to find out whether CPET is safe and practical for evaluating head and neck cancer patients receiving different treatments and at different stages of treatment. We intend to recruit 60 head and neck cancer patients over 4 months to perform a single CPET. All patients will be those being treated for head and neck cancer at Aintree University Hospital. Twenty patients will be tested around 1 week before treatment, 20 patients 8-16 weeks after the end of treatment, and 20 patients at around 17-40 weeks after the end of treatment. All CPETs will take place at University Hospital Aintree. The research is being funded by Edge Hill University.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0429
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion