SOPRANO v1.2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Study Of PRoliferation and Apoptosis in rectal cancer as predictive and progNOstic biomarkers: a histopathology and imaging analysis
IRAS ID
173213
Contact name
Gina Brown
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
At present, MRI is used to assess response to treatment (i.e. chemotherapy and radiotherapy) in patients with rectal cancer. If it looks as though a tumour has completely disappeared on MRI, it would be useful to be certain that the tumour does not have the potential to re-grow. An additional biological test may be useful to support the MRI findings.
Normal cells that have suffered damage to their DNA undergo programmed cell death, or ‘apoptosis’. Cancer cells have developed the ability to evade apoptosis and therefore continue to proliferate in an uncontrolled manner leading to growth of the tumour. Chemoradiotherapy is thought to work by causing cancer cells to undergo apoptosis.
This research will examine the amount of cancer cell ‘death’ and uncontrolled growth that occurs after treatment. The amount of cell damage and growth will be measured using special stains. Using these tests we can calculate an ‘apoptotic/proliferative index’ which should equate to response to treatment and validate the radiological regression seen on MRI.
By measuring levels of apoptosis and proliferation in tumour specimens and validating MR tumour regression grade, we hope to manage patients more accurately. We will hope to differentiate ‘good’ tumours from ‘bad’, before surgery, and give patients more information about how we expect their tumour to progress and what treatment they may or may not require in the future. It will enable us to individualize therapy and give patients the treatment that their specific tumour requires. It may also direct future development of new chemotherapy agents that can act against the inhibitors of cell death to improve prognosis in poorly responsive tumours.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
15/WS/0095
Date of REC Opinion
6 May 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion