The VISUAL Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The eVaulation of Image guidance of Stereotatic body radiotherapy using Ultrasound: Assessment in Liver.
IRAS ID
235232
Contact name
Emma J Harris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Institute of Cancer Research
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
CCR4821, Local Committee for Clinical Research
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Worldwide, primary liver cancer is the 3rd most common cause of cancer-related death, accounting for 6% of cancer diagnoses. In the UK, the number of cases reported has more than trebled since the 1970’s, with 5550 new cases in 2014 (CRUK statistics 2014). Liver transplant or surgery are the main forms of treatment offered but only less than 20% of patients can tolerate these treatments. There is a need for non-surgical therapies that would improve these patients’ chances of survival. Radiotherapy has been shown to increase the likelihood of liver cancer cure. To deliver radiotherapy safely to the patient, we must ensure that we deliver radiation to the liver cancer only, avoiding normal liver tissues and other surrounding normal tissues. Because the liver moves whilst we breathe, a liver cancer will also move during radiotherapy. To accurately target the cancer we can ask the patient to hold their breath during treatment to stop the motion. Or we can monitor the motion of the cancer and have the radiation beam track, or follow, its motion. We are investigating new methods to either: (a) ensure that when the patient repeats their breath hold the cancer is in the same position each time, or (b) measure the motion of the liver cancer whilst the patient breathes freely. We are unsure which is the best method and therefore are investigating both approaches. Ultrasound is a non-invasive and real-time imaging method that can easily be used to image the liver and may be able to perform both of these tasks. In this study we will test ultrasound equipment, which has been specifically designed to guide radiotherapy. We will recruit 26 healthy volunteers to help us evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound to measure the position of the liver in breath hold and in free breathing.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0379
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion