VERIFY
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Validation of the analysis methodology behind the use of quantitative 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) to assess lung inflammation
IRAS ID
220307
Contact name
Joseph Cheriyan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
Inflammation plays an important role in a myriad of human diseases. Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) are characterised by widespread inflammation and represent a major burden to the health sector.
Imaging offers a method of assessing lung inflammation which is non-invasive and may help facilitate the development of new therapeutic drugs. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a sensitive imaging modality that uses radioactive material to highlight areas of disease. 18F-FDG is the most common radioactive tracer; it accumulates in cells with an increased metabolic rate. Previous studies have shown that inflammatory cells have an increased metabolic rate, thus PET imaging could highlight inflammation. 18F-FDG PET has been used in many lung diseases; the concentration of tracer is thought to relate to the severity of inflammation.
There is currently no standardised method to analyse FDG-PET scans to assess the concentration of tracer in the lung (and therefore inflammation). A major challenge is providing corrections to ensure that the image only represents tracer in the lung tissue. Such corrections are non-trivial and affect how we interpret the images. A robust validation is needed to ensure that the analysis methods used in FDG-PET images truly represent the degree of lung inflammation.
This study aims to validate and compare the different analysis methods. Pulmonary sarcoidosis patients, a disease characterised by widespread lung inflammation, will provide validation of the technique. Healthy volunteers will be recruited to assess the reliability of the analysis methods.
Our aims are:
To compare FDG-PET derived tissue inflammation measures against measures of inflammation from BAL samples.
To compare different models of 18F-FDG lung analysis in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.
To identify whether FDG PET is sensitive enough to detect a change in inflammation induced in healthy volunteers.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/SC/0482
Date of REC Opinion
9 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion