Vibrational Biospectroscopy study - Version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Application of vibrational biospectroscopy as a novel diagnostic tool in endometrial cancer
IRAS ID
258675
Contact name
Ketankumar Gajjar
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Womb cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women in the UK. Diagnosis requires taking a sample from the tissue lining the womb (biopsy). Biopsies are good at diagnosing cancer but less accurate for pre-cancer. The results take up to 2 weeks to process, leading to patient anxiety and treatment delay. Most women will need surgery, to remove the genital organs, the lymph nodes and the fat pad surrounding the bowels. Currently it is unclear whether removing the lymph nodes is beneficial, particularly in presumed early-stage cancer, and the procedure has potential harmful effects.
An objective, accurate test, able to detect cancer quickly and to check lymph nodes for metastases during surgery would speed-up diagnosis and help surgeons minimise unnecessary procedures. Vibrational biospectroscopy methods may be developed into such a test. These techniques use the interaction between a light source and a sample to gain detailed information. A unique spectral image is generated, a “biochemical fingerprint”, depending on the specific structure and biochemical composition of the sample. Cancer changes can be objectively detected, gaining a potential role in cancer diagnosis and screening.
The aim of this research is to investigate if womb cancer can be reliably identified by vibrational biospectroscopy, with a view of developing a point-of-care test and an intra-operative test in the future. Eligible participants will be women undergoing surgery for womb cancer or other non-cancerous condition at City Hospital Campus. They will have an additional blood test and a womb biopsy under general anaesthesia. The samples will be analysed with the spectroscopes and the analysis will be compared with the usual laboratory examination of the samples. The ultimate goal is to develop a tool that can give instant diagnosis of tissue abnormality to reduce treatment delays, patient anxiety and to optimise surgical treatment.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EM/0303
Date of REC Opinion
24 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion