Visual feedback with optical sensing in lung cancer radiotherapy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Clinical evaluation of visual feedback with optical sensing in lung cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy: A feasibility study
IRAS ID
139350
Contact name
Gareth Price
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK with around 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year. Lung cancer is associated with a very poor prognosis (<10% patient survival at 5 years). New strategies are urgently needed to improve survival in this group of patients.
The most effective and common treatment for lung cancer is radiotherapy (either alone or combined with chemotherapy and/or surgery) and generally high doses of radiotherapy are given to the tumour. However, increasing the radiotherapy dose carries an increased risk of damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. We can minimise this damage by reducing movement within the lung, caused by factors such as breathing and patient motion, during treatment.
This study tests a new medical device that has been developed to monitor and help patients control their breathing and movement during treatment. Optical sensors will detect any motion of the patient’s torso and this will be fed back to the patient in the form of a visual aid allowing them to regulate their breathing and maintain their ideal treatment position.
The device has already been shown to reduce motion in healthy volunteers. In this study we hope to demonstrate that the visual aids are tolerable in lung cancer patients. We additionally aim to show the device will help reduce movements of the chest and also the lung tumour, leading to improvements in treatment results.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/0037
Date of REC Opinion
12 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion