VOCs in Lung ca
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of biological changes in urine in patients with advanced lung cancer: a pilot study
IRAS ID
197094
Contact name
Seamus Coyle
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Background:
The aim of the project is to investigate the biological changes in urine when patients with lung cancer are towards the end of life. Our hypothesis is that there is a final common pathway to dying and the physiological changes during this time have an underlying biochemical basis. A feasibility study was previously performed by the team to: i) establish suitability of protocols for recruitment, and ii) use metabolomic analysis to investigate Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in urine from terminally ill patients with advanced cancer. Results from this study established the recruitment protocols as both sensitive and effective. Further, analysis of the samples provided showed an increasing number of statistically significantly VOCs change in the last weeks of life compared to controls. These results need to be verified.
Method
Samples will be collected in a selected cohort of patients i.e. patients with lung cancer, using the protocols established in the feasibility study. These will be analysed for VOCs. Further analysis will also be performed on the urine samples collected within this pilot, including molecular biology studies and further metabolomic studies using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.
Outcomes
This work could identify biomarkers with the potential to be prognostic indicators of dying.REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
15/WA/0464
Date of REC Opinion
21 Dec 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion