3D Reconstruction of Basal Cell Carcinomas (3DBCC)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
3D Reconstruction of Basal Cell Carcinomas (3DBCC)
IRAS ID
218253
Contact name
Neil Rajan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NUTH
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer in Caucasian populations. Although slow growing and posing low risk of spreading to other areas of the body they can cause significant problems to the patient through local spread and invasion into underlying structures. The gold standard treatment is surgical cure, with high-risk tumours being an indication for a specialist type of surgical removal which is called Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). MMS is a method of following skin cancer cells during an operation and only removing skin which is cancerous. This is dependent on the skin cancer growing in a continuous manner which is something we aim to explore in this study.
The standard histological technique for tumour examination involves the processing and staining of 2-dimensional (2D) images, which is sufficient for histopathological diagnosis. This however does not allow the shape, volume and spatial relationship of the BCC to skin structures to be fully appreciated. 3D reconstruction of pictures of sections of tissue using computer software allows recognition of the growth pattern and assessment of whether the tumour grows in a continuous manner which will aid in our understanding of BCC biology. In addition to allowing growth pattern assessment 3D reconstruction of histological images allows 3D modeling with specialised staining. This technique has previously been used within the field of dermatology to demonstrate the continuous 3D growth pattern of other skin tumours, cylindroma and spiradenomas. Other ways in which tumours can be reviewed in 3D include using different scanning techniques including microscopic MRI scan, optical CT and 3D ultrasound. However none of these methodologies offer the level of resolution we are able to achieve with histological 3D reconstruction.
We aim to assess the histology of tumour samples which have been excised with more detailed sectioning and processing. These histology samples will be digitally imaged. These images will then be digitally stacked and organized within a computer software programme and then using this programme will be 3D reconstructed. This will allow the generation of 3D BCC computer models
REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0529
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion