Advanced MRI in patients with brain tumours (MERIT)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging in patients with brain Tumours (MERIT)
IRAS ID
326933
Contact name
Laura M Parkes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
6 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study will investigate the usefulness of advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques for brain tumour assessment and monitoring. Two examples of MRI techniques that will be investigated and may provide additional information to the current tumour MRI protocol are: multi-delay Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL), used for measuring blood flow, and Amide Proton Transfer (APT), used for measuring amide concentration (which is thought to correlate with active tumour regions). These techniques may provide additional information about brain tumours, particularly gliomas. Specifically, ASL and APT have both shown promise in distinguishing brain tumour progression from swelling and other treatment-related changes, a differentiation not easily seen on conventional MRI scans. These MRI techniques will either be added to the standard MRI brain tumour protocol (adding up to 15 minutes scan time), or the patients will be asked to return for an additional MRI scan lasting up to 1 hour.
Information from these advanced scans in combination with information from standard clinical scans, histopathology of the tumour and patient outcome will be used to answer the following research questions:
1. Optimisation: Can MRI imaging measurements for brain tumour patients be optimized and made faster?
2. Clinical benefit: Does the addition of advanced MRI measurements to standard brain tumour MRI protocols add clinical benefit and/or new information about tumour physiology?REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0033
Date of REC Opinion
15 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion