BRASIL
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Blood RAman Spectroscopy In Lung cancer: towards early stage detection and diagnosis (the BRASIL study)
IRAS ID
333845
Contact name
Dean Harris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. There are two main types of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. The most common type is non-small cell lung cancer. Lung cancer is more common with older age. Around 45 out of 100 people diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK are aged 75 years or older. Most causes of lung cancer in the UK are caused by smoking.
Survival from lung cancer depends on many factors. In general, 5 year overall survival of advanced non-small cell lung cancer is approximately 20%, compared to 70% in early stage disease.
Lung cancer may not always cause symptoms in the early stages and many symptoms can also be due to other causes. Symptoms include a cough most of the time, coughing up blood for no reason, weight loss, shortness of breath and chest pain. Patients with these symptoms where lung cancer is suspected should be referred to a specialist.
Tests to diagnose lung cancer include a chest x-ray, CT or MRI scans, bronchoscopies and biopsies.
The aim of this project is to develop a blood test that can detect lung cancer cells earlier than we can at present. Raman spectroscopy uses a laser to excite the chemical signals in a blood sample to create a fingerprint of that sample. If lung cancer features are present, the lung cancer fingerprint can then be analysed to provide information on treatment strategy. Ultimately, this technique would allow earlier diagnosis and may help patients to start treatment sooner than is possible currently.
Method
This study will recruit patients who are undergoing surgery for lung cancer or have been referred to specialist services with suspicion of lung cancer. The study seeks to obtain blood samples for analysis using a spectroscopy in vitro diagnostic device. Outcomes will be used to train and test a machine learning algorithm to allow calculation of the sensitivity and specificity of the device.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/NW/0347
Date of REC Opinion
10 Nov 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion