CT-scan assessment of body fat distribution in endometrial cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Computed tomography assessment of body fat distribution in endometrial cancer patients
IRAS ID
237797
Contact name
K Galaal
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 0 days
Research summary
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer with rising incidence rates worldwide. This is mainly due to rising obesity rates, as obesity is a known risk factor for developing endometrial cancer. Previous studies have tried to determine whether there is also an association between body fat distribution and the risk of developing cancer of the womb. They used for example waist circumference (WC) or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). However, these methods are not accurate for measuring excess body fat. The gold standard for determining body fat distribution is CT and MRI-scan. With CT-scan and MRI-scan it is also possible to measure liver density, which is a surrogate marker of obesity. So far, there is little literature about the association between body fat distribution measured with CT-scan and outcomes in patients with endometrial cancer.
Furthermore, it is possible patients gain fat tissue and lose skeletal muscle (sarcopenia). Sarcopenia is associated with lower survival in other cancer types, but this has not been investigated in patients with endometrial cancer.
Therefore we want to investigate the relationship between body fat distribution and sarcopenia on CT-scan as well as liver density in relation to outcomes for endometrial cancer patients.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SW/0111
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion