CTCA feasibility in routine CTTAP version 1, 25/08/2014
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility of computed tomography (CT) coronary angiogram evaluation in cancer patients having CT Thorax, Abdomen and Pelvis (CT TAP)
Contact name
Carl Roobottom
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Plymouth Hospital NHS Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 2 days
Research summary
Catheter angiography is considered as the gold standard to evaluation of the coronary vessels. However this is an invasive expensive test with a risk of serious complications. Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is a non-invasive alternative. CTCA is the recommended test by NICE guidelines for individual with low and intermediate pre-test probability of coronary artery disease and has high accuracy. CTCA is normally done as a dedicated separate procedure.
In our study we are aiming to recruit patients with known cancer who are having a CT scan of the chest abdominal and pelvis (CT TAP) routinely as part of staging (to look for spread of the disease) for treatment response or relapse. Even though the heart is scanned routinely in these procedures, the standard care technique does not give us any information about the coronary vessels as the heart is moving and so images are blurred.
Our study proposal is to modify the conventional CTTAP by adopting techniques from CTCA so that we could get additional information about the coronary vessels. Such information can potentially be obtained for "free", that is without any additional x-rays or x-ray dye. Such information could be extremely beneficial to the patients management and treatment, particularly in preparing for surgical procedures. However it is vital that in modifying the technique we do not compromise the information about the other structures (the lungs for example). This study is to ensure that this is not the case. For our study each participants will receive two scans (one standard care and one research technique) The study will be conducted in a single centre (Derriford Hospital, Plymouth) to compare the two.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SW/0019
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion