Development and validation of a reflex test for myeloma diagnosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the use of routine blood tests and reflex testing to improve the early diagnosis of myeloma
IRAS ID
288640
Contact name
Richard Neal
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leeds
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
This project is aimed at improving the early diagnosis of myeloma. Myeloma is a type of blood cancer and accounts for approximately 2% of all newly diagnosed cancers in the UK each year. It mainly affects older people. Once myeloma is suspected, it is relatively easy to diagnose. However, suspecting myeloma is difficult for several reasons and as a result is one of the hardest cancers to diagnose. There are many reasons why myeloma is difficult to diagnose for GPs; it is a rare disease (an average full time GP will only see one new case every 8-9 years) and the main symptoms (including back pain, bone pain, tiredness and repeated infections) are vague and common to many non-cancer conditions that occur in the elderly. Diagnosing myeloma earlier is important as it allows patients to receive less toxic treatment, potentially reducing side effects and improving quality of life.
Many myeloma patients receive numerous blood tests in the years before diagnosis, often for reasons unrelated to myeloma. In this study we propose to describe and compare results from routine blood tests conducted in myeloma and non-myeloma patients and develop an algorithm to identify people at highest risk of myeloma. Overall our study will determine if we can diagnose myeloma earlier using information from these routine blood tests. The advantage of this approach is that it removes one of the current most important stumbling blocks in myeloma diagnosis and this is that it bypasses the step that someone has to actively think about myeloma as a possibility. There is no additional burden for patients to collect blood, no further costs and time delays in obtaining bloods.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/YH/0304
Date of REC Opinion
10 Nov 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion