Does use of ultrasound improve bladder reproducibility in gynae IMRT?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does use of ultrasound improve bladder reproducibility in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for cancer of the cervix/endometrium?
IRAS ID
187766
Contact name
Kate Claxton
Contact email
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Cancer of the cervix and endometrium are increasing in incidence in the United Kingdom, with 3064 new cases of cervical cancer and 8475 new cases of endometrial cancer reported in 2011 (Cancer Research UK, 2015). Both cancers can be treated with radiotherapy, which involves precise delivery of high energy x-rays to a target area, avoiding surrounding healthy tissues.
Radiotherapy to the cervix/endometrium (womb) requires a comfortably full bladder for each treatment, to ensure the organs in the pelvis are in the same position. Patients drink a specific volume of liquid, and then wait a set time. While this achieves the required bladder fill for some patients, others find the bladder becomes too full/not full enough. This can change the position of the target area. X-ray scans before treatment allow assessment of patient position, and also check if the bladder is the required size. If not, action must be taken. Use of a bladder volume ultrasound scanner could provide a quick, non-invasive method of checking the bladder status before performing the x-ray scan. This could reduce the need for repeat x-ray scans when the bladder fill is incorrect, reducing radiation dose. It could also improve patient experience, as bladder scans take less time than treatment setup /x-ray scanning before discovering the bladder is not prepared.
All patients receiving radiotherapy to the cervix/endometrium at the host hospital will be asked if they would like to take part in this study. Those deciding not to will still be asked to prepare a full bladder, and positioning x-ray scans alone will be used to look at bladder volume. Those taking part will have an ultrasound scan before each treatment to check the bladder is the right size. The study will include a minimum of 40 patients, and will stop collecting data after nine months.
REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SW/0262
Date of REC Opinion
23 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion