Haematological inflammatory markers and survival in mesothelioma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Haematological markers of inflammation and survival outcomes in malignant pleural mesothelioma
IRAS ID
316920
Contact name
Claire Vella
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 1 months, 20 days
Research summary
Inflammation is a hallmark of cancer and is associated with poorer survival in several cancers. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), cancer of the pleura associated with previous asbestos exposure, has poor survival and accurate prognostication is crucial to drive appropriate treatment choices. An elevated inflammatory status can be discerned on routine complete blood count (CBC) samples as an elevation in neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) and systemic immune inflammation index (SII). Studies linking derangements in these blood markers to a worse prognosis in MPM are limited, especially within the UK population, and would provide insight into the relationship between inflammation and survival in MPM.
This proposed self-funded retrospective analysis will review all patients diagnosed with MPM in the University Hospitals Of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust. All patients with a histological diagnosis of MPM from 2014-2021 will be included in the analysis, with data being obtained from the local mesothelioma cancer database. Patient records will be analysed for age, sex, baseline performance status, histological subtype, treatment decision, and overall survival from date of diagnosis. CBC results within a month of treatment start date will be accessed for pre-treatment NLR, PLR, SII, and LMR. No direct contact with patients is planned and data will be strictly accessed from secure hospital computer records with no access to physical files. Records will be pseudonymised with destruction of all identifying data immediately after utilisation.
Data will be analysed with SPSS software to assess relationship between elevation in inflammatory indices and overall survival. Statistical methods will include Kaplan-Meier curves and the log rank test, and univariate and multivariate analysis to confirm whether any of these indices is an independent predictor of survival in MPM.
The results of this data will be presented as an MSc Oncology dissertation with Newcastle University in January 2023.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/NE/0007
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jan 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion