Investigator Global Assessment of Field Cancerization (IGA-FC) V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigator Global Assessment of Field Cancerization using the Field Cancerization Severity Tool
IRAS ID
302198
Contact name
Catherine Anne Harwood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University of London, Joint Research Management Office
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Keratinocyte skin cancers (KCs) are the most common malignancies in the UK and their incidence is rising rapidly. They are mainly caused by ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure from the sun. Many KCs are therefore seen in people with sun damage (photodamage) and precancerous skin changes (actinic keratoses and field cancerisation). The goal of this study is to apply the Field Cancerization Severity Tool (FAST) to evaluate whether it can accurately identify patients at greatest risk for the development of KC. FAST has been developed by collaborators in the USA and is a simple clinical assessment tool in which photodamage and precancerous skin lesions are categorised into one of 3 stages on the basis of investigator global assessment. We predict that patients with greater degrees of skin photodamage and precancerous changes in a particular area of skin (ie a higher FAST score) will also produce more KCs in that field. We will do this by recruiting adult patients already being seen in dermatology clinics for photodamage and precancerous skin lesions and during their routine clinical examination, we will stage them by the FAST staging criteria. Using a questionnaire and examining their clinical records with consent, we will record their retrospective skin cancer history to evaluate whether FAST stage is significantly associated with KC risk. Where clinical photography is available and is being performed as part of surveillance, these will be included as an additional documentation of the FAST staging. In comparison with the tools currently available for assessing KC risk, the FAST will be easy to learn and can be performed quickly in a clinic setting. Please note that none of the research activities proposed are interventional nor will they affect patient care.
REC name
Wales REC 3
REC reference
22/WA/0295
Date of REC Opinion
29 Sep 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion