MyeloFiT: MPNs - Imaging-Based Assessment of Fibrosis and Thrombosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The MyeloFiT Study: Myeloproliferative Neoplasms – Imaging-Based Assessment of Bone Marrow Fibrosis and Thrombosis Risk
IRAS ID
333011
Contact name
Adam J Mead
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford / Research, Governance, Ethics and Assurance
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a group of blood cancers that affect approximately 1 person in every 50,000 per year and are more common in people over the age of 60 years. They occur because the bone marrow cells have acquired a change(mutation) in their genetic code (DNA) and this makes the bone marrow produce too many cells, such as red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. Although many patients can be managed for many years with these conditions, with time there is an increasing risk of the bone marrow becoming scarred (fibrosed). When this complication occurs, treatment options are limited, and the prognosis is often poor. conventional testing of bone marrow fibrosis in MPNs requires a bone marrow biopsy which can be painful and invasive, and is not 100% reliable. Additionally, patients with MPNs have an approximately 5-fold increase in the risk of having a blood clot, particularly “arterial” clots such as heart attacks and strokes. Although this is the major cause of early death, there is currently not an accurate method to predict who is most at risk of blood clots.
New MRI and CT scans are available which offer the possibility of giving a more detailed assessment of a person’s risk of developing bone marrow fibrosis or blood clots.
In this study, we will test newly-available MRI and CT scan technology to assess MPN patients’ risk of developing bone marrow fibrosis and blockage of the arteries supplying the heart (ischaemic heart disease). We will combine this with cutting-edge research on blood and bone marrow samples. The aim is that this will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms causing fibrosis and the increased risk of blood clots, and also to better predict patients at high risk of these complications, allowing individualised treatment with better targeting of medications to prevent events.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0011
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jan 2024
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion