SARveillance - post operative sarcoma surveillance
Research type
Research Study
Full title
SARveillance - An international, partially-randomised, patient-preference trial within a registry of high versus lower intensity radiological surveillance following primary resection of retroperitoneal, abdominal and pelvic soft tissue sarcoma
IRAS ID
333026
Contact name
Samuel Ford
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano
Duration of Study in the UK
9 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Sarcomas are cancerous growths that can occur in the soft tissue at the back of the abdomen (retroperitoneum) or abdomen and pelvis. Treatment requires a major operation to remove the cancer followed by a period of follow-up with scans. The scans check whether the cancer has grown back or spread to other parts of the body. If the cancer has returned, it is often monitored for a while to see how it behaves and further treatment may be offered.
Doctors do not know how frequently scans should be done after surgery with great variation in follow-up plans between hospitals. Our Patient Advisory Group highlighted that regular scans make patients feel anxious (‘scan-xiety’) and it is unclear whether frequent follow-up changes treatment options or lengthens life. Patients prioritise this as the most important topic for improving wellbeing after surgery (survivorship). Regular scans are expensive and wasteful if patients do not benefit.
The SARveillance study will address this directly. Following surgery, patients who agree to take part in the study, will be allocated by chance (randomised) to either high or lower intensity (half as frequent) follow-up over five years. Wellbeing will be monitored over time using questionnaires to compare quality of life and survival between the high and lower intensity groups. Patients who decline to be randomised will be invited to choose their own follow-up intensity (patient-preference groups). This will allow a comparison of outcomes when patients have control over their follow-up plans versus when it is determined for them. Cost information will be collected.
Understanding the effect of the frequency of follow-up scans on patients’ quality of life and survival will help clinicians to optimise sarcoma follow-up to improve patients’ quality of life, survival outcomes, quality of care, reduce anxiety and distress and lower costs for patients and the NHS.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0284
Date of REC Opinion
20 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion