The PEACE Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The PEACE (Posthumous Evaluation of Advanced Cancer Environment) Study
IRAS ID
125424
Contact name
Mariam Jamal-Hanjani
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
13/LO/0972, REC
Duration of Study in the UK
7 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
The purpose of the PEACE study is to increase our understanding of the changes that occur in each patient’s cancer by looking at tumour samples taken from patients who have recently died. Our research group is particularly interested in 'intratumour heterogeneity', which tells us that in different parts of the same tumour there can be different gene abnormalities that can interact and dictate how a tumour behaves and therefore how a cancer can progress.
This study aims to (1) understand how cancers grow and spread, (2) identify gene abnormalities in different types of cancer, (3) identify markers within tumours that can predict whether a patient will respond to a particular anti-cancer therapy, (4) determine whether a single tissue sample is representative of the entire tumour, or whether multiple samples are required, (5) study the reasons for resistance to drug therapy, including the extent of intratumour heterogeneity and how this might influence a patient’s survival and response to treatment and (6) determine genetic abnormalities that allow the spread of cancer tumours by comparing tissue samples from primary and secondary tumours in the same patient.
The results of such a study could improve the treatment for future patients with advanced secondary cancer by identifying gene abnormalities, which we can target to treat the cancer, and by telling us how different cancers can progress and how we can try to prevent this.
The purpose of the PEACE COVID-19 sub-study is to determine the mechanisms by which the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes organ failure and the host immunological response to this. Patients will be those with confirmed COVID-19 and may also have concurrent cancer diagnosis. Patients recruited in other COVID-19 clinical trials will also be recruited to establish a longitudinal sample and dataset for analysis.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/0972
Date of REC Opinion
15 Aug 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion