Towards a randomised primary chemoprevention trial of curcumin in FAP

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    A questionnaire study towards a randomised primary chemoprevention trial of curcumin in children and young adults with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)

  • IRAS ID

    130008

  • Contact name

    Joanna Peta Wood

  • Contact email

    jpw8@le.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Leicester

  • Research summary

    Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an inherited condition whereby affected individuals develop benign bowel polyps which, if left untreated, almost inevitably become cancerous. Currently, the only way of preventing this is by surgically removing the colon before the cancer develops, usually when patients are between 15 and 25 years of age.
    There are extensive pre- and early clinical data demonstrating that curcumin (an extract of the spice turmeric) reduces the polyp burden in adults with FAP. We ultimately aim to conduct a clinical study assessing whether curcumin prevents polyp formation (and thus delays the need for surgery) in children and young adults with this condition.
    There are data demonstrating that where trials require informed consent, assessing patients’ perceptions at the initial stage may save time and money, increase participation levels and lead to better outcomes. We thus propose to conduct a questionnaire of patients and parents of children affected by FAP. The aim is to ascertain their opinions about conducting the aforementioned clinical study. We intend to use the data gathered from this questionnaire to optimise study design and to maximise the likelihood of successful recruitment and compliance in this patient group.

  • REC name

    South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    13/SC/0358

  • Date of REC Opinion

    17 Jul 2013

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion