Volatile Organic Compound Assessment in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Summary

Patients with early pancreatic cancer often have symptoms that could also be caused by many common benign conditions, or no symptoms at all. Jaundice, weight loss and pain are 'red flag' symptoms of pancreatic cancer that are linked to incurable disease. At the moment only patients with 'red flag' symptoms are urgently referred for diagnostic testing to find out if they have the cancer. As a result, late diagnosis is a common feature of pancreatic cancer. This leads to limited treatment options being available to patients by the time they are diagnosed, and ultimately results in poor survival rates.

There is a clear need to improve earlier detection of pancreatic cancer so that patients with pancreatic cancer can be identified earlier and faster, enabling them to start treatment more quickly.

The study team is developing a non-invasive breath test that detects small molecules called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may be altered by pancreatic cancers. For patients with non-specific symptoms, this test would help general practitioners (GPs) to identify those patients that may indeed have an underlying pancreatic cancer, who would benefit from referral for specialised pancreatic cancer tests.

Conditions

• PDAC - Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
• Pancreatic Cancer

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Breath test

Patients must be fasted for a minimum of six hours prior to sample collection. For patients undergoing surgery or a procedure (e.g. endoscopy), breath samples must be obtained pre-operatively / prior to the administration of sedation, anaesthetic or other pharmacological agents.

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Collection of matched samples of breath, biofluids and pancreatic tissue

In accordance with routine clinical practices, patients will be fasted for a minimum of six hours prior to surgery. Exhaled breath, saliva, blood and urine will be collected immediately prior to surgery (before induction of general anaesthesia). Pancreatic tissue samples and duodenal aspirate which will be collected upon resection of the pancreatic specimen.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Pancreatic Cancer UK

  collaborator OTHER

• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Royal Free Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Swansea Bay University Health Board

  collaborator OTHER

• Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Barts & The London NHS Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Southern Health

  collaborator OTHER

• Imperial College London

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Professor George B Hanna, PhD, FRCS · Imperial College London

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-12-15

Primary Completion

2028-08-31

Completion

2028-08-31

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations