New research will determine if a blood test could help predict survival in Ewing sarcoma patients who disease has returned or not responded to treatment.
The study, led by Professor Martin McCabe at the University of Manchester, will look for key markers in patient samples collected from the ongoing rEECur clinical trial.
It is hoped the study will identify early indicators that could predict survival in patients with relapsed and refractory Ewing sarcoma with the view of taking them forward for investigation in clinical trials.
Currently, clinicians rely on standard clinical information (including how soon the cancer returned and its location in the body) to predict a patient's outlook. Building on the rEECur trial, the new project hopes to find signs in blood that could provide clues on how Ewing sarcoma is likely to progress.
While blood-based biomarkers have been investigated in newly-diagnosed patients, it is unclear how informative these are for patients whose disease has returned (relapsed) or is resistant to treatment (refractory).
Their goal is not only to test whether markers could predict survival more accurately than clinical information alone, but also their potential to detect relapse before it shows on scans.
Professor McCabe, Honorary Consultant of Paediatric and Young Adolescent Oncology, said:
The results of this research will help guide the most accurate approach to monitoring and predicting the course a patient's disease will take. Ultimately, this project could pave the way towards better routine monitoring throughout a patient's journey, from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up, as part of standard care.
Dr Viqui Vinader, Head of Research at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, added:
We are proud to provide this funding to Dr McCabe and his team to further support the rEECur clinical trial. This study has the potential to change the way Ewing sarcoma is monitored and brings us one step closer towards personalised, more effective care. Supporting this project with our charity partners represents our continued commitment and we look forward to the results of this critical study.
This project was funded as part of an £800,000 investment into Ewing sarcoma research by the Bone Cancer Research Trust, CCLG: The Children and Young People’s Cancer Association, the Ewing’s Sarcoma Research Trust and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
Learn more about this exciting research below: