A study using a PET-CT scan after selective internal radiation therapy for liver cancer
Cancer type:
Status:
Phase:
This study is using a 
after selective internal radiation therapy to find out where in the body the treatment has gone.
It is open to people who have cancer that started in the liver or cancer that has spread to the liver from somewhere else. And are also having selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
More about this trial
Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) uses radiotherapy to control the cancer in your liver. The doctor puts tiny beads into a blood vessel that takes blood into your liver. The beads are called microspheres. These beads get stuck in the small blood vessels in and around the cancer. Then the radiation destroys the cancer cells.
The day after you have SIRT you have a . This is to find out how many of the microspheres went to the liver and also where else they might have gone in the body. In this study researchers are using a PET-CT scan as well as the SPECT-CT scan to see where the microspheres have gone to.
They think that a PET-CT scan might be better than the SPECT-CT scan at doing this. To find this out, they need some people to have both scans after SIRT.
The aim of this study is to see how well PET-CT scan is at finding where the microspheres are in your body.
Please note taking part in the study won’t change your treatment and you will not get any benefit. The information the team learn from this study might help people with liver cancer in the future.
Who can enter
The following bullet points are a summary of the entry conditions for this study. Talk to your doctor or the study team if you are unsure about any of these. They will be able to advise you.
Who can take part
You may be able to join this study if all of the following apply. You:
- have liver cancer or cancer that has spread to the liver
- are due to have selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
- are between 18 and 85 years old
Who can’t take part
You cannot join this study if any of these apply. You:
- are not able to be in small, confined spaces (claustrophobia)
- are not able to lie flat on your back and stay still for 45 minutes while you have the scan
- have other reasons that could affect you taking part such as not being able to have both scans on the same day
- are pregnant
Trial design
The team need 10 people to take part. You have the SPECT-CT scan and PET-CT scan the day after your SIRT.
You have both scans in the same place. You will most likely have the PET-CT scan first. This is followed by the SPECT-CT scan.
Your doctor will review the images on the PET-CT scan and compare them to the SPECT-CT images. They will also do some extra analysis of the scans.
The trial team plan to look at your medical notes after you have had the scans. This is to see if there is a link between the images on the new scan and how well you do in the long term.
Hospital visits
There are no extra visits if you take part. You will be at the hospital for a bit longer because you are having 2 scans.
Side effects
Both the SPECT-CT scan and the PET-CT scan are safe scans and are used routinely. A member of the radiotherapy team is present when doing the scans. You can tell them if you feel uncomfortable during the scans.
We have more information about:
Location
Recruitment start:
Recruitment end:
How to join a clinical trial
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Chief Investigator
Dr Heather Williams
Supported by
Christie Medical Physics and Engineering
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
