
"I was delighted to take part in a clinical trial as it has the potential to really help others in the future.”
Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.
This study is in two parts. The researchers are trying to find out if MRI scans can help doctors to work out what small areas of abnormal tissue in the lungs are. They also want to see if MRI scans can show whether or not sarcoma has spread to the lungs.
This study includes children, young people and adults. We use the term ‘you’ in the summary, but of course if you are a parent, we are referring to your child.
The sarcoma study
All cancers can spread to another part of the body. If you are diagnosed with sarcoma, you usually have a CT scan of your chest to check whether it has spread to your lungs.
You are also likely to have more CT scans during and after your treatment. And each time you have a CT scan, you are exposed to a small amount of radiation.
Researchers want to find out if they can use MRI scans instead of CT scans to see if sarcoma has spread to the lungs. The children and young people taking part in this study will have an extra MRI scan each time they have a CT scan.
The adult lung nodules study
The study is also looking at using MRI scans in adults who may have lung cancer. Tests such as X-ray or CT scan can show small areas of abnormal tissue in the lungs, called nodules. But a single test may not tell doctors if the nodule is cancer or not. You often need to have several tests over 1 or 2 years to make a decision on whether the nodule could be cancer. The researchers hope that new types of MRI scans may be able to do this with a single scan.
The adults taking part in this study will have different types of MRI scans to see which gives the best images and is also best at evaluating the nature of any nodules. This part of the study will recruit a few people who have no lung problems, as well as people who are known to have lung nodules.
Overall, the aims of the two parts of this study are to
You may be able to enter the part of the study using MRI scans to look at lung nodules if you
This part of the study will also recruit some healthy volunteers who don’t have any lung problems.
You may be able to enter the part of the study using MRI scans to look for sarcoma in the lungs if you
You can’t join any part of the study if you
This is a pilot study that will recruit different groups of people. In total, the adult part of the study aims to recruit 65 people who have known lung nodules as well as 30 healthy volunteers.
If you have a CT scan of your chest at University College Hospital London, the researchers may send you a letter inviting you to take part. The letter will contain information about the study. About a week after you receive the information, one of the research team will phone you to see if you are interested in joining the study. They will also answer any questions you might have. If you agree to take part, you go to University College Hospital London to have an MRI scan (or a number of MRI scans). Having the scans will take up to an hour and a half.
The study will also recruit 30 children and young people who have (or may have) sarcoma. If you join this part of the study, you have an MRI scan each time you have a CT scan. You have scans 3 or 4 times during your treatment. Each MRI scan will take about 30 minutes.
Depending on which part of the study you join, you have between 1 and 4 extra hospital visits to have MRI scans.
An MRI scan is a safe test. There shouldn’t be any side effects.
We have more information about MRI scans.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Shonit Punwani
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
Royal College of Radiologists
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"I was delighted to take part in a clinical trial as it has the potential to really help others in the future.”