Comparing imaging techniques to diagnose lung cancer – looking for advisors
Are you interested in helping research to improve accuracy in earlier diagnosis of lung cancer from different imaging types?
We’re looking for people who’ve had imaging for suspected lung cancer whether or not they’ve gone on to be diagnosed, as well as those who’ve been diagnosed and treated.
What is it for?
A group led by the University of Oxford is planning a research study exploring whether a CT scan can diagnose lung cancer earlier than the chest x-ray currently performed when lung cancer is suspected. As part of this research, the team is inviting people to join a patient and public involvement (PPI) advisory group.
What is the purpose of the PPI advisory group?
The group’s purpose is to ensure the experiences and views of those referred for chest imaging for suspected lung cancer, and those diagnosed with lung cancer or their family members/carers are taken into account when planning and delivering this study.
What would PPI advisory group members be expected to do?
PPI Group members will be asked to attend up to 3 workshops, review documents being designed for study participants, join a study steering committee and help share the final study results. You can choose to take part in all or some of these activities.
Timeline/tenure
The first workshop is expected to be held in June/July 2023 during the preparation of the final funding application to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
If funded, the study will start early 2024 and there will be an opportunity to continue participation in the PPI advisory group at that point.
Remuneration
You will receive payment for any time spent in these activities and travel expenses for any face to face meetings, although most of the work will be completed remotely.
If you are interested and would like more information please contact dart@oncology.ox.ac.uk
CanPredict: Lung cancer risk prediction
A team of researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Nottingham have developed a new tool, called ‘CanPredict’, able to identify the people most at risk of developing lung cancer over the next 10 years, and put them forward for screening tests earlier, saving time, money and, most importantly, lives.
The ‘CanPredict’ tool has used anonymised health records of over 19 million adults from across the UK, and has the potential substantially to reduce the burden on NHS staff, saving time, money and streamlining the administrative process for better patient experience.
DART researcher, Dr Weiqi Liao, lead author on the publication and a data scientist in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, said: ‘Our tool, CanPredict, works by examining existing patient health records, so it could be run on a per GP surgery basis or nationally, automatically and objectively prioritising patients and alerting their GPs that they might benefit from further screening.
‘Because of this, CanPredict has the potential to substantially reduce the burden on NHS staff, saving time, money and streamlining the administrative process for better patient experience.’
Read the full University of Oxford press release here and the article here.
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Brompton & Harefield Clinical Group, Part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
We have received:
92,454 clinical records
902 CTs
81 patient’s pathology slides which have been scanned
SCOOT, DART’s companion project, has collected 94 blood samples.
Have your say
The DART project is about using data to better predict lung cancer so it can be treated earlier.
The project invites those in any way affected by lung cancer or lung cancer screening to advise us on the best ways to tell those attending lung cancer screening how their data is being used. We are planning to hold an advisory focus group by video conference on Wednesday 23rd November and invite those whose lives have been affected in any way by lung cancer to join us. Your input will make a valuable contribution to the project by ensuring we are clear about what data is collected and how it is used. If you are interested, please email DART Lung Health Project dart@oncology.ox.ac.uk.
The NHS Lung Health Check is a service that is running in some parts of England. It aims to help diagnose lung cancer at an earlier stage when treatment may be more successful.
People are invited for a lung health check if they:
are aged between 55 and 75
are registered with a GP
have ever smoked
live in an area where the checks are being done
Those at a higher risk of lung cancer have a CT scan. If the scan shows any abnormal areas (nodules), there may be further scans, tissue samples or surgery. This is to check if the area is cancer or not. In most cases it isn’t but in a small number of people it is.
DART researchers want to use information from scans and other test to further improve the early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, leading to better survival rates.
This study is collecting and using data (clinical records and copies of scans and biopsy/resection slides) from over 500,000 participants in these lung health checks. We ask you to advise us on how you feel about DART collecting data after patient treatment and without direct consent, if the documents provided to patients make it clear enough how to request not to be included in the study and how you feel about commercial companies using the data to develop methods to improve recognition of lung diseases. Copies of the documents will be circulated to those interested before the meeting.
National lung cancer screening
The UK National Screening Committee has today recommended the introduction of targeted lung cancer screening.
Targeted screening for lung cancer is recommended for people aged 55 to 74 identified as being at high risk of lung cancer. Evidence shows that screening with low-dose computed tomography:
reduces lung cancer mortality
is acceptable to patients and professionals if adequately resourced and quality assured
DART has been working with NHSE sites which have piloted Targeted Lung Health Checks. Their success has led to this extension of the programme to all the four UK nations. As one example, the Doncaster programme has been operational since mid-March 2021 and in the first year 11,857 lung health check calls and more than 5,000 initial scans have taken place; 50 previously unknown lung cancers have been found, 73% of which were early-stage lung cancers. Seven other cancers have also been confirmed and 41 patients (75%) have been given life-saving cancer treatment so far.
DART will be working with lung health check sites to collect and use data to develop artificial intelligence methods to further improve early detection and thus lead to earlier and more successful treatment.
Read the UK NSC announcement here and the response from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation here.
Presentation at OxCODE Symposium
Dr Weiqi Liao presented a Lightning Talk at the OxCODE (Oxford Centre for Early Cancer Detection) symposium 2022 on Tuesday 13th September 2022 at Worcester College. His talk was entitled “Predicting the future risk of lung cancer: Development and validation of QCancer2 (10-year risk) lung model and evaluating the performance of nine prediction models”
On World Cancer Day 2022, read how Optellum is working to change the survival rates for lung cancer with an innovative AI platform.
DART is pleased to be partnering with Optellum and others to build and strengthen Artificial Intelligence algorithms for the early diagnosis of lung cancer and other lung conditions. Here Optellum describe their efforts to redefine early intervention of diseases like lung cancer, by enabling every clinician, in every hospital, to make the right decisions and give their patients the best chance to fight back.
Data collection has begun
Congratulations to those sites which have been able to begin data transfer to DART. We have received over 38,000 records already and look forward to more sites being able to contribute shortly.
DART scientists will use the data gathered by the Targeted Lung Health Checks during patient screening and care to develop:
Enhanced information about patient outcomes
New digital pathology AI and AI derived radiomics for diagnosis and stratification of patients
Algorithms to better evaluate risks from comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
New insights about the right at-risk individuals to be selected for screening, using linked data from primary care
Collectively this will define a new set of standards for lung cancer screening, to increase the number of lung cancers diagnosed earlier, and therefore treated more successfully and with fewer invasive clinical procedures.
Data collected includes:
Clinical data
CT scans (LDCT and PET-CT) and
Digitised images of stained tissue sections (digital pathology)
Portsmouth encourages participation in Lung Health Checks
People over 55 but younger than 75 who have ever smoked are being offered a free lung health check. See a video here or read NHS news items here and here.
This is part of an expanding lung cancer screening programme.
Celebrate Doncaster LHC’s success
The Doncaster programme has been operational since mid-March 2021 and in the first year 11,857 lung health check calls and more than 5,000 initial scans have taken place; 50 lung cancers have been found, 73% of which were early-stage lung cancers. Seven other cancers have also been confirmed and 41 patients (75%) have been given life-saving cancer treatment so far.
Read more about this pioneering lung screening trial that is saving lives in Doncaster here