Perspectum launches study to improve outcomes for patients with liver cancer

January 14th 2021, Oxford. Perspectum, in collaboration with University of Oxford and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) launch a study to use precision medicine to improve the outcomes for liver cancer patients.

While there have been huge innovations in the understanding of liver and cancer biology, there is still a major unmet need in the translation of these developments in bedside care to improve health outcomes for cancer patients.

This study, in collaboration with leading experts from HHFT, will develop state-of-the-art tools that integrate genetic, radiology and pathology information to improve the diagnosis and characterisation of tumours. This will inform the selection of treatment options, improving patient outcomes and reducing costs for the healthcare system.

A key driver behind this study is to help patients access the most suitable treatment options, based on integrating clinical, radiological and genomic data, in other words making a personalised medicine approach a reality for the care of patients with liver cancer. This integrated approach has already been shown to improve outcomes in breast cancer care.

Mr Myrddin Rees, Consultant General and Hepatobiliary Surgeon at HHFT commented, “We are delighted to be part of this innovative study. Knowing the ‘wellbeing’ of the liver is crucial to enable us to plan liver surgery. Linking that to the genomic make-up of the tumours is likely to guide us to accurately predict which patients will benefit from surgery and how much liver tissue could be removed safely in each patient. This could represent another key step towards personalised care for patients with both primary and secondary cancer in the liver.”

The study is funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, with grant number 50234. Full ethics approval has been granted by the Research Ethics Committee as well as from the Health Research Authority.

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