Measurement of the Folate Receptor in Blood
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Enrollment
- 7
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- To measure the levels of folate receptor in blood samples obtained from patients with ovarian cancer and from healthy volunteers
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The folate receptor (FR) is a cell marker that is over expressed on the cell surface of certain cancers, this occurs most frequently in ovarian cancers. Some normal tissues also express the FR, however in these normal tissues the FR is usually located on the tissue surface that is inaccessible to circulating drugs. As such, drugs which target the FR may potentially be used to achieve anti-tumour efficacy whilst reducing toxicity to normal tissues. Therefore the ability to measure FR levels from different cancer types may help to select patients who are most likely to benefit from treatment with FR targeted therapies. One such drug BGC 945 is currently being tested in preclinical study at The Institute of Cancer Research
Detailed Description
A method has been developed in the laboratory which has been able to measure FR obtained from cancer cells in culture that has been added into blood. We would like to study if this method can measure FR in plasma and serum obtained from patients with ovarian cancer. We would also like to analyse plasma and serum samples obtained from healthy volunteers to determine if they have any appreciable levels of FR, which can then be compared to the measurements obtained from cancer patients.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Observational
- Observational Model
- Cohort
- Time Perspective
- Prospective
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- Female
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Patients with stage III/IV ovarian cancer
- •healthy volunteers who are staff at the ICR and RMH
Exclusion Criteria
- •patients or healthy volunteers who are unable to give informed consent
- •pregnancy
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
To measure the levels of folate receptor in blood samples obtained from patients with ovarian cancer and from healthy volunteers
Time Frame: 1 year
Secondary Outcomes
No secondary outcomes reported