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Contact Information:

Miss Hannah Johnson
+44 203 4376712
WISER-icrctsu@icr.ac.uk


More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.

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Be Part of Research - Trial Details - Using software to measure bone disease on imaging for patients with prostate cancer

Using software to measure bone disease on imaging for patients with prostate cancer

Recruiting

Open to: Male

Age: Adult

Medical Conditions

Prostate cancer


This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.


In advanced prostate cancer, the spread of cancer to bones is common. Currently the most widely used scans to find out if cancer has spread to the bones are bone scans and computed tomography (CT). These scans are also used to find out how well treatment for advanced prostate cancer is working.
Recent research has shown that a different type of scan, called whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be better at showing cancer in the bones and how well a treatment is working. Whole-body MRI involves a special type of MRI scan, called diffusion-weighted imaging, which provides a measurement of how much bone disease there is in the whole skeleton and more information about what is going on in the cancer cells. This more detailed information cannot be obtained using a CT scan or bone scan. It has been shown that it may be possible to assess whether treatment is working more quickly using whole-body MRI compared to bone scans and CT scans. The information from the whole-body MRI, along with other clinical assessments, may help doctors decide whether the treatment is working sooner and change it if it is not working. This will help avoid patients remaining on a treatment that is not right for them.
As the whole-body MRI scan provides detailed information about the cancer in the bones it can take a long time for the radiologist to review and analyse the scan. As part of this study we are also assessing an approved imaging software for whole-body MRI. This software is used to automatically identify and measures bone disease on the whole-body MRI and produce a summary report of the scan results. This software will reduce the amount of time it takes to analyse the whole-body MRI scan. The summary report may also help the oncology doctors when they review the scan results in clinic.
The aim of this study is to assess the performance of whole-body MRI, with the software, to measure how well treatment is working. This study will also evaluate the whole-body MRI software is for the doctors when they assess the scans and make decisions about treatment.

Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.  

The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:

01 Sep 2023 01 Sep 2026

The patient will already have had scans to assess your cancer as part of routine care. A decision has been made that the patient will soon start a different treatment. The planned treatment will not change if the patient takes part in this study.
After consent is given, the patient will have a whole-body MRI scan before starting treatment and again, between 8 and 12 weeks after starting treatment. Apart from these scans, all other clinical assessments such as bloods tests, will be performed as part of routine care and will not change as a result of taking part in this study.
Patients who have already had a whole-body MRI scan as part of routine care within 6 weeks of the planned date for starting treatment, will not need to be repeated as part of the study and may be invited to take part in the study after starting treatment but before first follow-up scan. If so, and once consent has been given, these patients will then have one further whole-body MRI scan as part of the study, between 8 and 12 weeks after starting treatment.
Information will be collected from the patient's hospital on how they are doing are doing on one further occasion, once all participants have been recruited to the trial and completed the scans. This will not require an extra visit to the hospital for this as the information we collect as part of the study will already be available within medical records.


This study is for people over the age of 18 who have been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that has spread to the bones and who will shortly be starting a different treatment.

You can take part if:


Current inclusion criteria as of 30/06/2025:

1. Age ≥ 18 years.
2. Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with bone-predominant disease confirmed on bone scan, CT, or limited (pelvic) MRI performed within 8 weeks prior to trial entry (bone-predominant disease confirmed on the CT component of PET-CT is permissible).
Or for patients who have already had a WBMRI performed within 6 weeks of starting therapy and are to be enrolled onto the trial after they have started treatment: bone -predominant disease confirmed on bone scan, CT, or limited (pelvic) MRI performed within 8 weeks prior to start of treatment (bone-predominant disease confirmed on the CT component of PET-CT is permissible).
2.3. Systemic therapy (any line) clinically indicated and planned (or already started*) for treatment of disease progression, as defined and confirmed locally with potential definitions including but not limited to:
• Progression on bone scan: ≥ 2 new documented bone lesions over the previous 6 months
• AND/OR increasing PSA level: 2 consecutive increases in PSA level documented over a previous reference value obtained at least one week apart. If the third PSA value is less than the second, an additional fourth test to confirm the rising PSA is required.
3.4. Willing and able to comply with the protocol defined imaging assessments.
4.5. Fully informed about the study and provided written informed consent.

* For patient who have already had a WBMRI as part of their routine care within 6 weeks of starting therapy and are to be enrolled into the trial after they have started treatment prior to the protocol


You may not be able to take part if:


1. Unsuitable for WBMRI (patient refusal and/or contraindicated)2. Patients with RECIST-measurable disease3. Any radiotherapy within 8 weeks prior to trial entry (chemotherapy or other anti-cancer therapy are permissible).


Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.

  • The Royal Marsden Hospital (surrey)
    Downs Road
    Sutton
    SM2 5PT

Benefits-
All patients in the study will have a whole-body MRI scan to find out how well treatment is working, and these types of scans are already widely used to diagnose and monitor patients with cancer. The information we get from this study will help us assess whole-body MRI, and software, for measuring how well treatment is working in patients with advanced prostate cancer involving the bones. Although patients may not directly benefit by taking part in the study, it will help to answer important questions, and will improve how we assess response to treatment in men with advanced prostate cancer in the future.
Patients will need to visit the hospital to have a whole-body scan prior to starting treatment (unless have had a recent whole-body MRI scan as part of routine care). The number of hospital visits after this will be the same whether or not patients participate in the study.
Whole-body MRI is a safe and painless procedure and is not associated with any ionising radiation exposure. There is no evidence that the magnetic fields and radio waves used during MRI scans cause any harm to the body. Although there is no radiation exposure with MRI scans, the procedure involves patients keeping still whilst on the scanner table for the duration of the scan. Patients will be made as comfortable as possible before you start but it is noisy and you will be in a narrow tunnel. During the whole-body MRI scan patients may feel the scanner table vibrate. This is normal and expected. Some patients may feel claustrophobic and may experience discomfort related to lying still in an enclosed space for a prolonged period while the scan is being taken. The radiographer performing the scans will ensure patients are as comfortable as possible before starting the scan.

Miss Hannah Johnson
+44 203 4376712
WISER-icrctsu@icr.ac.uk



More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.


The study is sponsored by Institute of Cancer Research and funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research.





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Read full details for Trial ID: ISRCTN54072577

Or CPMS 55351

Last updated 30 June 2025

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