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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Ms
Ivy
Wanjiku
+44 20 7317 7544
ivy.wanjiku@nhs.net
Dr
Benjamin
Schreiber
+44 20 7317 7544
benjamin.schreiber@nhs.net
Systemic sclerosis with heart involvement
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.
Scleroderma is a rare disease affecting a few thousand patients in the UK. The cause is not known. Patients develop fibrosis (a kind of scar tissue) in the skin, making it tight and hard. Internal organs are often affected too, including the lungs, kidney and bowel. Scleroderma can affect the heart, which can be mild or severe and devastating. Because this complication is uncommon, little is known about how best to diagnose and treat this condition. Current practice is to use MRI scans and sometimes to take samples (biopsies) of the heart to make a diagnosis of scleroderma heart involvement. Treatment is often with drugs to suppress the immune system. However, it is not known how much inflammation (swelling) there is in the heart in patients with scleroderma or whether the treatment might work to suppress that inflammation. In this study, a type of scan called a PET-CT scan will be performed on patients who we suspect have heart involvement from their scleroderma. This scan is already widely used in patients with cancer and in some other conditions. It involves the injection into a regular vein of sugar with a tracer attached to it, so the scan can track where the sugar is taken up. The aim of this study is to find out if a PET-CT scan is an effective assessment to use in patients thought to have heart involvement from scleroderma.
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:
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
1. Inability to lie flat2. Pregnancy or breastfeeding3. Unwilling to undergo pregnancy test prior to study (in women of child bearing potential)4. Coronary artery disease. This needs to be excluded by CT coronary angiogram, myocardial perfusion scanning, dobutamine stress echocardiogram or conventional coronary angiogram5. Inclusion in a clinical trial involving an investigational medical product in the last 28 days
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
Dr
Benjamin
Schreiber
+44 20 7317 7544
benjamin.schreiber@nhs.net
Ms
Ivy
Wanjiku
+44 20 7317 7544
ivy.wanjiku@nhs.net
The study is sponsored by Royal Free London NHSFoundation Trust and funded by Royal Free Charity.
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
You can print or share the study information with your GP/healthcare provider or contact the research team directly.
