Supported by the European Commission´s 7th Framework Programme of Research and Development, and coordinated by Catharine West, University of Manchester, UK, REQUITE, a five-year multi-center study, will develop validated clinical models and incorporate biomarkers to identify cancer patients at risk of side-effects of radiation prior to treatment. These models will also be used to design interventional trials to reduce adverse effects and improve quality-of-life in cancer survivors who have undergone radiotherapy.
Importantly, according to current statistics, out of the 17.8 million people living in the European Union with a diagnosis of cancer, seven million may receive radiotherapy. REQUITE´s efforts aimed at improved anti-cancer strategies and tailored treatments could spare countless individuals from the worse, most unpleasant side effects of radiation.
Organized into six distinct work packages, VHIO´s involvement in REQUITE will concentrate on the following two areas: a multi-centre, longitudinal, observational study to collect standardized data and samples in cancer patients, and secondly, the replication of clinical models and incorporation of biomarkers to create validated predictive algorithms.
VHIO´s contribution, in collaboration with Meritxell Mollá and Alejandro Seoane, from the Vall d´Hebron University Hospital´s Radiation Oncology and Physics Departments respectively, will be headed by Sara Gutiérrez, Staff Scientist of VHIO´s Oncogenetics Group led by Principal Investigator, Orland Díez, who is also participating as researcher in the project.
With patient recruitment envisaged to begin in April this year, VHIO and the Vall d´Hebron University Hospital will seek to enroll a total of 180 breast cancer patients in the study over the next two years. Multi-center patient accrual from the participating institutes will collectively total at 5,300 across three tumor types – breast, prostate and lung.
To find out more about REQUITE please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/research/health/medical-research/cancer/fp7-projects/requite_en.html
