An observational study in osteosarcoma has opened to recruitment in the UK. The ICONIC study is run by the CR UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre.
Osteosarcoma is a rare disease, affecting around 130 people each year in England. It is most common in those aged under 30 or over 60, with past research focusing on the younger age group.
The ICONIC study will collect information and samples from at least 160 osteosarcoma patients over the next 4 years. The samples, data and images gathered will allow researchers to study genetic causes of the disease and to identify possible targets for treatment among the patient group. The study is also intended to augment existing collaborations, such as the
100,000 Genomes Project.
Chief Investigator Dr Sandra Strauss says: ‘The current treatments available to patients are very intensive and difficult to tolerate, involving life-changing surgery and incredibly tough chemotherapy regimens, based on old drugs which were developed decades ago. But there is simply nothing else on offer.
‘Osteosarcoma is a long way behind other cancers in terms of new treatments and improvement in survival because this is such a rare tumour and the biology is poorly understood. For these reasons, we desperately need more data. This project may not find all the answers, but it’s a major step that will take us some of the way.
‘A main focus of ICONIC is to gather clinical data and blood samples longitudinally from all newly diagnosed patients across the UK – a resource that will inform on clinical outcome, which has been lacking to date.’