Clinical Trial: Optical Polyp Testing for In Vivo Classification

Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional




Official Title: Optical Polyp Testing for In Vivo Classification

Brief Summary: Small growths detected in the colon (polyps) during a colonoscopy may or may not have the potential to develop into cancer. However, since visual inspection alone cannot separate all potentially harmful polyps from harmless ones, the standard approach is to remove them all for histological lab examination, exposing patients to risk of injury and putting a significant demand on hospital resources. An accurate method of determining polyp type during endoscopy would enable the clinician to only remove potentially harmful polyps. A new endoscopic optical imaging probe (OPTIC), which analyses how light interacts with tissue, is proposed to do this. The probe is contained within a normal endoscope and uses white light and blue/violet laser light to illuminate the tissue. The reflected and fluorescent light emitted, along with normal colour pictures of the polyp surface, are measured and recorded to quantify specific characteristics of each type. Optical measurements of polyps detected in endoscopy clinics at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust will be analysed to determine if the signal can be used to differentiate different polyp types.