As of this week, we are delighted to announce that 1000 patients have been recruited to the Pearl study from 40 hospital sites across the UK, a great milestone for this study. We’d like to give huge thanks to each hospital site involved in Pearl, your hard work on the study is much appreciated.
The Pearl (Prospective Cohort for Early Detection of Liver cancer) clinical study has been developed to recruit patients with cirrhosis who are known to be at high risk for liver cancer. The Pearl study is a key clinical study in the CRUK funded DeLIVER programme that aims to use new technologies for liver cancer risk prediction and detection. Patients in the Pearl study may have liver cancer caused by hepatitis virus B or C, alcohol or obesity. These participants show a higher risk of developing liver cancer and will be monitored over time to identify the earliest detectable indications of liver cancer and to develop new prediction models for the individual risk of liver cancer development. A proportion of participants have already been diagnosed with liver cancer since enrolment to the study providing invaluable data and samples.
The Cancer Research UK funded DeLIVER programme led by Professor Eleanor Barnes aims to overcome the barriers to the early detection of Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) by characterising the pre-cancerous liver microenvironment and measuring this by applying new methodologies in a range of disciplines. By establishing an internationally renowned research team with expertise in the fields of immunology, imaging, (epi)genomics, biochemistry, oncology and integrative data science, the DeLIVER programme looks to target the early detection of HCC and improve patient survival.
Read more about the DeLIVER programme and the team organising the Pearl clinical study by visiting the DeLIVER website.