Using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as an Alternative to Exercise Testing to Predict Surgical Fitness for Patients with Oesophageal, Gastric, or Pancreatic Cancer

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to explore a new way to assess if patients are ready for surgery, focusing on those with gastric, oesophageal, or pancreatic cancer. Surgery for these cancers is very demanding, so doctors need reliable methods to predict if a patient can handle the procedure. Currently, fitness is tested using Cardiopulmonary Exercise Tests CPET, which involve cycling with increasing effort to measure oxygen use. However, CPET can be hard for some patients and requires many resources. This study investigates whether Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy MRS of thigh muscle fat levels can serve as an alternative measure of surgical fitness. The study has two phases. In the first phase, 56 patients scheduled for major cancer surgeries will have MRS scans of their thigh muscles along with their usual CPET tests. The MRS scans will be done without delaying their treatment and can be scheduled within two weeks of referral. In the second phase, 25 healthy volunteers will have repeated MRS scans in a single session and again after two weeks to check the consistency of MRS measurements over time. Participants will undergo MRS scans, and for patients also CPET, with no changes to their normal treatment schedule. Researchers will compare the fat levels from MRS scans with CPET results to see if they correlate well. They will also study differences between patients who experience major complications and those who do not, and assess the repeatability of MRS results over short and long periods. The study will last up to two years to collect and analyze these outcomes.

Can Imaging be an Alternative to Exercise Testing as a Predictor of Surgical Fitness?