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FUTURE-GB

  • Prof Natalie Voets
    Two images, one an axial MRI slice with colourful DTI imaging superimposed, showing an example tumour in red, and other nerve tracts in blue, yellow, green and purple. The second image is a conronal MRI slice with superimposed colourful DTI, showing nerve tracts which has also had navigated ultrasound fused, showing how the brain appears through ultrasound imaging, including the DTI colours
    DTI image with tumour (red) and DTI image fused with ultrasound scan

Functional and Ultrasound Guided Resection of Glioblastoma -Ā  FUTURE-GB

Stage 2 is OPEN to recruitment!

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common primary brain tumour and is incurable. It grows very quickly from the brain tissue itself, rather than from a cancer elsewhere in the body. It is expected that the number of people with a brain tumour will rise by 6% in the UK between 2014 and 2035.Ā However, prognosis (outcome) remains extremely poor, with most people surviving just over 12 months, and as a patient’s tumour grows patients experience a reduction (decline) in their quality of life.Ā  Therefore, we need to ensure quality of life, which remains difficult. The main treatments for GB are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, given in combination.

For patients where it is thought that surgery will benefit, a surgeon often removes as much tumour as possible, whilst limiting the risk of causing damage, such as weakness, speech, or cognitive difficulties. However, which technology a surgeon should use during surgery to remove the tumour safely is unclear. This can affect how soon the cancer returns, what effects of surgery or symptoms a patient develops, and how a patient feels.

High frequency sound waves that create an image, called Ultrasound (US), is one of the tools a surgeon can use during the operation to find the tumour and see how much is removed. Another technology, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), allows important nerve pathways involved in certain functions, for example, speech/language, vision and movement, to be avoided in surgery.

This trial aims to see if GB surgery with these extra technologies (tools) added to the standard ones, increases a patient’s good functioning quality of life, so-called Deterioration Free Survival (DFS).

Taking Part
Surgeons walking
Photo by Luis Melendez on Unsplash

Patients

We are looking to enrol 357 men and women aged 18 - 70 from over 15 neurosurgical centres in the UK.

Participants will have surgery in their local neurosurgical unit, which is participating in this study. Half of the people taking part in the study will have standard NHS imaging (scans), and the other half will have standard NHS imaging (scans) and some additional imaging (scans).

To find out more about the trial andĀ what would be involved if you chose to take part, including the potential benefits and risks, visit Cancer Research UK.

If you would like more information relating to brain tumours or need any support please visit Brainstrust.

Ā 

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FUTURE-GB Site Resources
Sagittal image of a head, showing blue and green nerve tracts from a DTI scan
Prof Natalie Voets

Quick links for site resources and guides:

REDCap

Quentry

SIMS Stage 1

SIMS Stage 2

Clinicians

If your hospital isĀ interested in being a trial site forĀ FUTURE-GB, you can read and download our prospective site summary here.

Click here to view our past webinars

FUTURE-GB Stage 2 is recruiting!

We are actively recruiting to our RCT (Stage 2) in:

  • Oxford,
  • Liverpool,
  • Bristol,
  • King's College, London,
  • Imperial CollegeĀ London,
  • Cardiff,
  • Nottingham,
  • Southampton,
  • Leeds,
  • Royal London Hospital,
  • Royal Stoke University Hospital,
  • Middlesbrough,
  • Plymouth,
  • Dundee,
  • Hull,
  • Cambridge

Our Stage 1 sites will be joining shortly!

See below for the latest participant recruitment date andĀ site.

Recruitment Progress:

357
365

Date of latest recruit:

25 April, 2025

Site of latest recruit:

FUTURE-GB : John Radcliffe Hospital
  • SITU logo
  • NDS logo
  • Future gb logo
  • Imperial college logo
  • Oxford university logo
FUNDER & SPONSOR

FUTURE-GB is sponsored by the
University of Oxford

FUTURE-GB is funded by the NIHRĀ Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme

FUTURE-GB is adminstered by theĀ Surgical Intervention Trials Unit (SITU)Ā on behalf of Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences

APPROVAL REFERENCES

REC Reference:Ā 20/LO/0840

IRAS: 264482

ISRCTN: 38834571

NIHR: 127930

CONTACT FUTURE-GB

futuregb@nds.ox.ac.uk

c/o SITU
Botnar Research Centre
Windmill Road
Headington
Oxford,Ā OX3 7LD

Chief Investigator: Puneet Plaha
Puneet.Plaha@ouh.nhs.uk