Study Participation

Participation Requirements

Participants will be asked to read and sign Informed Consent documents. Participants will be asked to attend follow-up appointments each year for the following two years (in addition to their first visit). The following activities will be completed at each study appointment:

• Fill out a confidential health questionnaire
• Have a blood sample taken

SUMMIT Study participants will receive a £20 shopping voucher to compensate for their time and effort, as well as detailed information about next steps before they leave the clinic.

Study Follow-up

Group B participants will be asked to come back for a follow-up appointment each year for the following two years. They will have a blood sample taken at both follow-up appointments and fill out a confidential health questionnaire. For each annual follow-up visit participants will receive a £20 shopping voucher to compensate for their time and effort.

More Information on Taking Part or Opting Out of Participation

Certain GP practices in London and the surrounding areas are taking part in the SUMMIT Study. Only people registered at these GP practices will be invited. GPs will share the details of those who could take part in the study with researchers at University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH). People aged 55-77 years will be invited by letter to an appointment at which they may be offered the opportunity to join the SUMMIT Study. For some people in this age group, the Study may be offered as part of a Lung Health Check.  If you would prefer not to be invited please click here.

If you are invited to take part in the SUMMIT Study, you will have the chance to discuss the Study with a healthcare practitioner. They will answer any questions you may have. You can choose to take part on the same day, or go home to think about it and take part at a later date. Taking part is completely voluntary. Choosing not to take part will not affect your rights or your medical care now or in the future.

If you choose to join the SUMMIT Study, you will be asked to donate a blood sample, complete a questionnaire, and you will also be offered a scan of your lungs (called a low dose CT, or LDCT, scan). The blood sample is being collected to help develop and evaluate a blood test that may find cancer early. The LDCT scan checks for abnormalities in the lungs and can pick up early signs of lung cancer. You will most likely be asked to return for at least two more visits over the next three years, where you will have a blood sample taken and fill out a questionnaire. If you had a scan at your first visit, you may have further scans at these visits as well.

Staff at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) are organising the SUMMIT Study appointments

For this to happen, the GP practices who are taking part will securely share the names and contact details of people who might be eligible with UCLH staff. The same UCLH staff (known as the SUMMIT Study administrative team) will then send the invitation letters. The letter will invite people for an appointment on their GP’s behalf. UCLH staff will follow strict NHS guidelines for keeping people’s information safe, confidential and secure. This includes complying with information governance frameworks and all relevant data protection laws (e.g., General Data Protection Regulation (EU 2016/679) and UK Data Protection Act 2018. The SUMMIT Study is being carried out by UCLH staff on behalf of researchers at University College London (UCL). Only certain authorised people at UCL and UCLH will have access to data from which you can be identified (for example, your name, address and date of birth). All other organisations involved in the SUMMIT Study other than UCL and UCLH will have access only to pseudonymised data, from which you cannot be personally identified.

Opting out of sharing your details with UCLH for the SUMMIT Study
If you do not want to be invited, there are two different ways to let us know. The way to do this depends on if you have already received an invitation letter:

1. I have already received an invitation letter. If you would like the UCLH staff to delete your contact details, please contact the SUMMIT Study team on uclh.summitstudy@nhs.net and explain that you would like to opt out. This will not affect your medical or legal rights, now or in the future.
2. I have not yet received an invitation letter. If you do not want your GP practice to pass on your contact details to UCLH staff, please contact your GP practice directly. Please note that this is only relevant if your GP practice is in London and the surrounding areas, AND they are taking part in the SUMMIT Study. You can quote the name of this study (“SUMMIT Study”). You can also tell the practice receptionist that you would like to opt-out of having information that could identify you shared with UCLH staff for this purpose. This will not affect your medical or legal rights, now or in the future.

Further information: If you would like more information on the Study in general, please contact the Study team on uclh.summitstudy@nhs.net. You do not have to give your name or details if you only want to discuss the Study.

How will my data be handled?

At all times, we will handle your data confidentially in accordance with applicable UK legal data protection requirements.

If you join the study, you will be assigned a unique study number. This study number will be used instead of your name and will be linked to all of your study data. This is called pseudonymised data. Only certain authorised people at UCL and UCLH will have access to data from which you can be identified (for example, your name, address and date of birth). All other organisations involved in the SUMMIT Study other than UCL and UCLH will have access only to pseudonymised data, from which you cannot be personally identified.