Vellus Hair Loss as a Marker for Peri-ocular Malignancy

January 14, 2026 updated by: NHS Lothian

Skin cancers around the eye are common, but so are other lid lumps. It is useful to be able to tell which lumps are likely to be cancer.

This study looks at whether the loss of fine hairs (vellus hairs) on the skin are a good indicator of whether a lump is a skin cancer or not.

The investigators are recruiting patients who have lid lumps who haven't had a biopsy before, who would be having a biopsy as part of their treatment, and seeing whether those who have loss of the fine skin hairs are the same as those who have skin cancer confirmed on their biopsy.

The study doesn't involve any extra examinations or treatments for participants. The investigators look at the patients before the biopsy as part of their usual care, and take a note of whether or not they have lost the fine hairs at this stage.

The main benefit of participating is that the medical community has better evidence about which lid lumps are likely to represent skin cancer, helping future diagnosis.

There are no additional risks to participating. The risks of biopsy are unchanged whether patients participate in the study or not.

The study is run from the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh.

The investigators aim to start the study in Spring 2020, and will most likely recruit for 6 months depending on the number of participants recruited.

There is no additional funding from any source at present - the work will be undertaken by doctors in their research time.

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
    • Midlothian
      • Edinburgh, Midlothian, United Kingdom, EH3 9HA
        • Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All cases undergoing incision or excision biopsy of peri-ocular lesions at the study institution during the study period

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients undergoing biopsy for peri-ocular lesion

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age under 18; previous biopsy or excision on the same lid

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Case-Only
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Patients undergoing biopsy
Patients undergoing biopsy (incisional or excisional) of peri-ocular lesions. Pre-operative examination for presence or absence of vellus hairs
Diagnostic test: Examination for presence or absence of vellus hairs
Pre-operative examination for presence or absence of vellus hairs

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Vellus hair presence/absence
Time Frame: Day 1
Examination for the presence or absence of vellus hairs prior to biopsy
Day 1
Biopsy result
Time Frame: On receipt of biopsy result from pathology lab (~1 week)
Biopsy result looking for malignancy
On receipt of biopsy result from pathology lab (~1 week)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

NHS Lothian

Collaborators

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Robert G Peden, MA; MBBS; FRCOphth, NHS Lothian

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

March 1, 2020

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2020

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 13, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 18, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

December 26, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

January 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 14, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 229755

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Skin Cancer Face

Clinical Trials on Examination for presence or absence of vellus hairs

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Poland

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe