New scan may tell rectal cancer patients if they can skip surgery
NCT ID NCT06608537
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This completed phase 2 study tested whether a new type of PET scan (FAPI-PET/CT) can accurately predict if rectal cancer has completely disappeared after a combination of short-course radiation, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. Fifty-two patients with locally advanced rectal cancer received the treatment and then underwent both standard FDG-PET and FAPI-PET scans before surgery. The goal was to see if the FAPI scan could reliably identify patients who achieved a pathological complete response, potentially allowing them to avoid surgery and preserve their rectum.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- 18F-FAPI-42 radiotracer (for PET/CT imaging)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this imaging method could help doctors accurately identify which rectal cancer patients have a complete response to treatment, allowing more patients to avoid surgery and preserve their rectum.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, single-center phase 2 study with only 52 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. The imaging technique is still experimental and not yet standard practice.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Department of colorectal surgery, the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University
Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510000, China
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