Could a simple scan reveal the most dangerous form of colon cancer?
NCT ID NCT06191120
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a new type of PET/CT scan that uses a radioactive tracer called FAPI to detect an aggressive form of colorectal cancer known as CMS4. The CMS4 subtype is linked to worse outcomes and may not respond well to standard chemotherapy. Researchers will scan 45 patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, then compare scan results with tissue samples to see if the scan can accurately identify CMS4. If it works, this imaging method could help doctors personalize treatment without needing multiple biopsies.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- [18F]-ALF-FAPI-74 (a radioactive tracer for PET/CT scans)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this scan could provide a non-invasive way to identify the aggressive CMS4 colorectal cancer subtype, helping doctors choose more effective treatments for each patient.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-phase study with only 45 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. The scan's accuracy in detecting CMS4 is still unproven, and it is not yet a standard diagnostic tool.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 45 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2031
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years. * Candidates for liver metastatectomy at the time of liver metastasis diagnosis as clinically indicated in the tumor board (RAKU). * Patients must have given written informed consent. * At least one liver metastasis should have a longest diameter of a least 1.5 cm as measured on routinely performed imaging (e.g. magnetic resonance imaging, CT-scan or ultrasound). This minimum diameter will guarantee sufficient tissue material for analysis and will prevent underestimation of \[18F\]-ALF-FAPI-74 uptake due to partial volume effects. * CRC patients who received prior treatment before clinical indication for surgical liver metastases resection (both synchronous and metachronous patients, as well as a re-resection of liver metastatic disease) are allowed to enter the study. This is because our prime interest is in the relation between FAPI uptake and the presence of CMS4 at the same point in time, which will likely not be biased by earlier therapies. * It is allowed for patients to receive concurrent radiofrequency ablation or other local treatments directed to other metastatic disease locations, if at least one liver metastasis of sufficient size is planned to be surgically removed and therefore available for tissue analysis. * It is allowed for patients to be treated with pre-surgical radiotherapy directed to the primary tumor (e.g. in rectal cancer patients). Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy. * Patients treated with a pre-surgical chemotherapy regimen that does not include a fluoropyrimidine.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Medical Center Utrecht
RECRUITINGUtrecht, Utrecht, 3584 CX, Netherlands
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- Can a targeted drug conjugate outsmart advanced colorectal cancer?
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