Could skipping opioids during surgery help fight colorectal cancer?
NCT ID NCT07264556
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study compares three types of anesthesia during colorectal cancer surgery: opioid-based, opioid-sparing, and opioid-free. Researchers will measure immune markers called NETs in the blood and test how the blood affects cancer cells in the lab. The goal is to see if avoiding opioids might reduce cancer spread and improve recovery. 90 adults undergoing elective surgery are being recruited.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- opioid-free anesthesia (esketamine, lidocaine, dexmedetomidine) and opioid-sparing anesthesia (oxycodone, TAP block) compared to standard opioid-based anesthesia
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that using less or no opioids during surgery might reduce cancer spread risk and improve recovery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (90 people) looking at blood markers, not long-term outcomes. The results may not change practice or apply to all patients.
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 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2025
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 to 80 years
- 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * aged 18-80 years old, * American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-III, * elective colorectal cancer surgery under general anesthesia Exclusion Criteria: * previous history of colorectal surgery, * addicted to opioids, * serious major mental or physical illness (heart, pulmonary, hepatic, or renal diseases), * radiotherapy or chemotherapy history within 8 weeks prior to the surgery, * contraindications to anesthetic agents or epidural.
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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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Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
RECRUITINGShanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200032, China
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