Metabolic MRI may reveal hidden cancer responses and spare patients from surgery
NCT ID NCT07730541
First seen Jul 28, 2026 · Last updated Jul 29, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether a new type of MRI, called hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI, can better predict how rectal cancer responds to chemoradiotherapy. By tracking how cancer cells use energy, along with blood and tissue analysis, researchers hope to identify complete tumor responses that standard scans might miss. The study involves 30 adults with rectal cancer who will undergo imaging before and after treatment. If the approach works, it could help doctors decide who can safely avoid surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate injection for metabolic MRI
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this imaging approach could help doctors predict which rectal cancer patients respond completely to chemoradiotherapy, potentially sparing them from unnecessary surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to all patients. The technique is complex and not yet widely available.
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.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2028
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.
Who is studied
The study population consists of patients with rectal cancer who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) at a single center. Eligible participants are adults diagnosed with rectal cancer and treated with nCRT prior to surgery.
- Ages
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20 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: 1. Patients with biopsy proved rectal adenocarcinoma. 2. Patents will undergo neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (nCRT). 3. Patients more than 20-year-old. Exclusion Criteria: 2\. Contraindication to MRI study (e.g., claustrophobia or non-removable devices or implants that are incompatible with MRI). 3. Intercurrent illness that will affect the compliance of the patient during the MRI study (e.g., active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, uncontrollable angina, arrhythmia, psychiatric disorders, dyspnea, or diarrhea). 4. Severe hepatic dysfunction (alkaline phosphatase/aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase \>20 × upper limit of normal \[ULN\] or bilirubin \> 10 × ULN). 5. Severe renal impairment (eGFR \<30 ml/min/1.73m2).
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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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Chang Gung Memorial hospital
RECRUITINGTaoyuan, 333, Taiwan
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Blood test aims to catch Cancer's return earlier
- Blood test guides immunotherapy for hidden cancer cells
- Can Pre-Surgery radiation stop rectal cancer from returning?
- Can a counseling program restore intimacy after rectal cancer?