Can a simple blood test predict cancer return? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT02838836
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study collects blood, urine, and bone marrow samples from 620 people with solid cancers like lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer. Researchers will look for tumor cells and DNA in these samples to understand how cancer spreads and why it sometimes comes back after surgery. The goal is to gather knowledge that could lead to more personalized treatments in the future.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to better ways to detect cancer spread early and personalize treatments for solid cancers like lung or colorectal cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial, so it won't directly help participants. Results may not lead to immediate clinical changes.
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 620 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2016
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
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
Subjects with the diagnosis of a solid cancer of all stages will be included (lung, esophageal, stomach, bile duct/pancreas, colorectal, melanoma, sarcoma).
- Ages
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18 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: * Subjects older than 18 years. * Subjects of all genders and ethnicities. * Subjects with the diagnosis of a solid cancer (n=100) of all stages will be included (lung, esophageal, stomach, bile duct/pancreas, colorectal, melanoma, sarcoma). * Ten patients with no present suspicion and no previous history of any cancer (except basal cell cancer of the skin) that undergo surgeries for other benign indications will serve as controls (n=20). * In patients undergoing surgery for cancer the histopathology should preferably be pathologically proven by a previous or novel biopsy. Yet, patients with a high cancer suspicion by radiology and clinical picture that undergo cancer surgery will not be excluded. No additional biopsies, testing or interventions will be performed for the purpose of this study if the medical treatment will not require it. * Subjects must be capable of giving informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women. * Subjects with the concurrent diagnosis of an active secondary (synchronous) malignancy besides basal cell carcinoma of the skin will be excluded, if there is evidence of disease burden or if the patient is currently being treated with chemotherapy. * Subjects with a hemoglobin of \<8g/dl in the morning of the procedure will be excluded. * In subjects who require intraoperative transfusions of \>4 units of red packed blood cells (RPBCs), no further blood will be drawn for CTC/DTC/cfDNA analysis during surgery or on postoperative day 1. * In patients with coagulation disorders that could lead to significant bleeding (such as hemophilia, significant thrombocytopenia) requiring prophylactic administration of coagulative products, no bone marrow aspiration will be performed.
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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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Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, University of Missouri
RECRUITINGColumbia, Missouri, 65212, United States
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