ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT01915225Updated Oct 29, 2026

Obtaining Solid Tumor Tissue From People Having Biopsy or Surgery for Certain Types of Cancer

An observational study in Colorectal Neoplasms, Gastric Neoplasms and Cholangiocarcinoma, sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI). Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 2 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-29.

Sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI) · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jul 2013; still recruiting 13 years 3 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
1,800
Ages
2 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Background:

- Recent advances in cancer research have led to new therapies to treat the disease. It is important to continue these advances and discover new ones. To do that, researchers need tissue samples from solid tumors. This study will collect such samples from people already scheduled to have a procedure at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (NIHCC).

Objectives:

- To collect tissue samples for use in studying new ways to treat tumors.

Eligibility:

  • Adults 18 years and older, with a precancerous or cancerous solid tumor who are scheduled to have surgery or a biopsy at the NIHCC.
  • Children under the age of 18 but who are older than 2 years of age are eligible to be enrolled on the research sample collection portion of this study if they will have a biopsy or surgery as part of their medical care.

Design:

  • Before their procedure, participants will have a small blood sample taken.
  • Some participants will undergo leukapheresis. In this procedure, blood is removed through a tube in one arm and circulated through a machine that removes white blood cells. The blood, minus the white blood cells, is returned through a tube in the other arm. The procedure takes 3-4 hours.
  • For all participants, during the surgery or biopsy, pieces of the tumor and pieces of normal tissue near it will be removed for this study. The rest of the tumor or precancerous growth will be sent to a lab for analysis.
  • Participants will return to the clinic about 6 weeks after the operation for a routine checkup. Some may have to return for additional follow-up.
Read the detailed description

Background:

Recent advances and insights into the molecular pathogenesis of cancer have led to the development of novel molecular and biologic targeted therapies for the treatment of advanced cancer patients. A critical challenge in extending these studies involves the identification and validation of new therapeutic targets for future cancer therapies.

As Surgical Oncologists at the NCI, we have an interest in identifying novel molecular and biologic targets to facilitate the development of future cancer therapies. In addition, we have the primary responsibility for providing surgical consultative services to the NIH. As such, we are uniquely positioned to acquire and perform important studies on solid tumor tissue to help identify therapeutic targets that may have significant clinical ramifications.

Objective:

To collect biologic samples from participants undergoing diagnostic, preventative, or therapeutic interventions for premalignant, primary or metastatic solid tumors for the purpose of identifying novel molecular and biologic therapeutic targets.

Eligibility:

Participants age >= 2 years and older with radiographic or clinical suspicion of, genetic predisposition for, biochemical evidence of, or histologically/cytologically proven solid neoplasms who require diagnostic, preventative, or therapeutic intervention as a part of the diagnosis and/or treatment and/or follow up for their neoplasm. Note: Participants >= 2 years of age and under 18 years of age may only participate in research sample collection if the tissue acquisition is performed during a clinically indicated surgical procedure, and the biospecimen sampling (resected tumor tissue, blood, urine, ascites, or bile) does not add risk to the clinically indicated procedures.

Participants without solid tumors in whom a diagnostic, preventative, or therapeutic intervention is being performed, but for whom surgical quality and safety outcomes data are generated.

Participants should have laboratory and physical examination parameters within acceptable limits by standard of practice guidelines prior to planned intervention.

Design:

A tissue acquisition trial in which tissues will be obtained at the time of intervention.

No investigational therapy will be given.

It is anticipated that 1,764 participants will be followed on this study.

02

Conditions studied

  • Colorectal Neoplasms
  • Gastric Neoplasms
  • Cholangiocarcinoma
  • Bile Duct Cancer
  • Pancreas Cancer

Keywords

  • Tissue Procurement
  • Surgery
  • Metastasectomy
  • Natural History
03

In context

Colorectal Neoplasms

6,541 studies on the registry are indexed under Colorectal Neoplasms; 1,667 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 1,800 is above the median of 250 across 1,440 observational studies indexed under Colorectal Neoplasms.

Browse Colorectal Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the lead sponsor of 3,556 studies on the registry; 336 are open to participants now.

Of its 411 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 373 (91%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

primary clinical

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Participants must be 2 years of age or older. Note: Participants greater than or equal to 2 and \< 18 years of age may only participate in research sample collection if the tissue acquisition is performed during a clinically indicated surgical procedure, and the biospecimen sampling (e.g., blood, urine, ascites, bile, or [clinically indicated] resected tumor tissue) does not add risk to the clinically indicated procedures.
  • Participants who have premalignant, primary, or solid tumors based upon either radiographic or clinical suspicion, biochemical testing, a genetic predisposition, or histological/cytological analysis that requires surgery or as part of the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and/or follow-up.
  • Participants without solid tumors in whom a diagnostic, preventative, or therapeutic intervention is being performed, but for whom surgical quality and safety outcomes data are generated.
  • Participants should have laboratory and physical examination parameters within acceptable limits prior to biopsy or surgery.
  • Participants must be planning to undergo surgery or biopsy as part of their normal treatment plan.
  • Ability of participant, parent/guardian or legally authorized representative (LAR) to understand and the willingness to sign a written document.

Exclusion criteria

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

None.

Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Metastases

Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
1,800 participants (estimated)

Groups and cohorts

  • 1/ Cohort 1

    Participants with or without solid tumors in whom diagnostic, preventative, or therapeutic intervention is being performed

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Collection of biologic samples from participants undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic interventions for premalignant, primary or metastatic solid tumors for the purpose of identifying novel molecular and biologic therapeutic targets

    Identification of novel molecular and biologic therapeutic targets

    Time frame: 2 month

Secondary outcomes

  1. Collection of detailed history, demographic, treatment data, and perioperative outcomes data related to surgical quality and safety in order to categorize and track the specific procedures.

    Detailed history, demographic, treatment data, and perioperative outcomes data related to surgical quality and safety in order to categorize and track the specific procedures.

    Time frame: 10 years

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
    Recruiting
    • For more information at the NIH Clinical Center contact Office of Patient Recruitment (OPR) · Contactccopr@nih.gov · 800-411-1222
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Gerlinger M, Rowan AJ, Horswell S, Math M, Larkin J, Endesfelder D, Gronroos E, Martinez P, Matthews N, Stewart A, Tarpey P, Varela I, Phillimore B, Begum S, McDonald NQ, Butler A, Jones D, Raine K, Latimer C, Santos CR, Nohadani M, Eklund AC, Spencer-Dene B, Clark G, Pickering L, Stamp G, Gore M, Szallasi Z, Downward J, Futreal PA, Swanton C. Intratumor heterogeneity and branched evolution revealed by multiregion sequencing. N Engl J Med. 2012 Mar 8;366(10):883-892. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1113205. PubMed 22397650 ↗
  • Longo DL. Tumor heterogeneity and personalized medicine. N Engl J Med. 2012 Mar 8;366(10):956-7. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe1200656. No abstract available. PubMed 22397658 ↗
  • Yachida S, Jones S, Bozic I, Antal T, Leary R, Fu B, Kamiyama M, Hruban RH, Eshleman JR, Nowak MA, Velculescu VE, Kinzler KW, Vogelstein B, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. Distant metastasis occurs late during the genetic evolution of pancreatic cancer. Nature. 2010 Oct 28;467(7319):1114-7. doi: 10.1038/nature09515. PubMed 20981102 ↗
  • Remmert K, Lin Y, Rainey A, Garmendia-Cedillos MA, Perati SR, Davis JL, Blakely AM, Hernandez JM. Three-Dimensional Imaging of Tumor-Bearing Tissue Using the Iterative Bleaching Extends Multiplexity Approach. J Vis Exp. 2025 Apr 25;(218). doi: 10.3791/67869. PubMed 40354232 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — All IPD recorded in the medical record will be shared with intramural investigators upon request. @@@@@@In addition, all large scale genomic sequencing data will be shared with subscribers to dbGaP.

Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form

Time frame: Clinical data available during the study and indefinitely.@@@@@@Genomic data are available once genomic data are uploaded per protocol GDS plan for as long as database is active.

Access criteria: Clinical data will be made available via subscription to BTRIS and with the permission of the study PI. @@@@@@Genomic data are made available via dbGaP through requests to the data custodians.

09

Updates

4 registry updates since Sep 25, 2026
Minor edits
Nothing that changes what the study is or who can join. Edited: verification date
4 updates, last Oct 16, 2026
Show all 4 updates
  1. Oct 16, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date
  2. Oct 7, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date
  3. Oct 5, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date
  4. Oct 1, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01915225
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 2, 2013
Start date
Jul 21, 2013
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2035 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 29, 2026

Study contacts

Cathleen E Hannah, C.R.N.P.
Contact
foregut@mail.nih.gov
(240) 858-7006
Jonathan M Hernandez, M.D.
Contact
jonathan.hernandez@nih.gov
(240) 760-6072
Jonathan M Hernandez, M.D.
principal investigator · National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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