An observational study in Breast Cancer, Melanoma and Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumor, sponsored by University Health Network, Toronto. Recruiting at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-28.
Sponsored by University Health Network, Toronto · Observational
Patients who have undergone curative treatment may be at risk of relapse. This study will collect, annotate, and sequence biospecimens (blood, stool, and tissue) from patients across different tumor types to detect molecular residual disease (MRD) before metastases become radiographically or clinically detectable. This will allow for early cancer interception, and hopefully prolong relapse-free survival across tumor types.
The development of anticancer drugs typically starts with patients with advanced cancers who have exhausted standard treatments. Yet even the most active new drugs produce only modest benefits in patients with advanced cancers because of the emergence of resistance, similar to the resistance that bacteria develop when they are repeatedly exposed to antibiotics. In order to achieve larger magnitude gains in survival and make greater impact in the field of cancer, promising drugs must be tested in patients with curable malignancies who have undergone definitive treatment but are at high risk of relapse. Interception is the active intervention of cancers at an early stage, offering an opportunity to eliminate molecular residual disease (MRD) before clinical relapse. MRD describes the situation in which cancer-derived biomarkers are detectable, typically using highly sensitive and specific molecular assays in blood or other body substances that are below the threshold of detection by conventional tests such as CT scans or radiological imaging. Using innovative technologies to monitor patients at high risk of relapse, and applying them to serial samples of their circulating tumor DNA, other body fluids, stool and radiological images, the goal is to develop AI-based models to identify those who are at the highest risk of relapse. This will allow interception studies to be conducted to target microscopic tumor cells in these patients to increase cancer cure rates.
Early stage or locally advanced disease that is planned for or have undergone curative treatment.
Exclusion Criteria:
None
Patients with early stage or locally advanced disease that is planned for or have undergone curative treatment will have next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based ctDNA analysis performed on blood samples to determine minimal residual disease (MRD). Blood samples, stool samples, and additional archival/fresh tumor specimens will be collected for banking and future research purposes.
Change from Baseline in ctDNA collected from biospecimens
Next-generation sequencing based ctDNA analysis
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 4 years
Number of participants that are identified as high risk of clinical relapse with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 4 years
Plan to share: Undecided — De-identified study data (including genetic data) may be potentially shared with approved research collaborators.
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University Health Network, Toronto