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RecruitingNCT06136845microbiomeUpdated Nov 18, 2023

The Correlation Between Microbiome of Esophageal Cancer Patients and Post Esophagectomy Anastomotic Leaks

An observational study in Esophageal Tumors, sponsored by Rambam Health Care Campus. Recruiting at 1 site in Israel. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-11-18.

Sponsored by Rambam Health Care Campus · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jan 2020; still recruiting 6 years 8 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Other
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrollment
300
Ages
18 Years to 85 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Esophageal cancer continues to be one of the most challenging topics and the subjects of numerous studies. Surgery is the mainstay for curative treatment and the need to improve all aspects of perioperative management in order to reduce morbidity and mortality, continues to be of immense importance.

Cited as the sixth most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, esophageal cancer has a distinct geographic distribution known as the esophageal cancer belt: north central China through the central Asian republics to northern Iran, and from eastern to southern Africa.

Squamous-cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma are the two main histological subtypes of esophageal cancer, in a geographic differentiation as well, with squamous-cell carcinoma as the most common esophageal cancer subtype worldwide. Though adenocarcinoma is at a considerable rise in Western populations and has become the predominant subtype North America, Australia and Europe.

Although an ongoing improvement has been marked in the long-term survival after esophagectomy, it is still a highly invasive procedure with serious post-operative complications and entails a high morbidity and mortality rates.

Rates of mortality and morbidity range vastly in the literature with 30-day mortality reaching 11-22%. Complication rates up to 50%, with anastomotic leaks as the main complication ranging widely 0-35%.

Various risk factors have been proposed as contributors to mortality and morbidity in general and to anastomotic leaks in particular. These include both patient and tumoral characteristics such as premedical history and perioperative factors as tumor location, surgical technique and perioperative treatment.

The microbiome as a contributor to a patients' disease progression and management is of great interest in the understanding and better management of cancer patients as a whole and of the gastrointestinal tract in specific.

The contribution of the microbiome of a patient to colorectal cancer progression and to anastomotic leaks in the post-operative period has been addressed vastly in the literature in recent years, showing a distinct correlation to specific microbiota profile. Shogan et al. depicted a potential molecular mechanism of bacterial-driven anastomotic leak. It was shown that strains of the commensal organism Enterococcus faecalis could cause anastomotic leakage by causing direct collagen degradation at the site of a freshly constructed anastomosis, and indirectly by bacterial-induced over activation of host matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9).

A geographic differentiation in microbiota of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) was also shown by comparing tumor tissue and adjacent tissue of Colorectal Cancer patients from the US and Spain, elaborating yet another aspect of the importance of microbiome of cancer patients.

Oropharyngeal microbiome profiling has been proven as a possible predictor for post esophagectomy pneumonia projecting on overall survival as well.

A recent study by Rishindra et al from the university of Michigan shows a strong correlation of post esophagectomy anastomotic leaks and increased bacterial variance in preoperative oral and gastric flora.

We hypothesize that a correlation exists between microbiome of esophageal cancer patients and post esophagectomy anastomotic leaks.

According to former evidence microbiota are integrated into the tumor and therefore the microbial profile of the host (patient) may be represented by tumor microbiota.

In this proposed study, we intend to characterize retrospectively the microbial signature of esophageal tumors and to study whether there is a correlation between differential microbial signature and risk of post esophagectomy anastomotic leaks.

02

Conditions studied

  • Esophageal Tumors
03

In context

Esophageal Neoplasms

1,593 studies on the registry are indexed under Esophageal Neoplasms; 461 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 300 is above the median of 200 across 341 observational studies indexed under Esophageal Neoplasms.

Browse Esophageal Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Rambam Health Care Campus is the lead sponsor of 456 studies on the registry; 33 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients with esophageal tumors

Inclusion criteria

  • Cancer patients who have a surgery sample at Rambam Pathology Department
  • Given written informed consent to Rambam BioBank or Midgam for collection, storage, collection of information and use for future research
  • Patients with non-metastatic esophageal cancer (mid/Siewert 1/Siewert 2) who developed esophageal leak
  • Patients with non-metastatic esophageal cancer (mid/Siewert 1/Siewert 2) who had no post-op complication.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who had complete response are excluded due to lack of tumoral tissue in the specimen for analysis
05

Study design

Observational model
Other
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrollment
300 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • non anastomotic leak

    Non anastomotic clinical leak'

  • anastomotic clinical leak

    anastomotic clinical leak'

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. To evaluate a correlation between microbial signature of esophageal cancer and post esophagectomy anastomotic leaks

    To evaluate a correlation between microbial signature of esophageal cancer and post esophagectomy anastomotic leaks

    Time frame: All through the trial, On average 36 months.

  2. To assess the possibility of mapping a specific microbiota profile as a risk factor for anastomotic leaks

    To assess the possibility of mapping a specific microbiota profile as a risk factor for anastomotic leaks

    Time frame: All through the trial, On average 36 months.

  3. To characterize the microbiota of esophageal cancer patients differentiating it by: - demographic criteria - tumor characteristics

    To characterize the microbiota of esophageal cancer patients differentiating it by: * demographic criteria * tumor characteristics

    Time frame: All through the trial, On average 36 months.

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 18, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06136845
Lead sponsor
Rambam Health Care Campus
Responsible party
Irit Ben-Aharon MD (Oncology Division head, Rambam Health Care Campus) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 18, 2023
Start date
Jan 13, 2020
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 18, 2023

Study contacts

Irit Ben Aharon, MD
Contact
I_Benaharon@rambam.health.gov.il
+972-4-777-6700
Tal Goshen-Lago, PhD.
Contact
T_GOSHENLAGO@rambam.health.gov.il
+972-4-777-6700
Irit Ben Aharon, MD
principal investigator · Rambam Health Care Campus

Oversight

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

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