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RecruitingNCT06646341EVIDENCEUpdated Nov 1, 2024

EMVI as a Determinant of Metastasis in Colorectal Cancer

An observational study in Colo-rectal Cancer, sponsored by Imperial College London. Recruiting at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 16 Years to 100 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-11-01.

Sponsored by Imperial College London · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Dec 2025, 9 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Jan 2023; still recruiting 3 years 9 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Case-only
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrollment
100
Ages
16 Years to 100 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Bowel cancer is the fourth most commonly occurring cancer and the second highest cause of cancer deaths in the UK. Despite advances in treatment, over 40% of patients will die within 5 years. This is normally due to spread of the cancer to other organs (called metastases). Much of the current research focuses on use of additional treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy before or after surgery (adjuvant treatment). It is of vital importance that patients who would benefit from adjuvant treatment can be accurately identified. At the moment, the system used locally to do this places emphasis on the presence of affected lymph nodes (glands). This is because doctors believe that cancer spreads to other organs through the lymphatic system. However, recent studies have suggested that this is not the case.

It is believed that cancer spreads to other organs through the blood stream rather than the lymph node system. This research will look at the genetic material in tumours and metastases as well as in areas of blood vessel invasion and lymph nodes. The analysis will allow us to build a 'family tree' of the tumour and allow us to map the pathway by which the tumour spreads. Tissue samples already collected through a patient's routine care will be used for this study. If the spread through the blood vessels is proven, this would change the way in which patients are selected for treatment and allow development of new treatments to target these pathways.

Read the detailed description

A retrospective ,non-interventional tissue study using archival materials collected through a patient's routine care, EVIDENCE aims to demonstrate that distant metastases in colorectal cancer are related to Extramural Venous Invasion (EMVI) and tumour deposits, not lymph nodes. As EVIDENCE is a retrospective study, there are no time dependent schedules for Case Report Form (CRF) completion or tissue submission.

It will be tested whether the vascular route of spread (as evidenced through EMVI and tumour deposits) is more important than lymph nodes in the development of metastatic disease. The sub-clonal origins of primary colorectal cancers, EMVI, tumour deposits, lymph nodes and distant metastases by reconstructing phylogenetic trees will be compared. A proof for a vascular route of spread rather than lymph nodes would lead to a paradigm shift in future decision making at national and international level.

02

Conditions studied

  • Colo-rectal Cancer

Keywords

  • Extramural Venous Invasion
  • Extranodal Tumour Deposits
  • Imaging and Pathology Biomarkers
  • Pelvic Recurrence
  • Colorectal Cancer
  • Local Advanced Rectal Cancer
  • Metastatic Spread
  • MRI staging
  • Phylogenesis
  • Rectal Cancer Recurrence
  • Sigmoid Cancer
  • Surgery for Pelvic Recurrence
03

In context

Colorectal Neoplasms

5,598 studies on the registry are indexed under Colorectal Neoplasms; 1,458 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 100 is below the median of 250 across 1,226 observational studies indexed under Colorectal Neoplasms.

Browse Colorectal Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Imperial College London is the lead sponsor of 824 studies on the registry; 178 are open to participants now.

Of its 9 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 6 (67%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
16 Years to 100 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients who have undergone a primary resection of their colon or rectum as well as a resection of a distant metastases

Inclusion criteria

  1. Are aged 16 years or over with colorectal cancer
  2. Colon / rectum has been surgically removed
  3. Distant metastases has been surgically removed
  4. Pre operative staging in the form of CT/MRI has been undertaken and images available for review

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Pathological complete response in the primary tumour
  2. Local resection of the primary tumour
  3. Inadequate quantity of tissue sample to perform analyses
05

Study design

Observational model
Case-only
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrollment
100 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples without dna
06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Comparison of proportion of subjects where Extramural Venous Invasion (EMVI) and tumour deposits vs lymph nodes are associated with distant metastases

    Proportion of subjects where EMVI and tumour deposits rather than lymph nodes are associated with distant metastases. This is to determine the route of spread of distant metastases.

    Time frame: 1 year from last registered patient

Secondary outcomes

  1. Comparison of tumour phylogenetic profile between primary tumour, EMVI, tumour deposits, metastases

    Comparison of tumour phylogenetic profile between primary tumour, EMVI, tumour deposits, metastases. This is to investigate the clonal origins of metastases in relation to the primary tumour deposits, EMVI and lymph nodes

    Time frame: 1 year from last registered patient

  2. Comparison of tumour phylogenes between different metastatic sites and primary tumour

    Comparison of tumour phylogenes between different metastatic sites and primary tumour. This is to determine if there are different routes of spread to different organs (i.e. lung, liver, brain, peritoneal)

    Time frame: 1 year from last registered patient

  3. Comparison of immunohistochemistry staining profile between primary tumour, EMVI, tumour deposits, metastases

    Comparison of immunohistochemistry staining profile between primary tumour, EMVI, tumour deposits, metastases. This is to evaluate the similarities in the immunohistochemistry profile of metastases compared with primary tumour deposits, EMVI and lymph nodes

    Time frame: 1 year from last registered patient

  4. Comparison of overall survival based on clonal origins of metastases

    Comparison of overall survival based on clonal origins of metastases. This is to investigate the relationship between the clonal origins of metastases and outcomes according to primary tumour deposits, EMVI and lymph nodes

    Time frame: 1 year from last registered patient

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Hampshire Hospitals Nhs Foundation Trust
    Basingstoke, Hampshire RG24 9NA, United Kingdom
    Recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 1, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06646341
Lead sponsor
Imperial College London
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 17, 2024
Start date
Jan 1, 2023
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 1, 2024

Study contacts

Caroline Martin
Contact
c.martin1@imperial.ac.uk
+44 (0) 7749 655 817
Syvella Ellis
Contact
syvella.ellis@imperial.ac.uk
+44 (0) 7732 315 234
Gina Brown, MD
principal investigator · Imperial College London

Oversight

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

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