ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07802002Updated Sep 3, 2026

A Prospective, Single-Arm Clinical Study of a Dietary Supplement for the Prevention of Acute Radiation-Induced Rectal Injury During Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy for Rectal Cancer

An interventional study of Tributyrin in Radiotherapy and Radiation-Induced Complications, sponsored by Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-03.

Sponsored by Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jul 2026; still recruiting 4 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
23
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This clinical study is a prospective, single-arm, single-center trial aimed at assessing the safety and efficacy of tributyrin (TB) as a dietary supplement for preventing acute radiation-induced rectal injury (ARII). Approximately 23 participants with locally advanced rectal cancer will receive tributyrin in addition to standard neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. We hypothesize that tributyrin will reduce the incidence of grade 2 or higher ARII, graded according to the RTOG/EORTC criteria. Treatment-related adverse events will be assessed using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), and changes in health-related quality of life and bowel function will be assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and IBD-Q questionnaires.

02

Conditions studied

  • Radiotherapy
  • Radiation-Induced Complications

Keywords

  • Radiotherapy
  • Radiation-induced rectal injury
  • Tributyrin
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University is the lead sponsor of 217 studies on the registry; 111 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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

  1. confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma.
  2. Clinically staged as locally advanced rectal cancer (cT3-4 and/or N+). Planned to receive short-course radiotherapy or long-course radiotherapy combined with concurrent fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy.
  3. performance status of 0 or 1.
  4. Baseline defecation frequency \< 3 times/day, with no significant abdominal pain or tenesmus.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Previous history of total mesorectal excision (TME) or other intestinal resection surgeries.
  2. Diagnosis of severe diarrhea, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or chronic radiation enteritis.
  3. Previous history of pelvic radiotherapy.
  4. Presence of malignant pleural effusion or malignant ascites, or complete/incomplete intestinal obstruction, rendering the patient unable to tolerate dietary supplement therapy.
  5. Participation in other drug trials within 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
  6. Receiving non-conventional chemotherapy regimens (non-fluoropyrimidine drugs) or concurrent participation in other trials involving potent mucosa-damaging drugs.
  7. Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
  8. History of alcoholism, drug abuse, or substance abuse within the past 1 year.
  9. History of severe allergies or known allergy to the ingredients of the dietary supplement.
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.

Histologically or cytologically confirmed

The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).

Your pathology report is the document that shows this.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
23 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Dietary supplements

    Participants receive oral tributyrin in addition to standard neoadjuvant pelvic radiotherapy and standard clinical care.

    Dietary Supplement: Tributyrin

Interventions

  • Dietary supplementTributyrin

    Participants receive oral tributyrin in addition to standard neoadjuvant pelvic radiotherapy and standard clinical care. Tributyrin is administered at a dose of 1,650 mg three times daily after meals. Intervention will begin on the first day of radiotherapy and continue until 28 days after completion of short-course radiotherapy or 14 days after completion of long-course radiotherapy. Standard clinical care includes dietary counseling, symptom management, probiotics, antidiarrheal agents, antiemetics, oral rehydration salts, and topical skin-care products. Additional treatment may be provided at the investigator's discretion if clinically significant adverse events occur.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Incidence of RTOG grade 2 or higher acute radiation-induced rectal injury

    The proportion of participants who develop acute radiation-induced rectal injury of Grade 2 or higher, based on the highest RTOG grade recorded from the start of radiotherapy through 3 months after completion of radiotherapy.

    Time frame: From the start of radiotherapy to 3 months after completion of radiotherapy

Secondary outcomes

  1. Incidence of chronic radiation-induced rectal injury

    The proportion of participants who develop chronic radiation-induced rectal injury during the period from more than 3 months through 12 months after completion of radiotherapy.

    Time frame: From more than 3 months to 12 months after completion of radiotherapy

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Jul 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2027, 17 months after the start.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Aug 31, 2026
First posted
Sep 3, 2026
StartActual
Jul 1, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Dec 31, 2027
CompletionEst.
Dec 31, 2027
Last update
Sep 3, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 3, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07802002
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Sep 3, 2026
Start date
Jul 1, 2026
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 3, 2026

Study contacts

Lekun Fang
Contact
fanglk3@mail.sysu.edu.cn
+8613560226002
Weiyao Li
Contact
liwy229@mail.sysu.edu.cn
+8618820408830

Oversight

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

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Studies of the drug tested here: Tributyrin

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