An interventional study of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Pathway and Conventional Perioperative Care in Colorectal Cancer and Colorecatal Cancer Surgery, sponsored by University of West Attica. Completed at 1 site in Greece. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-22.
Sponsored by University of West Attica · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
This study compared an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) care program with conventional perioperative care in adults undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either ERAS care or usual care. The ERAS program included coordinated measures before, during, and after surgery aimed at supporting faster and safer recovery. The study evaluated whether ERAS could reduce the length of hospital stay and improve postoperative recovery. Other outcomes included early mobilization, return of bowel function and oral feeding, postoperative pain, complications and adverse events, removal of urinary catheters and drains, discontinuation of intravenous therapy, and selected laboratory measures. The study was conducted at the General Anticancer Oncology Hospital of Athens "Saint Savvas" in Greece.
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs are multimodal, evidence-based perioperative care pathways designed to reduce the physiological stress of surgery and promote earlier functional recovery. In colorectal cancer surgery, recovery may be influenced by several factors, including postoperative pain, delayed mobilization, gastrointestinal dysfunction, prolonged intravenous therapy, and the continued use of catheters and drains.
This randomized controlled study was conducted to evaluate the implementation of an ERAS pathway in adult patients undergoing surgical resection for colorectal cancer and to compare postoperative recovery with that achieved through conventional perioperative care. The ERAS pathway incorporated coordinated interventions across the perioperative period, including preoperative preparation and education, perioperative analgesic management, postoperative mobilization, nutritional recovery, and planned discontinuation of supportive devices and therapies.
The study focused on clinically relevant indicators of postoperative recovery. Particular attention was given to the duration of postoperative hospitalization, return of gastrointestinal function, mobilization, postoperative pain, complications and adverse events, and the timing of withdrawal of supportive interventions. Laboratory parameters were also assessed as complementary indicators of perioperative recovery.
The study was conducted in a real-world oncology hospital setting and was intended to assess whether a structured ERAS pathway could improve postoperative recovery compared with the conventional perioperative care routinely provided to patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.
5,734 studies on the registry are indexed under Colorectal Neoplasms; 1,481 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 91 is above the median of 77 across 4,222 interventional studies indexed under Colorectal Neoplasms.
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Participants received a structured Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) perioperative care pathway for colorectal cancer surgery. The pathway included coordinated perioperative measures intended to reduce surgical stress and promote earlier postoperative recovery, including preoperative preparation and education, perioperative analgesic management, postoperative mobilization, nutritional recovery, and planned discontinuation of supportive devices and therapies.
Other: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Pathway
Participants received the conventional perioperative care routinely provided for colorectal cancer surgery at the study center.
Other: Conventional Perioperative Care
A multimodal perioperative care pathway applied before, during, and after colorectal cancer surgery, designed to reduce surgical stress and accelerate functional recovery.
Routine perioperative care provided at the study center to patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.
Postoperative Length of Hospital Stay
Number of calendar days from the date of surgery to the date of hospital discharge, obtained from the hospital medical record. A shorter postoperative hospital stay indicates earlier discharge after colorectal cancer surgery.
Time frame: From the date of surgery to hospital discharge, up to approximately 14 days
Time to First Postoperative Mobilization
Time from completion of surgery to the patient's first mobilization out of bed. Recovery time was recorded using predefined postoperative time categories: 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24, and more than 24 hours.
Time frame: From surgery until first mobilization, assessed during the first postoperative day and thereafter if needed
Time to Full Postoperative Mobilization
Time from surgery until the patient achieved full postoperative mobilization. Time was recorded in predefined categories of 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24, and more than 24 hours.
Time frame: From surgery until full mobilization
Time to Return of Gastrointestinal Motility
Time from surgery to documented return of gastrointestinal motility. Recovery time was recorded using predefined categories of 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24, and more than 24 hours.
Time frame: From surgery until return of gastrointestinal motility
Time to Postoperative Oral Feeding
Time from surgery to resumption of postoperative oral feeding, recorded using predefined categories of 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24, and more than 24 hours.
Time frame: From surgery until resumption of oral feeding
Postoperative Pain Intensity
Postoperative pain intensity assessed using a four-category verbal rating scale: 0 = no pain, 1 = mild pain, 2 = moderate pain, and 3 = very severe pain. Pain was assessed repeatedly during the postoperative period.
Time frame: 0-2, 2-6, 6-12, and 12-24 hours after surgery; postoperative days 1, 2, and 3; and at hospital discharge
Occurrence of Postoperative Complications and Adverse Events
Occurrence of one or more predefined postoperative complications or adverse events, including nausea, vomiting, constipation, drowsiness, sedation, fever, local inflammation, bleeding, urinary tract infection, urinary retention, ileus, and reoperation. Events were recorded individually and as a composite binary outcome indicating the occurrence of any complication or adverse event.
Time frame: From surgery until hospital discharge
Time to Urinary Catheter Removal
Time from surgery to removal of the urinary catheter, recorded using predefined categories of 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24, and more than 24 hours.
Time frame: From surgery until urinary catheter removal
Time to Surgical Drain Removal
Time from surgery to removal of postoperative surgical drains, recorded using predefined categories of 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24, and more than 24 hours.
Time frame: From surgery until drain removal
Time to Discontinuation of Intravenous Therapy
Time from surgery to discontinuation of postoperative intravenous therapy, recorded using predefined categories of 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24, and more than 24 hours.
Time frame: From surgery until discontinuation of intravenous therapy
Postoperative Hemoglobin
Postoperative hemoglobin concentration measured in g/dL. Postoperative values were evaluated in relation to the corresponding preoperative value.
Time frame: postoperative day 1
Postoperative Hematocrit
Postoperative hematocrit measured as percentage (%). Postoperative values were evaluated in relation to the corresponding preoperative value.
Time frame: postoperative day 1
Postoperative White Blood Cell Count
Postoperative white blood cell count measured in ×10³/μL. Postoperative values were evaluated in relation to the corresponding preoperative value.
Time frame: postoperative day 1
Postoperative Blood Glucose
Postoperative blood glucose concentration measured in mg/dL. Postoperative values were evaluated in relation to the corresponding preoperative value.
Time frame: postoperative day 1
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data are not planned to be shared because no prospective data-sharing framework or participant consent for external data sharing was established for this study.
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Ran from Sep 2024 to primary completion in Jun 2025, 9 months.
Of 801 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Colorectal Neoplasms, half reached primary completion within 32 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 14 and three quarters within 60. This study's 9 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 845 studies reached it within 32 months; a quarter within 14 and three quarters within 60.
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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 ↗
This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of West Attica