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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.

Contact Information:

Prof GI Trials
gi.trials@rmh.nhs.uk


Prof David Cunningham
david.cunningham@rmh.nhs.uk


Study Location:

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Be Part of Research - Trial Details - TRACC - Predicting Relapse in eArly Colorectal Cancer

TRACC - Predicting Relapse in eArly Colorectal Cancer

Medical Conditions

Malignant neoplasms of digestive organs


This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.


This study involves the collection and analysis of tumour tissue, serial blood samples and clinical data in patients with newly diagnosed stage II and III colorectal cancer (CRC). The study is planned to recruit patients from sites within (but not limited to) the London Cancer Alliance over 3 years.

DNA fragments containing cancer specific markers or mutations that originate from tumour can be detected in blood. This is known as circulating cell free tumour DNA (ctDNA). In patients that have undergone potentially curative surgery, blood samples to detect and quantify ctDNA is a promising strategy for the identification of minimal residual disease(very small amounts of persisting disease) and may identify disease relapse earlier than existing methods.

Part A is a feasibility study where the proportion of patients with detectable ctDNA in blood prior to surgery will be determined. Part B will assess whether detection of ctDNA in a blood sample taken 4-8 weeks after surgery, can be used to predict relapse. Levels of ctDNA at other time points such as: during chemotherapy and post-chemotherapy and the association between the level of ctDNA with disease free survival (the length of time from the removal of cancer until the cancer returns in patients that have a relapse) and overall survival will be determined.

Some patients are offered chemotherapy after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) to reduce the risk of the cancer returning. Only a proportion of patients will benefit directly from this and it is not entirely clear which patients these will be, although there are specific risk features that are currently used to guide treatment decisions. The study may identify a subset of patients that are unlikely to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy on the basis of ctDNA analysis and could therefore safely spare some patients from receiving chemotherapy and its associated side-effects.

Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.  

The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:

05 Dec 2016 10 Sep 2025

Observational

Observational type: Validation of investigation /therapeutic procedures;



You can take part if:



You may not be able to take part if:


Exclusion criteria to be used prior to registration: -Scheduled to have neoadjuvant chemotherapy, (neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for patients with rectal cancer is permitted) -Current or previous other malignancy within 5 years of study entry, except cured basal or squamous cell skin cancer, superficial bladder cancer, prostate intraepithelial neoplasm, carcinoma in situ of the cervix or other non-invasive malignancy. Additional exclusion criteria for rectal cancer patients following completion of pre-operative radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy -Patients scheduled to have further pre-operative treatment with chemotherapy -Patients that are no longer proceeding with surgery i.e. those in whom surgery is considered too high risk -Patients that are no longer proceeding with surgery as they are proceeding with a deferral of surgery approach (NB these patients will remain in the study as an exploratory cohort and will therefore continue to have bloods taken) Exclusion criteria at the first post-operative visit: -Stage I patients based on the post-operative histopathology report should be excluded, apart from rectal patients that had undergone pre-operative chemoradiotherapy for whom their pre-chemoradiotherapy MRI staging should be used. -Scheduled to receive post-operative radiotherapy


Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.

  • St Bartholomew's Hospital
    West Smithfield
    London
    Greater London
    EC1A 7BE
  • Croydon University Hospital
    London Road
    Croydon
    Surrey
    CR7 7YE
  • Royal Blackburn Hospital
    Haslingden Road
    Blackburn
    Lancashire
    BB2 3HH
  • Guy's Hospital
    Great Maze Pond
    London
    Greater London
    SE1 9RT
  • Castle Hill Hospital
    Castle Road
    Cottingham
    North Humberside
    HU16 5JQ
  • Kingston Hospital
    Galsworthy Road
    Kingston Upon Thames
    Surrey
    KT2 7QB
  • North Middlesex Hospital
    Sterling Way
    London
    Greater London
    N18 1QX
  • Royal Free Hospital
    Pond Street
    London
    Greater London
    NW3 2QG
  • Salisbury District Hospital
    Odstock Road
    Salisbury
    Wiltshire
    SP2 8BJ
  • Royal Bournemouth General Hospital
    Castle Lane East
    Bournemouth
    Dorset
    BH7 7DW
  • Wythenshawe Hospital
    Southmoor Road
    wythenshawe
    Manchester
    Greater Manchester
    M23 9LT
  • Basingstoke And North Hampshire Hospital
    Aldermaston Road
    Basingstoke
    Hampshire
    RG24 9NA
  • Royal Hampshire County Hospital
    Romsey Road
    Winchester
    Hampshire
    SO22 5DG
  • Northampton General Hospital (acute)
    Cliftonville
    Northampton
    Northamptonshire
    NN1 5BD
  • Basildon Hospital
    Nethermayne
    Basildon
    Essex
    SS16 5NL
  • Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
    Cobbett House
    oxford Road
    Manchester
    M13 9WL
  • Kettering General Hospital
    Rothwell Rd
    Kettering
    Northamptonshire
    NN16 8UZ
  • Chase Farm Hospital
    127 The Ridgeway
    Enfield
    Middlesex
    EN2 8JL
  • Sunderland Royal Hospital
    Kayll Road
    Sunderland
    SR4 7TP
  • South Tyneside District Hospital
    Harton Lane
    South Shields
    NE34 0PL
  • The Christie
    550 Wilmslow Road
    withington
    Manchester
    Greater Manchester
    M20 4BX
  • Cumberland Infirmary
    Newtown Road
    Carlisle
    Cumbria
    CA2 7HY
  • Wrightington Hospital
    Hall Lane
    appley Bridge
    Wigan
    Lancashire
    WN6 9EP
  • Burnley General Hospital
    Casterton Avenue
    Burnley
    Lancashire
    BB10 2PQ
  • Barking Hospital
    Upney Lane
    Barking
    Essex
    IG11 9LX
  • St James's University Hospital
    Beckett Street
    Leeds
    West Yorkshire
    LS9 7TF

Prof David Cunningham
david.cunningham@rmh.nhs.uk


Prof GI Trials
gi.trials@rmh.nhs.uk



The study is sponsored by THE ROYAL MARSDEN NHS FOUNDATION TRUST and funded by Institute of Cancer Research: Royal Cancer Hospital; THE ROYAL MARSDEN NHS FOUNDATION TRUST; .




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for Trial ID: CPMS 20443

Last updated 15 October 2025

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