A study looking at a new test to find out the risk of bowel cancer coming back (PARSC)

Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.

Cancer type:

Bowel (colorectal) cancer

Colon cancer

Status:

Closed

Phase:

Other

This is a study using a new test to help find the risk of cancer of the large bowel (colon) coming back after surgery.

Doctors usually treat cancer of the large bowel (colon) with surgery. After surgery your doctor may recommend chemotherapy if there is a high risk of your cancer coming back.

We know from research that it is not always clear what the risk of bowel cancer coming back is. So researchers are looking for better ways to find this out.

The researchers want to use a test that looks at the actions of genes Open a glossary item in the cancer cells. The results may help to show the risk of the cancer coming back more accurately.

The aims of this study are to see if this test

Can identify those people with bowel cancer who are at a high risk of their cancer coming back
Changes the way doctors decide about treating people with bowel cancer after surgery

Please note you may not get any benefit if you take part in this study, but your taking part may help others who have bowel cancer in the future.

Who can enter

You can enter this trial if you

Have the most common type of bowel cancer (adenocarcinoma) of the large bowel (colon)
Have cancer that has grown through the wall of the bowel but has not spread to nearby lymph nodes (stage 2)
Are to have surgery to remove your cancer
Are at least 18 years old

You cannot enter this trial if you

Have had chemotherapy to shrink the cancer before surgery (this is called ‘neoadjuvant treatment’)
Have had, or have, another cancer apart from basal cell cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

Trial design

This is an international study. It will recruit 810 people. Everyone taking part will have surgery to remove their bowel cancer. After surgery your doctor will treat you according to recommended national guidelines.

When you have surgery to remove your cancer, the doctor will send a small part of the cancer tissue to the study team. The study team will use a new test to look at how the genes in the cancer cells are working.

Neither you nor your doctor will know the results of this test.

Hospital visits

There are no extra hospital visits if you take part in this study.

Side effects

The side effects of your surgery will depend on how big your operation is. Your doctor will discuss this with you. There are no side effects from taking part in the trial itself.

We have more information about surgery for bowel cancer.