NORPPA-1: A Phase II Trial of Non-Operative Management in Rectal Cancer

Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The NORPPA-1 study (Nordic ORgan Preservation Pilot Approach) is a nonrandomized single-arm clinical trial evaluating non-operative management for rectal cancer, led by Toni Seppälä at Tampere University Hospital (Tays). All 13 surgical units treating rectal cancer in Finland and Estonia are participating.

Currently, rectal cancer is typically treated with surgery that often impacts patients’ quality of life permanently, frequently requiring permanent colostomy. The study focuses on patients whose tumour disappears completely after pre-treatment with radiation and chemotherapy. These patients are monitored closely instead of proceeding to surgery — every three months for the first two years, then every six months for three years.

Around 20% of patients are expected to experience recurrence and will undergo surgery as per current guidelines. For those who avoid surgery entirely, the benefit to quality of life is significant.

The study also investigates why some tumours respond fully to pre-treatment while others do not, examining tumour composition and the cell types that drive recurrence.

Read the full article at Pirha.fi →

View trial registration at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06328361) →

SYNCOPE

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The overall goal of the project is to test if early systemic control and precision-targeted selection to adjuvant chemotherapy, as a comprehensive treatment strategy, would reduce the rate of systemic recurrence in mrEMVI+ without increasing the harms from adverse effects. The specific research questions are:

Is application of systemic control with precision approach over the course of the rectal cancer therapy logistically feasible?
Does systemic control and precision approach as a treatment strategy improve recurrence-free survival of rectal cancer patients?.
Is circulating tumor DNA a reliable postoperative biomarker of minimal residual disease (MRD) for adjuvant chemotherapy decisions?
Does chemosensitivity of patient-derived organoids (PDO) correlates to therapy response in a prospective setting?

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Clinical Trial | Seppälä Lab

NORPPA-1: A Phase II Trial of Non-Operative Management in Rectal Cancer

SYNCOPE