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Stool Testing for Pancreatic Cancer

Detection of Pancreatic Cancer and Pre-cancer by Stool DNA Testing: A Feasibility Study

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01104129
Enrollment
158
Registered
2010-04-15
Start date
2009-07-09
Completion date
2016-11-29
Last updated
2021-01-19

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pancreatic Cancer

Keywords

Pancreatic Cancer, Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN), Stool-based digital melt curve (DMC) assay, Surgical resection for pancreatic cancer, Hereditary Pancreatic Cancer Syndrome, Genetic mutations linked to pancreatic cancer

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if pancreatic cancer/pre-cancer can be detected in early stages through the molecular analysis of stool samples. Investigators hypothesize that analysis of stool samples using digital melt curve (DMC) analysis, can be used as a sensitive and specific method to detect the common genetic abnormalities present in pancreatic cancers and pre-cancerous lesions of the pancreas.

Detailed description

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDC) remains the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. This is largely due to the fact that most patients present with advanced, unresectable disease, highlighting the critical need for a screening test for this disease. Stool testing is an approach that has not been explored for use in PDC screening. With the advent of stool-based DNA tests, it may be possible to target genetic abnormalities that have been recently characterized in PDC tumorigenesis. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine if deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) alterations present in pancreatic cancer and precancerous intrapapillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) can be reliably recovered in matched stool. Methods: This is a case-control prospective study to determine the utility of a stool-based digital melt curve (DMC) assay in PDC screening. A total of 30 patients (18 with pancreatic cancer, 12 with IPMN) who will be undergoing pancreatic resection will be enrolled. Pancreatic neoplastic tissue will be isolated from their surgical specimens and the genes most commonly mutated in PDC will be sequenced from extracted DNA. In addition, hypermethylation at common promoter sites will be assessed by methylation-specific PCR. The genetic and epigenetic alterations isolated in pancreatic tissue will be utilized as the targets for stool DMC assay. Blinded technicians will process stool specimens from control patients as well as a matched control. The primary outcomes of this study will be the sensitivity and specificity of the stool DMC assay in detecting genetic mutations present in tumor or IPMN lesions.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

Mayo Clinic
CollaboratorOTHER
Columbia University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* 18 years of age and older. * Tissue-confirmed or radiological evidence of either pancreatic adenocarcinoma or intrapapillary mucinous neoplasm(IPMN). * Scheduled for surgical resection of the adenocarcinoma or IPMN. * Able to give informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* History of colorectal, gastric cancer, esophageal, or head-and-neck cancer. * Endoscopic procedure conducted less than 1 week prior to enrollment. * Unwillingness or inability to sign informed consent.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Positive mutation rate in tumors/IPMN lesions vs. control30 daysThe positive mutation rates in tumor or IPMN lesions and in matched controls will be assessed.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of patients with genetic abnormalities correctly detected in stool samples30 daysWhether or not the genetic abnormalities that are detected in resected tissue can also be detected in stool specimens will be studied. If the hypothesis proves to be true, a new, non-invasive technique used in the detection of pre-cancerous lesions of the pancreas and pancreatic cancer will thereby be determined.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026