IDENTIFY Study: Natural History of Maternal Neoplasia

February 28, 2026 updated by: National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Incidental Detection of Maternal Neoplasia Through Non-invasive Cell-Free DNA Analysis (IDENTIFY), a Natural History Study

Background:

Pregnant women can get a DNA analysis of their blood. The test tells a woman and her doctor about the DNA of her unborn baby. But some women get test results that are abnormal or not reportable. Researchers want to learn more about the relationship between these test results and cancer.

Objective:

To better understand prenatal DNA test results and how they can predict cancer, if present, in pregnant women.

Eligibility:

Women 18 and older who got prenatal DNA test results that were abnormal or not reportable and suggested the abnormality was in the woman and not her baby.

Design:

Potential participants will be screened by phone or in person. They will talk about their medical history and send copies of their medical records.

Eligible participants will have a physical exam and medical history. They will give blood and stool samples. They may have a Pap smear. They will talk to a specialist about the test results they got when they were pregnant.

Participants will have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They will lie on a table that slides in and out of a metal tube, taking pictures.

Participants will complete a paper or electronic survey. It will assess their emotional well-being.

Participants will get a list of any possible diagnoses and treatment options.

Participants may be followed for up to 5 years. They may give blood samples and copies of their medical records. This can be done without traveling to the NIH. In some cases, people might come back to the NIH in one year to see if anything has changed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Background:

  • Starting in 2011, analysis of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the plasma of pregnant women began to be offered clinically as a prenatal screen for trisomies 13, 18, and 21. Owing to its superior sensitivity and positive predictive values compared to serum biochemistry and ultrasound markers, the cfDNA test became rapidly incorporated into prenatal clinical care.
  • By 2013, however, reports began to appear that described examples of false-positive test results.
  • cfDNA analysis is performed on maternal plasma samples taken any time between 10 and 40 weeks of gestation and is referred to as noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) or noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS). The maternal plasma contains circulating DNA from the placenta (which serves as a proxy for the fetus) as well as the maternal hematopoietic system.
  • Retrospective studies evaluated the DNA profiles of women in whom a clinical diagnosis of malignancy was already known. Solid tumors shed cfDNA into the circulation. With increased understanding of maternal malignancy as the underlying basis for unusual cfDNA test results, case reports have been published that suggest that the tumor cfDNA is the underlying basis for the false-positive test results.
  • Prenatal genomic testing provides proof-of-principle that cfDNA analysis works as a screen to detect neoplasia, even when it was not designed to do so; and, clinical sequencing laboratories can find the women who are potentially at risk. There are clear and consistent professional guidelines regarding follow-up of the fetus with a high-risk result that is suggestive of aneuploidy. A diagnostic test such as an amniocentesis or a chorionic villus sampling (CVS) should be performed. However, if the fetus has a normal karyotype or

chromosome microarray (CMA),there are no guidelines for the follow-up of the pregnant woman. We propose here a study to determine the best approach for clinical follow-up if the test results are suggestive of cancer.

Objective:

- To study the natural history of women with prenatal testing results that suggest an incidental detection of maternal neoplasia

Eligibility:

- Women who had prenatal cfDNA tests during pregnancy to screen for fetal chromosomal aneuploidies,with non-reportable or abnormal results inconsistent with a viable fetus. Follow up testing shows a normal-appearing fetus on ultrasound examination and/or a normal fetal or neonatal karyotype or CMA.

Design:

  • Participants will undergo an initial evaluation at the Clinical Center to diagnose possible neoplasia.
  • All collected information will be discussed in multidisciplinary meetings. If neoplasia is discovered, the results will be shared with participants and referring physicians.
  • Participants will be followed to collect all available medical information.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
365

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
        • Recruiting
        • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
        • Contact:
          • NIH Clinical Center Office of Patient Recruitment (OPR)
          • Phone Number: TTY dial 711 800-411-1222
          • Email: ccopr@nih.gov

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Study Population

Primary clinical

Description

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:
  • Women, age >= 18 years.

  • Pregnancy for which the following applies:

    • Underwent blood noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) during pregnancy to screen for fetal chromosomal aneuploidies and had unusual results that either led to an interpretation of "non-reportable" or multiple aneuploidies inconsistent with a viable fetus.
    • Normal-appearing fetus or fetuses on ultrasound examination and/or a normal fetal or neonatal karyotype. If a fetal anomaly is present but does not explain entirely the NIPT results, or there is a continuing concern for maternal cancer, the individual is still eligible for participation.
  • Study enrollment may occur during pregnancy or up to two years postpartum.
  • Ability to travel to NIH.
  • Ability of subject to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

-The following NIPT results will be excluded:

--Abnormal results that have been associated previously with an increased risk for hematologic malignancy, including but not limited to, Trisomy 8, 20delq, 5delq.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Screening
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: 1
Women with prenatal testing results that suggest an incidental detection of maternal neoplasia
Device: NIPT
noninvasive prenatal testing

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To study the natural history of women with prenatal testing results that suggest an incidental detection of maternal neoplasia
Time Frame: 5 years
Natural history of women with prenatal testing results that suggest an incidental detection of maternal neoplasia
5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Benjamin D Solomon, M.D., National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 23, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 30, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 30, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 7, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 7, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 8, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 28, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 25, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 190132
  • 19-C-0132

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

All IPD recorded in the medical record will be shared with intramural investigators upon request. In addition, all large scale genomic sequencing data will be shared with subscribers to dbGaP.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Clinical data are available during the study and indefinitely. Genomic data are available once genomic data are uploaded per protocol GDS plan for as long as database is active.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Clinical data will be made available via subscription to BTRIS and with the permission of the study PI. Genomic data are made available via dbGaP through requests to the data custodians.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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