A Novel Molecular Approach to Blood DNA Screening for Cancer: Specificity Assessment (The NOMAD Study)

March 6, 2026 updated by: Mayo Clinic
This study is being done to establish "normal' values for a new blood test and urine test approach to cancer screening. Patients undergo blood and urine sample collection on study. Patients' medical records are reviewed.

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

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess blood level distributions of candidate methylated DNA tumor markers across a cohort of patients without known cancer or precancer and, thereby, to estimate specificity cutoffs across a range of percentiles.

II. To evaluate the effects on marker levels (or test specificity) of selected demographic, exposure, medication, and chronic disease covariates.

III. To build a biospecimen archive to facilitate assessment of clinical specificity in future molecular blood test studies or appraisal of test refinements.

IV. Assess feasibility for detection of cancer using urine samples to assay MDMs, RNA or protein in cell free or extra-cellular vesicles.

V. Assess feasibility for detection of cancer using saliva to assay MDMs, RNA or protein in cell free or extra-cellular vesicles.

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.
Observational

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.
10000

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
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Recruiting
        • Mayo Clinic in Rochester
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • John B. Kisiel, M.D.
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients without a known internal (non-cutaneous) cancer or a history of an internal cancer

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 10,000 patients without a known internal (non-cutaneous) cancer or a history of an internal cancer

    • To balance age, rough recruitment goals will be set for the following subsets: 18-39 years, 40-49 years , 50-59 years , 60-69 years , 70-79 years , and >= 80 years
    • To balance sex, roughly half of the participants recruited within each age subset will be women
    • Roughly half of all participants will have had a colonoscopy or colon x-ray within the past 5 years, or Cologuard® test in the last 3 years which were negative for cancer and precancerous lesions
    • Roughly half of all participants will have had a chest x-ray within the past 5 years which was negative for cancer
    • Roughly half of women participants will have had a mammography in the past 5 years which was negative for cancer
    • An attempt will be made to recruit minimums (parentheses) of the following subsets: men with normal Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level (200); diabetes mellitus (200); connective tissue diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and scleroderma (100); chronic obstructive lung disease (100); inflammatory bowel disease or cirrhosis (100), and pancreatitis (100)
    • To assess the effects of other common covariates, specific recruitment targets will not be set. Rather, data obtained on all participants will include BMI, smoking (past/present), alcohol consumption, pregnant status (women), and selected medications (steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, statins, anti-hypertensives, and anti-depressants)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients has a past or current diagnosis of invasive cancer (this does not include basal cell or squamous cell skin cancers)
  • Patient has had a solid organ transplant
  • Inability to give informed consent

URINE EXCLUSIONS

  • Patient has transurethral instrumentation (cystoscopy, placement of urinary catheter) within the 7 days prior to sample collection
  • Patient has chronic indwelling urinary catheter
  • Patient has had a urinary tract infection within the 14 days prior to sample collection

SALIVA EXCLUSIONS

  • Patient has known clinically significant xerostomia
  • Patient has known recent (within 30 days prior to collection) active upper respiratory tract infection or anogenital infection

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
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.
Observational
Patients undergo blood and urine sample collection on study. Patients' medical records are reviewed.
Other: Non-Interventional Study
Non-interventional study

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
Blood level distributions of methylated DNA tumor markers
Time Frame: Baseline
Assessed through assays performed on blood plasma across a cohort of patients without known cancer or precancer to estimate specificity cutoff ranges.
Baseline
Biospecimen archive
Time Frame: Up to study completion (estimate 20 years)
Assessed by total number of blood samples collected. Collected blood samples will be used to facilitate assessment of clinical specificity in future molecular blood test studies or appraisal of test refinements.
Up to study completion (estimate 20 years)
Detection of cancer using urine samples
Time Frame: Baseline
Assessed by number of urine samples used to assay methylated DNA markers (MDMs), RNA, or protein in cell free or extracellular vesicles.
Baseline

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.
Mayo Clinic

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: John B. Kisiel, M.D., Mayo Clinic in Rochester

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.

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.
September 28, 2015

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.
December 1, 2035

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.
December 1, 2035

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).
December 21, 2023

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.
December 21, 2023

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.
January 5, 2024

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 10, 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.
March 6, 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.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 15-006191 (Other Identifier: Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board)
  • NCI-2023-09354 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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