Postoperative Complications After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy or Short-course Radiotherapy and Total Neoadjuvant Treatment: a Multicentric Retrospective Cohort Study (POCAT)

January 8, 2026 updated by: Istituto Clinico Humanitas
The primary objective of the study is to compare the rate of postoperative complications between rectal cancer patients undergoing standard neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or short- course radiotherapy and patients receiving TNT. The secondary objectives of the study include the evaluation of treatment-related adverse reactions and postoperative complications in elderly patients receiving the treatments and the comparison of treatment-related adverse reactions and postoperative complications in patients receiving induction versus consolidation TNT.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

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.

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.
266

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • Milan
      • Rozzano, Milan, Italy, 20089
        • Irccs Humanitas Research Hospital

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

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will include all consecutive adult patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma who started a classical neoadjuvant or short-course radiotherapy or TNT treatment between January 2016 and January 2025 at the investigational centers.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with locally advanced (T2N+, T3N+, T4N0, or T4N+) rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or short-course radiotherapy or TNT and surgery between January 2016 and January 2025;
  • Patients who underwent restorative or non-restorative surgery;
  • Patients undergoing open, laparoscopic, or robotic intervention.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who underwent non-operative management after neoadjuvant treatment.

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.
Chemoradiotherapy
Patient received chemoradiotherapy or short course radiotherapy before surgery
Procedure: Chemoradiotherapy
Comparing
TNT
TNT neoadjuvant treatment
Procedure: Chemoradiotherapy
Comparing

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
90 days postoperative complications
Time Frame: 12 months
The primary endpoint of the study is the rate of 90-day postoperative complications between the study cohorts.
12 months
The primary endpoint of the study is the rate of 90-day postoperative complications between the study cohorts.
Time Frame: 3 months
The primary endpoint of the study is the rate of 90-day postoperative complications between the study cohorts.
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
90 days severe postoperative complications between the cohorts
Time Frame: 12 months
The rate of 90-day severe postoperative complications between the study cohorts.
12 months
90-day Comprehensive Complication Index
Time Frame: 12 months
The median of the 90-day Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) between the study cohorts.
12 months
Treatment-related adverse reactions
Time Frame: 12 months
The rate of treatment-related adverse reactions between the study cohorts.
12 months
Severe treatment-related adverse reactions
Time Frame: 12 months
The rate of severe treatment-related adverse reactions between the study cohorts.
12 months
90-day postoperative complications between patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy,short-course radiotherapy, induction TNT, and consolidation TNT.
Time Frame: 12 months
The rate of 90-day postoperative complications between patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy,short-course radiotherapy, induction TNT, and consolidation TNT.
12 months
Treatment-related adverse reactions between patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy,short-course radiotherapy, induction TNT, and consolidation TNT
Time Frame: 12 months
The rate of treatment-related adverse reactions between patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy,short-course radiotherapy, induction TNT, and consolidation TNT.
12 months
The rate of 90-day postoperative complications between the two cohorts in a sub-population of elderly patients
Time Frame: 12 months
The rate of 90-day postoperative complications between the two cohorts in a sub-population of elderly patients (≥ 70 years old at the time of diagnosis).
12 months
The rate of treatment-related adverse reactions between the study cohorts in a sub-population of elderly patients
Time Frame: 12 months
The rate of treatment-related adverse reactions between the study cohorts in a sub-population of elderly patients (≥ 70 years old at the time of diagnosis).
12 months

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.
Istituto Clinico Humanitas

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.
  • Study Director: Antonino Spinelli, Surgery, PhD, Director Colon and Rectal Surgery -Director General Surgery Residency Program - Co-Director IBD Center Humanitas Research Hospital / Humanitas University

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.
July 21, 2025

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.
July 31, 2026

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.
July 31, 2026

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).
January 8, 2026

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.
January 8, 2026

First Posted (Estimated)

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 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
January 16, 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.
January 8, 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.
January 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.
  • 5019

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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