Nutritional Supplementation to Improve Colorectal Cancer Surgery (NUTRICOLOR)

May 13, 2026 updated by: Istituto Clinico Humanitas

Perioperative Nutritional Supplementation to Prevent Postoperative Complications and Improve Postoperative Outcomes After Colorectal Cancer Surgery: a Single-center Unblinded Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of perioperative Oral Nutritional Supplementation (ONS) combined with an optimized, tailored diet in reducing the risk of postoperative complications and improving the nutritional status of colorectal cancer patients scheduled for curative colorectal resection.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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

The rate of postoperative complications after colorectal cancer surgery is around 35%. The preoperative nutritional status significantly influences the postoperative outcomes, and several studies have investigated the effect of perioperative nutritional interventions with mixed results. This study aims to explore the effect of perioperative Oral Nutritional Supplementation (ONS) on the postoperative outcomes of colorectal cancer patients receiving preoperative dietary optimization. Participants scheduled for elective curative colorectal cancer surgery will undergo a detailed preoperative nutritional screening and will be randomized to receive either an optimized diet alone or an optimized diet and perioperative ONS. Postoperative complications will be collected and registered until 60 days after surgery. The participants' nutritional status will be evaluated 60 days and 180 days after surgery.

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.
190

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

  • Italy
    • Milano
      • Rozzano, Milano, Italy, 20089

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

Description

Inclusion criteria

  • Participants aged more than 18 years old.
  • Histological diagnosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma.
  • Participants scheduled for elective minimally invasive colorectal resection.
  • Participants with a preoperative MUST score equal to or below 2. Exclusion criteria
  • Any condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, may interfere with the study procedures.
  • Emergent surgery.
  • Planned open surgery. Participants undergoing unplanned surgical conversion (from minimally invasive to open) will be withdrawn from the study.
  • Any concomitant surgery unrelated to the primitive colorectal cancer (for example, concomitant liver metastasis resection).
  • Participants with preoperative MUST score > 2.
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding participants. Women of childbearing potential must agree to use a reliable contraceptive method. Otherwise, a pregnancy urine test must be performed at each study visit to exclude a potential pregnancy.

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

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.
Active Comparator: Diet optimization (DO)
Dietary optimization will include a tailored diet to maintain or restore a good nutritional status, body composition (e.g. weight or lean mass gain if necessary), and macro/micronutrient intake in case of deficiencies detected during the nutritional screening. Participants will be instructed to follow the dietary indications throughout the study, with appropriate adjustments according to following nutritional assessments.
Other: Diet Optimization (DO)
Dietary optimization will include a tailored diet to maintain or restore a good nutritional status, body composition (e.g. weight or lean mass gain if necessary), and macro/micronutrient intake in case of deficiencies detected during the nutritional screening. Participants will be instructed to follow the dietary indications throughout the study, with appropriate adjustments according to following nutritional assessments.
Experimental: Diet Optimization and Oral Nutritional Supplementation (DO+ONS)
Participants in the DO+ONS arm will receive dietary optimization and standardized oral nutritional supplementation designed according to the ESPEN guidelines. The treatment will start 14 days before surgery and will be restored the day after surgery for the following 60 days.
Other: Diet Optimization (DO)
Dietary optimization will include a tailored diet to maintain or restore a good nutritional status, body composition (e.g. weight or lean mass gain if necessary), and macro/micronutrient intake in case of deficiencies detected during the nutritional screening. Participants will be instructed to follow the dietary indications throughout the study, with appropriate adjustments according to following nutritional assessments.
Dietary supplement: Oral Nutritional Supplement (ONS)
ONS will consist of LH Blu® (Lionhealth Italia Srl). LH Blu® is categorized as a food for special medical purposes and is indicated for the treatment of malnourished patients. ONS will start 14 days before the planned intervention with a tailored dosage decided according to the malnutrition risk (low vs medium).

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
Postoperative complications
Time Frame: 30 days from surgery
The rate of postoperative complications occurring within 30 days from surgery
30 days from surgery

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
Postoperative septic complications
Time Frame: 30 days from surgery
The rate of postoperative septic complications occurring within 30 days from surgery. Septic complications are defined according to the criteria proposed by the International Sepsis Definitions Conference and include documented postoperative extra-intestinal infections- such as urinary tract infections and pneumonia-, intra-abdominal septic complications- such as anastomotic leaks, pelvic abscesses, and peritonitis-, surgical site infections, and systemic symptoms of abnormal inflammatory response- such as fever higher than 38°C or C-Reactive Protein (CRP) increase higher than 200 mg/dL for more than two consecutive days
30 days from surgery
Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI)
Time Frame: 30 days from surgery
The median Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI) computed from all postoperative complications that occurred within 30 days from surgery. The CCI ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates the best outcome (no postoperative complications), and 100 indicates the worst outcome (postoperative complications leading to death).
30 days from surgery
Length of hospital stay
Time Frame: 30 days from surgery
The median length of hospital stay calculated in days from the day after surgery until the day of discharge
30 days from surgery
Hospital readmission
Time Frame: 30 days from surgery
The rate of hospital readmissions- including ward readmission and emergency room accesses- within 30 days from surgery
30 days from surgery
Sarcopenia
Time Frame: Six months after surgery
The proportion of participants with sarcopenia six months after surgery. Sarcopenia will be assessed from the Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI) computed from the abdominal Computed Tomography (CT) scans collected at screening and 6 months after surgery. SMI less than 7.0 kg/m2 for men and less than 5.5 kg/m2 for women will be considered indicative of sarcopenia.
Six months after surgery
Normal weight
Time Frame: 60 days after surgery
The proportion of participants with normo-weight Body Mass Index (BMI) measures at 60 days after surgery. Normal BMI values ranges from 18.5 Kg/m2 and 24.9 Kg/m2.
60 days after surgery
Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score
Time Frame: 60 days after surgery
The median Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score collected 60 days after surgery. The MNA score ranges from 0 (worst possibile nutritional status) to 30 (best possible nutritional status).
60 days after surgery
EuroQoL-5 Dimension- 5 Levels (EQ5D5L) score
Time Frame: 60 days after surgery
The median EuroQoL-5 Dimension- 5 Levels (EQ5D5L) score collected 60 days after surgery. The EQ5D5L score ranges from 0 (worst possible perceived health) to 25 (best possible perceived health).
60 days after surgery
Proctitis
Time Frame: Six months after surgery
The proportion of participants with clinical signs of active proctitis six months after surgery. Active proctitis will be assessed through rigid or flexible sigmoidoscopy and will be defined by the presence of any of the following findings: friable mucosa with edema, oozing, or ulcerations; bleeding; wall thickening; pseudopolyps; strictures; stenosis; loss of normal curvature; necrosis; perforations; fistula. The severity of proctitis will be classified using the RTOG/EORTC grading system
Six months after surgery

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.
  • Principal Investigator: Antonino Spinell, MD, PhD, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy

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 (Estimated)

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 30, 2026

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.
February 28, 2028

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.
February 28, 2028

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).
May 4, 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.
May 13, 2026

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.
May 20, 2026

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.
May 20, 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.
May 13, 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.
May 1, 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.
  • CHR1-11-2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

According to the Promoter Standard Operative Procedures, IPD will be uploaded in a public open-access repository (Zenodo). IPD will be made available upon request by sendind an email to biblioteca@humanitas.it

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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