The Utility of Circulating Tumour Cells and Plasma microRNA in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

March 7, 2024 updated by: University Health Network, Toronto

The Utility of Circulating Tumour Cells and Plasma microRNA Detection to Predict the Response to Treatment in Patients With Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Circulating microRNA (circ miRNA) and circulating tumor cell (CTC) levels are hypothesized to be associated with response to chemoradiation in patients undergoing treatment for locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma.

The goal of this project is to assess the use of circulating microRNA (miRNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTC) as biomarkers of cancer and predictive markers for neoadjuvant therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Recently, different groups have discovered that miRNAs can be detected in body fluids such as plasma, serum or saliva. These cell-free miRNAs are secreted by cells under different forms. Levels of these circulating miRNAs (circ miRNA), like tissue miRNA, were closely related to pathologies and could be used as diagnostic or prognostic tools for several pathologies, including cancer. Furthermore, a recent report showed that circ miRNAs released by tumor cells have the ability to transfer their metastatic potential to nonmetastatic cells. The detection and analysis of circulating miRNA represent a new step towards non-invasive diagnostic screening and early cancer detection.

Circulating tumor cells also hold promise as biological markers, which can be assessed noninvasively. As more than 90% of cancer deaths are associated with metastasis, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms of dissemination of cancer cells. During the past decade, a multitude of techniques have been developed to track down and to characterize CTC. Clinical studies in various cancers reveal the potential of CTC as prognostic and predictive markers. The characterization of CTC will help to design personalized treatment to eradicate the sub-clones of the primary tumour, which give rise to metastasis. Also, the numbers of CTC in patient blood can be followed to monitor the efficacy of the neoadjuvant treatment.

Most of the research in esophageal cancer has been done on squamous cell cancer as this is the dominant cell type worldwide. However, beginning the in 1980s Esophageal Adenocarcinoma (EAC) has increased in frequency such that it now represents 80% of esophageal cancer in North America and Europe. There is an urgent need to develop new techniques and diagnostic tests to combat EAC. By combining circ miRNA and CTC, we not only combine 2 promising clinical biomarkers, we will also be able to access new data that will complement tissue biopsy data. Furthermore, by acquiring a blood sample during various time points of patient treatment, we will be able to create a dynamic CTC and circ miRNA profile.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

84

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

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2C4
        • University Health Network

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Esophageal Cancer Patients vs Healthy Volunteers

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who are at least 18 years of age
  • Patients with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma who will undergo neo-adjuvant therapy with surgical resection.
  • Patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma who will be treated with chemotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation or radiation alone OR
  • Healthy volunteers who are at least 18 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who are treated with surgery alone for esophageal cancer
  • Patients who have a history of invasive cancer

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
Intervention / Treatment
Esophageal Cancer Patients - Blood Draw
Look at blood samples to assess the use of circulating microRNA (miRNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTC) as biomarkers of cancer and predictive markers for neoadjuvant therapy in patients with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.
Other: Blood Draw
Blood draw to assess the use of circulating microRNA (miRNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTC) as biomarkers of cancer and predictive markers for neoadjuvant therapy.
Healthy volunteers - Blood Draw
Comparators for the esophageal cancer group
Other: Blood Draw
Blood draw to assess the use of circulating microRNA (miRNA) and circulating tumour cells (CTC) as biomarkers of cancer and predictive markers for neoadjuvant therapy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Circulating microRNA (miRNA) as biomarkers of cancer and predictive markers for neoadjuvant therapy by using Human miRNA cards
Time Frame: 2 years
2 years
Circulating tumour cells (CTC) as biomarkers of cancer and predictive markers for neoadjuvant therapy by using CTC chips
Time Frame: 2 years
2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University Health Network, Toronto

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Gail E Darling, MD, University Health Network, Toronto

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)

June 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 14, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 23, 2016

First Posted (Estimated)

June 24, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 8, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 7, 2024

Last Verified

March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 15-9303-CE

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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