Predicting Pancreatic Fistula After Pancreatic Surgery Using Preoperative Immunity

September 14, 2026 updated by: Institut Paoli-Calmettes

The goal of this observational study is to develop and validate a preoperative immunological signature for predicting postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) in adult patients undergoing pancreatic surgery for pancreatic cancer.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Can a preoperative immunological signature accurately predict the occurrence of postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreatic surgery?
  • Does the immunological signature provide better predictive performance than currently available predictors? Researchers will also evaluate whether the immunological signature is associated with postoperative readmission, 90-day mortality, and early disease recurrence within one year after surgery.

Participants will:

  • Provide a blood sample during the preoperative assessment visit.
  • Provide a second blood sample on the day following pancreatic surgery.
  • Undergo standard postoperative and oncological follow-up for up to 12 months. This is a prospective, multi-center, open-label observational study conducted at Institut Paoli-Calmettes. A total of 310 participants will be enrolled.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

310

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 Locations

  • France
      • Marseille, France, 13009

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult (≥18 years) undergoing elective curative-intent pancreatic surgery (pancreaticoduodenectomy or distal pancreatectomy) for benign or malignant pancreatic tumors, with or without neoadjuvant therapy.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Written informed consent provided prior to study participation.
  • Patient scheduled to undergo curative-intent pancreatic surgery, with or without neoadjuvant treatment; preoperative biopsy is not required.
  • Affiliated with, or beneficiary of, a national health insurance scheme

Non inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients scheduled to undergo total pancreatectomy for oncologic indications (e.g., intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm [IPMN]). However, if a total pancreatectomy is decided intraoperatively because of a high risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), preoperative study data and biological samples will remain eligible for inclusion in analyses comparing immunological signatures, in accordance with current clinical practice
  • Individuals in emergency situations, adults under legal protection (guardianship, curatorship, or judicial protection measures), or individuals unable to provide informed consent.
  • Inability to comply with study follow-up procedures for geographic, social, or psychological reasons.

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
Patients undergoing pancreatic surgery
Adult (≥18 years) undergoing elective pancreatic surgery, for a benign or malignant pancreatic tumor. Participants will provide blood samples before surgery and on the first postoperative day for immunological and proteomic analyses aimed at developing and validating a predictive signature of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF).
Other: blood sampling
Peripheral blood samples will be collected preoperatively (within 21 days before planned pancreatic surgery) and on postoperative day 1. Clinical data will be collected at the same time points and during routine follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months. Blood samples will be used to characterize an immunological signature and perioperative immune response in patients undergoing pancreatic surgery.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Performance of the Immunological Signature for Prediction of Clinically Relevant Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula (POPF)
Time Frame: 90 days after pancreatic surgery
90 days after pancreatic surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
90-day Mortality
Time Frame: 90 days
90 days
Change in PreCyte Score Between Preoperative and Postoperative Assessments
Time Frame: From preoperative assessment (within 21 days before surgery) to postoperative day 1
From preoperative assessment (within 21 days before surgery) to postoperative day 1
Predictive Performance of the Immune Signature for 90-Day Readmission and Mortality
Time Frame: 90days after surgery
90days after surgery
One-Year Recurrence-Free Survival and Correlation With Immune Signature
Time Frame: 1 year after surgery
1 year after surgery
Comparison of Postoperative PreCyte Score, Drain Fluid Amylase, and C-Reactive Protein for Outcome Prediction
Time Frame: Postoperative period up to 90 days after surgery.
Postoperative period up to 90 days after surgery.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Institut Paoli-Calmettes

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)

January 4, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 4, 2032

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 4, 2032

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 14, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 14, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IMMUNOPANC-2-IPC 2024-036

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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