Active clinical trials for "Colorectal Neoplasms"

Colorectal cancer is a common disease worldwide. Increasing evidence is demonstrating that colorectal cancers arise from 'cancer stem cells.' Stem cells in the colon reside at the bottom of thousands of microscopic crypts throughout the wall of the colon. They create all the cells lining the bowel wall. These cells are created in the base of the crypt and ascend to the top acquiring the characteristics of mature cells of the bowel wall as they ascend. It is now thought that colorectal cancer cells arise from stem cells where the genetic material regulating growth and division of the stem cell has become defective. This leads to unregulated production of cells which in turn have defective genetic information and cancer formation. Prior studies have demonstrated that the earliest changes before a cancer develops are changes in cellular proliferation. Now that reliable markers to identify stem cells have been found, the researchers aim to investigate stem cell numbers and changes in distribution in those at normal risk of colorectal cancer and those at higher risk. The researchers hypothesise that changes in cellular proliferation at the top of the crypt in individuals at higher risk of colorectal cancer are due to a change in the number of stem cells in the crypt base.

This is a multicenter, international, prospective, observational study of patients who are receiving systemic chemotherapy for solid tumour cancers (breast, colorectal, ovarian, prostate, lung, bladder, endometrial, renal, pancreatic, esophageal or gastric) and who are receiving darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp®) or other erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) to treat symptomatic anaemia. Quality of Life will be assessed electronically with the aim of estimating improvement in quality of life for those patients receiving darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp®) who also have an increase in haemoglobin (Hb) of ≥1 g/dL

Doctors will take some tissue from the tissue removed during surgery in order to study how the blood vessels of the tumor respond to radiation therapy. The tissue obtained will be used to determine how these tumor blood vessels respond to radiation therapy delivered to the tumor, after it has been removed. This radiation is delivered in the research lab. This research is being conducted in order to develop new methods to treat tumors by radiation therapy. No additional surgery will be performed to obtain these samples, and only materials that remain after all diagnostic testing has been completed will be used.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States each year. Approximately one million veterans aged 50 and older will develop colorectal cancer over the remainder of their lives and nearly 433,000 will die from it. Because most cancers are diagnosed after local or regional spread, nearly half of all patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer will die. On a national basis, the relative five year survival with colorectal cancer was estimated at approximately 40% among veterans, substantially lower than SEER estimates in the general population of 61.7% (colon) and 59.3% (rectum). Colorectal cancer is preventable through screening, however and, if diagnosed in an early stage (Dukes' A and B), is curable. This is the first study to examine factors that might explain the worsened prognosis for veterans with colorectal cancer. If modifiable factors such as physician and patient delay in diagnosis, or poverty, explain the increased mortality among veterans, educational programs and interventions that improve the process of care associated with screening and diagnosis can be instituted.

The overall aim with this study is to gain a deeper understanding of patient perceptions regarding empowerment in relation to a health platform.

This study evaluates whether targeted forceps biopsy with careful tumor surface evaluation can improve diagnostic accuracy of colorectal tumors larger than 2 cm during colonoscopy.

This observational study will gather outcome and experience data of patients living with advanced colorectal cancer and their caregivers. The primary objective is to measure how quality of life in this population changes over time (before, during, and after a palliative pathway becomes the new standard of care in Calgary, Alberta, Canada).

Colonoscopy outcome is strictly related to the adenoma detection rate (ADR). An endoscopy withdrawal time >6min has been suggested to increase the ADR since it allows for thorough evaluation of the several hidden areas of the colon. The FUSE, full spectrum endoscopy system, has been demonstrated to reduce the rate of missed lesions due to its wide-angle view. In the present study the authors evaluate the impact of WT on ADR for High Definition Standard Endoscopes with just a single imager to the FUSE endoscope.

This is a feasibility study investigating the use of a fluorescently conjugated lectin to identify colorectal dysplasia and cancer during colonoscopy and surgery.

To evaluate the long-term complete remission rate (> 12 months) after endoscopic treatment of early neoplastic colorectal lesions.