Plain-English translation of NCT04842006 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ ·
This study doesn't follow the usual testing phases — it may be an observational study or a different type of research.
This trial is testing whether a precision medicine approach—using special blood tests to detect circulating tumor DNA and laboratory models of your tumor—can help doctors make smarter decisions about chemotherapy for rectal cancer. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all treatment plan, the new approach aims to give chemotherapy earlier, then use these personalized tests to decide whether additional chemotherapy is truly needed for you.
Right now, there is often a long wait between rectal cancer diagnosis and the start of chemotherapy, which increases the risk that the cancer will spread. Additionally, some patients receive chemotherapy they may not actually need. This trial exists to close that gap by starting treatment sooner and using tumor DNA tests to avoid unnecessary treatment and reduce the chance of cancer returning.
You likely qualify if…
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If you join this trial, you will receive chemotherapy starting soon after diagnosis, followed by surgery. After surgery, your doctors will take a blood sample to check for circulating tumor DNA (tiny pieces of cancer DNA in your blood) and grow a sample of your tumor in the lab to test how it responds to different drugs. Based on these results, your medical team will decide whether you need additional chemotherapy. You will be followed over time to monitor whether your cancer returns.
AI-generated summary from trial data · Jul 9, 2026 · Not medical advice
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