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2025-521045-24-00RecruitingPhase 3

Personalizing chemotherapy selection after surgery for patients with stage III colorectal cancer using a blood test

CIRCULATE III - Tailoring the decision for adjuvant chemotherapy using circulating tumour DNA, in patients with stage III colorectal cancer

Source: EU CTIS (euclinicaltrials.eu) · Last updated 28 Sept 2026

Next steps

Brief summary (registry, in English)

ctDNA-negative cohort: The primary objective is to evaluate the non-inferiority of 6-month capecitabine alone (CAPE; de-escalation strategy) compared to 3-month capecitabine + oxaliplatin (CAPOX; standard therapy) in terms of 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) as adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) protocol in stage III pMMR/MSS CRC patients with post-operative ctDNA-negative. ctDNA-positive cohort: The primary objective is to evaluate the superiority of 6-month FOLFIRINOX (escalation strategy) compared to 6-month FOLFOX (standard therapy) in terms of 3-year DFS as an ACT protocol in stage III pMMR/MSS CRC patients with post-operative ctDNA-positive.

Status (registry)
Recruiting
Phase (registry)
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
300 (estimated)
First submitted
19 Dec 2025
Start date
31 Jul 2026
Lead sponsor
Unicancer
EU CT number
2025-521045-24-00

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional · Phase 3
  • Planned participants: 300
  • 49 sites in 2 countries
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of EU CTIS (euclinicaltrials.eu). It describes the study design.

AI-kivonat: who the study is looking for

Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for adults with stage III colon or high rectal cancer who had surgery to remove it. A blood test (ctDNA) after surgery guides the choice of chemotherapy.

Age
18 years or older and younger than 80 years. For people over 70, a G8 geriatric questionnaire score above 14 is needed.
Sex
All sexes can join.
Disease stage
Stage III colon or high rectal adenocarcinoma (T, N1 or N2, M0), with no cancer left after surgery and no spread seen on scans. The tumour must be pMMR/MSS.
Earlier treatment
Joining is planned 10 days to 6 weeks after surgery. No earlier chemotherapy for colorectal cancer and no earlier belly or pelvic radiation for it.
Biomarker or test result
The tumour must be pMMR/MSS. Tumour tissue must be available. The trial looks at the post-operative ctDNA blood test result (negative or positive).

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Treatment given before surgery (neo-adjuvant treatment)
  • Another cancer now or before, with a few exceptions (cancer in complete remission for 5 years or more)
  • Nerve damage in hands or feet (peripheral neuropathy grade 1 or higher)
  • Partial or complete DPD deficiency
  • MSI/dMMR tumours

Read by machine on 9 Nov 2026.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from EU CTIS (euclinicaltrials.eu) and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Patients who have received neo-adjuvant treatment.
  • Patient must not have received bone marrow transplant
  • Patient must not have received blood transfusion within 3 months before inclusion

Other illness

  • Comorbidity influencing the 3-year patients’ survival including clinically relevant cardiovascular disease, such as Ischemic myocardial infarction in the last year and/or unstable ischemic cardiopathy
  • Contra-indication to chemotherapy (inadequate bone marrow, hepatic, renal functions, hypersensitivity to one of the treatments or any of the excipients)

Age

  • Medical history of other concomitant or previous malignant disease, except adequately treated in situ carcinoma of the uterine cervix, basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or cancer in complete remission for ≥ 5 years.

Other

  • Peripheral neuropathy grade ≥1
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
  • Patients unwilling or unable to comply with the medical follow-up required by the trial because of geographic, familial social or psychological reasons
  • Persons deprived of their liberty or under protective custody or guardianship.
  • Participation in another therapeutic trial
  • Partial or complete dihydropyrimidine deshydrogenase (DPD) deficiency.
  • MSI/dMMR tumors

Who the study is looking for

  • Patient must have signed a written informed consent prior to any trial specific procedures. When the patient is physically unable to give their written consent, an impartial witness of their choice, independent from the investigator or the sponsor, can confirm in writing the patient’s consent
  • Total bilirubin ≤1.5 x ULN (upper limit of normal)
  • ASAT and ALAT ≤2.5 x ULN
  • Alkaline phosphatase ≤2.5 x ULN
  • Serum creatinine ≤120 μmol/L or creatinine clearance ≥50 mL/min according to Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formulae
  • Tumor tissue available at inclusion
  • Women of childbearing potential must have negative serum pregnancy test done within 7 days before the start of study treatment
  • Men and women of childbearing potential must agree to use adequate contraception methods for the duration of study treatment and for 6 months after treatment discontinuation
  • Patients must be willing and able to comply with the protocol for the duration of the study including scheduled visits, treatment plan, laboratory tests and other study procedures
  • Patient must be affiliated to a social security system (or equivalent) or according to local regulatory requirements
  • Age ≥18 years and <80 years (for patients aged >70 years: G8 geriatric questionnaire score>14)
  • Histologically confirmed stage III pMMR/MSS colon and high rectum adenocarcinoma (T, N1 or N2, M0) excluding medium and low rectal cancers (≥12 cm from the anal verge by endoscopy and/or above the peritoneal reflection at surgery are still eligible), without gross or microscopic evidence of residual disease after surgery with curative intent.
  • No metastatic disease on thoracic abdominal and pelvic CT-Scan (or liver MRI plus thoracic CT-scan) done within 2 months before inclusion
  • Inclusion planned between 10 days to 6 weeks after surgery
  • ECOG performance status 0-1 (fit to receive FOLFIRINOX therapy)
  • No prior chemotherapy for CRC
  • No prior abdominal or pelvic irradiation for CRC
  • Adequate hematological function: neutrophils ≥1,500 /mm3, platelet count ≥100,000/mm3, hemoglobin ≥9 g/dL (5,6 mmol/L)

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on EU CTIS (euclinicaltrials.eu)

Sites (49)

Sites in registry order. Save your city in your profile to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Clinique de l'EuropeAmiensFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Amiens PicardieAmiens Cedex 1FranceRecruiting
Institut de Cancerologie de L'OuestAngersFranceRecruiting
Clinique GeneraleAnnecyFranceRecruiting
Sainte Catherine Institut Du Cancer Avignon-ProvenceAvignon Cedex 9FranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Aunay-BayeuxBayeuxFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Simone Veil De BeauvaisBeauvaisFranceRecruiting
CHU BesanconBesancon CedexFranceRecruiting
Polyclinique Bordeaux Nord AquitaineBordeauxFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier de Boulogne-Sur-MerBoulogne-sur-MerFranceRecruiting
Clinique Pasteur LanrozeBrestFranceRecruiting
Centre Francois BaclesseCaen Cedex 5FranceRecruiting
Groupe Hospitalier Public Du Sud De L OiseCreilFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal CréteilCréteilFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier De Dax Cote D'ArgentDaxFranceRecruiting
Institut de Cancérologie de BourgogneDijonFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de DijonDijonFranceRecruiting
Union Mut Gestion Groupe Hosp Mutualiste De GrenobleGrenobleFranceRecruiting
Clinique Victor HugoLe MansFranceRecruiting
IHFB Cognacq JayLevallois-PerretFranceRecruiting
Hôpital Privé Jean MermozLyonFranceRecruiting
Hopital De La Croix-RousseLyon Cedex 04FranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Regional De MarseilleMarseilleFranceRecruiting
L'Hopital Prive Du ConfluentNantes Cedex 2FranceRecruiting
Hopitaux Universitaires Pitie SalpetriereParisFranceRecruiting
Assistance Publique Hopitaux de ParisParisFranceRecruiting
Hopital Saint LouisParisFranceRecruiting
Institut Mutualiste MontsourisParisFranceRecruiting
Groupe Hospitalier Diaconesses Croix Saint-SimonParisFranceRecruiting
Hospices Civils de LyonPierre-BéniteFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de PoitiersPoitiersFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire ReimsReims CedexFranceRecruiting
Polyclinique Lyon NordRillieux-La-PapeFranceRecruiting
Clinique MathildeRouenFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire RouenRouen CedexFranceRecruiting
Centre Hospitalier Prive Saint GregoireSaint-GrégoireFranceRecruiting
Institut De Cancerologie De L OuestSaint-Herblain CedexFranceRecruiting
Groupe Hospitalier Rance EmeraudeSaint-Malo CedexFranceRecruiting
Institut public de cancérologie Strauss EuropeStrasbourgFranceRecruiting
Groupe Hospitalier Saint VincentStrasbourgFranceRecruiting
Hospital FochSuresnesFranceRecruiting
Hôpital Nord Franche-ComtéTrévenansFranceRecruiting
CHRU De NancyVandoeuvre Les NancyFranceRecruiting
Institut Gustave RoussyVillejuifFranceRecruiting
Sahlgrenska University Hospital-Vaestra GoetalandsregionenGoteborgSwedenNot yet recruiting
Karolinska University HospitalHuddingeSwedenNot yet recruiting
University Of SkaneMalmoSwedenNot yet recruiting
Soedersjukhuset ABStockholmSwedenNot yet recruiting
Uppsala University HospitalUppsalaSwedenNot yet recruiting

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This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.