Clinical trial · Observational
Human Blood Specimen Collection to Evaluate Immune Cell Function
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Natural killer (NK) cells are leukocytes of the innate immune system and play a central role in the control of cancer metastases. NK cells and other innate immune cells often do not function well in patients with cancer and are also profoundly suppressed after cancer surgery. Dr. Auer's Lab and others have shown that NK cells are critically important in the clearance of tumor metastases and that their impairment can be recovered with immune therapy augmenting the innate immune system. Several studies suggest that cancer patients have depressed NK cell cytotoxicity as compared to healthy controls but that following resection of the cancer, NK cell cytotoxicity returns to normal levels. In this observational study, the investigators will measure NK cell cytotoxicity by the gold standard method (51Cr, a chromium51 release assay) and by a new interferon-ɣ (IFN-ɣ) based assay (NK-Vue™) in healthy humans and colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery patients seen a The Ottawa Hospital. The results of this study will determine if the NK-Vue™ is able to discriminate between healthy human volunteers and newly diagnosed cancer patients and is sufficiently sensitive to detect transient NK cell suppression immediately following surgery.
Conditions
Conditions (3)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorectal Cancer | Malignant Colorectal Neoplasm | CURATED_BROADER | 0.80 |
| Perioperative Care | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Surgery | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Killer Cell Activity Assay | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- label
- Healthy Donors
- description
- Healthy patients, without a diagnosis of cancer and age\>40. The Natural Killer Cell Activity Assay (NKA) will be measured with a blood test.
- interventionNames
- Other: Natural Killer Cell Activity Assay
- label
- Colorectal Cancer Surgery Patients
- description
- Patients \>40 years of age with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of primary colorectal cancer and a planned surgical resection of the primary tumour. The Natural Killer Cell Activity Assay (NKA) will be measured at various perioperative time points with a blood test.
- interventionNames
- Other: Natural Killer Cell Activity Assay
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Natural Killer Cell Activity (NKA) at baseline compared to POD1 in CRC surgery patients
- timeFrame
- baseline vs. Postoeprative Day (POD) 1
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 40 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Subjects who have had a recent diagnosis of cancer (any stage) and will be undergoing surgery (cancer group) * Subjects who are being seen by their physician for other reasons, or healthy volunteers (control group) * Subjects who provide informed consent to participate in the trial * Subjects \>40 years of age Exclusion Criteria:
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available