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Rectal CancerNCT00182130

Quality Initiative in Rectal Cancer (QIRC) Trial

A study testing Quality Initiative in Rectal Cancer (QIRC) strategy in people with Rectal Cancer, run by Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

The Quality initiative in rectal cancer (QIRC) trial will test if a strategy designed to positively influence surgeon practice can decrease hospital rates of permanent colostomy and local tumour recurrence for surgically treated rectal cancer patients. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 0 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Rectal Cancer
What is being tested?
Quality Initiative in Rectal Cancer (QIRC) strategy
Type of treatment
Surgery or procedure
How many people
691 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
May 2002to Jun 2007
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 0 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Hospital inclusion criteria:
  • 1. An Ontario hospital with a procedure volume of 15 or more major rectal cancer resections per year for fiscal years 1996 to 1998.
  • Patient inclusion criteria:
  • Consecutive patients at each participating site who underwent major rectal cancer surgery.
  • Tumor located within 15 cm of anal verge by rigid sigmoidoscopy, or, at or below the level of the sacral promontory at the time of surgery.

Who cannot join

  • -

About this study

The Quality initiative in rectal cancer (QIRC) trial will test if a strategy designed to positively influence surgeon practice can decrease hospital rates of permanent colostomy and local tumour recurrence for surgically treated rectal cancer patients.

Read the detailed description

Approximately 5000 Canadians are annually diagnosed with rectal cancer. For patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery two unfortunate outcomes are permanent colostomy and local tumor recurrence. Research demonstrates that in Ontario, Canada and other parts of the world the standard of care for rectal cancer surgery leaves room for improvement.

This is a multi-center trial that will test if a set of interventions designed to positively influence surgeon practice, titled the Quality Initiative in Rectal Cancer (QIRC) strategy, can improve rates of permanent colostomy and local tumour recurrence for surgically treated rectal cancer patients. Secondary outcomes to be assessed include sexual, bowel, and bladder function, and quality of life. The QIRC strategy consists of a workshop to discuss quality issues in rectal cancer, operative demonstration to demonstrate optimal surgical techniques, the use of opinion leaders, and a postoperative questionnaire designed to prompt surgeons to re-examine their key operative steps. The QIRC strategy is largely designed to teach total mesorectal excision, a new gold standard for rectal cancer surgery that has been shown in non-randomized studies to lower patient rates of permanent colostomy and local tumour recurrence.

Sixteen hospitals across the province of Ontario were allocated by cluster randomization to the QIRC strategy (experimental arm) versus minimal intervention (control arm). All hospitals are high-volume centres - an annual rectal cancer procedure volume of 15 or greater. Hospitals in the control arm represent the normal practice environment. Approximately 700 patients will be assessed. In addition to measuring rates of permanent colostomy and local recurrence of tumour, the study will examine bowel, bladder and sexual function, and overall quality of life among patients.

A positive trial - better results in hospitals that receive the intervention - may suggest that to effectively influence surgeon practice, resource intense approaches are necessary along with active buy-in from the surgical community.

Conditions
Rectal Cancer
Being tested
Quality Initiative in Rectal Cancer (QIRC) strategy
Keywords
rectal cancer, surgery, physician behaviour, knowledge translation
Medical subject headings
Rectal Neoplasms

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Quality Initiative in Rectal Cancer (QIRC) strategyProcedure or surgery

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Hospital rate of permanent colostomy

  2. Hospital rate of local recurrence

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Bowel, bladder and sexual function

  2. Quality of life

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted16 Sep 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 2002
  3. Study completionJun 2007

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Early clinical test
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
691 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00182130
Sponsor's protocol ID
MCT-50013
Status last verified
Jul 2005
First submitted
10 Sep 2005
Last updated
16 Sep 2005
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Simunovic M, Coates A, Goldsmith CH, Thabane L, Reeson D, Smith A, McLeod RS, DeNardi F, Whelan TJ, Levine MN. The cluster-randomized Quality Initiative in Rectal Cancer trial: evaluating a quality-improvement strategy in surgery. CMAJ. 2010 Sep 7;182(12):1301-6. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.091883. Epub 2010 Aug 9.

    PubMed 20696797

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Quality Initiative in Rectal Cancer (QIRC) strategy in people with Rectal Cancer, run by Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Sep 2005. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Hospital rate of permanent colostomy. The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00182130, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Sep 2005.

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