AzTrials
AzTrials

Non-small Cell Lung CancerTRACERxNCT01888601

TRAcking Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Evolution Through Therapy (Rx)

An observational study of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer, run by University College, London at 18 sites in United Kingdom.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

To study the NSCLC evolutionary genomic landscape between primary and metastatic sites and the dynamics of intratumour heterogeneity over time combined with detailed clinical, histopathological and cancer phenotypic annotation for each patient, in order to significantly improve the outcomes of NSCLC patients (e.g. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
How many people
814 participants
Where
18 sitesUnited Kingdom
Study dates
Apr 2014to Nov 2035
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Stage I-IIIA NSCLC eligible for primary surgery

Who may be able to join

  • Written Informed consent
  • Patients ≥18 years of age, with early stage IIA-IIIB disease (according to TNM 8th edition) who are eligible for primary surgery. Patients with a radiological staging of IB (N0) who could be upstaged to IIA-IIIB following surgery (due to the presence of possible nodal involvement on the pre-operative scan) may also be included, but will be withdrawn if post-surgical staging remains IB.
  • Histopathologically confirmed NSCLC, or a strong suspicion of cancer on lung imaging necessitating surgery (e.g. diagnosis determined from frozen section in theatre)
  • Primary surgery in keeping with NICE guidelines planned (see section 9.3)
  • Agreement to be followed up at a TRACERx site
  • Performance status 0 or 1
  • Minimum tumour diameter at least 15mm to allow for sampling of at least two tumour regions (if 15mm, a high likelihood of nodal involvement on pre-operative imaging required to meet eligibility according to stage, i.e. T1N1-3)

Who cannot join

  • Any other* malignancy diagnosed or relapsed at any time, which is currently being treated (including by hormonal therapy).
  • Any other* current malignancy or malignancy diagnosed or relapsed within the past 3 years**.
  • Exceptions are: non-melanomatous skin cancer, stage 0 melanoma in situ, and in situ cervical cancer
  • An exception will be made for malignancies diagnosed or relapsed more than 2, but less than 3, years ago only if a pre-operative biopsy of the lung lesion has confirmed a diagnosis of NSCLC.
  • Psychological condition that would preclude informed consent
  • Treatment with neo-adjuvant therapy for current lung malignancy deemed necessary
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Post-surgery staging is not IIA-IIIB
  • Known Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) or syphilis infection.
  • Sufficient tissue, i.e. a minimum of two tumour regions, is unlikely to be obtained for the study based on pre-operative imaging

Trial locations and contacts

18 sites in 1 country.

18 sites in 1 country

United Kingdom18 sites

  • Grampian Health Board

    Aberdeen, AB15 6RE

  • Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

    Birmingham, B9 5SS

  • Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

    Cardiff, CF14 4XW

  • Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 0PZ

  • NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

    Glasgow

  • The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

    Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QX

  • University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

    Leicester, LE1 5WW

  • Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

    Liverpool

  • University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    London, Select Region, NW1 2PG

  • Barts Health NHS Trust

    London, E1 1RD

  • North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

    London, N18 1QX

  • The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust, trading as Whittington Health

    London, N19 5NF

  • Royal Free Hospital

    London, NW3 2QG

  • Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust - Barnet Hospital

    London, NW3 2QG

  • Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust

    London, SW3 6NP

  • University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust

    Manchester, M23 9LT

  • Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    Sheffield, S5 7AU

  • University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

    Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 6YD

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

To study the NSCLC evolutionary genomic landscape between primary and metastatic sites and the dynamics of intratumour heterogeneity over time combined with detailed clinical, histopathological and cancer phenotypic annotation for each patient, in order to significantly improve the outcomes of NSCLC patients (e.g. reduce their chance of recurrence and improve survival).

Read the detailed description

The importance of intratumour genetic and functional heterogeneity is increasingly recognised as a driver of cancer progression and survival outcome. Understanding how tumour clonal heterogeneity impacts upon therapeutic outcome, however, is still an area of unmet clinical and scientific need. TRACERx (TRAcking non-small cell lung Cancer Evolution through therapy [Rx]), a prospective study of patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), aims to define the evolutionary trajectories of lung cancer in both space and time through multiregion and longitudinal tumour sampling and genetic analysis. By following cancers from diagnosis to relapse, tracking the evolutionary trajectories of tumours in relation to therapeutic interventions, and determining the impact of clonal heterogeneity on clinical outcomes, TRACERx may help to identify novel therapeutic targets for NSCLC and may also serve as a model applicable to other cancer types.

Medical subject headings
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung

What participants receive

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

Study groups in NCT01888601
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
NSCLC eligible for primary surgeryNSCLC eligible for primary surgery

What is being measured

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

  1. Intratumour heterogeneity

    • Define the relationship between intratumour heterogeneity and clinical outcome following surgery and adjuvant therapy (including relationships between intratumour heterogeneity and clinical disease stage and histological subtypes of NSCLC).

    Measured: Year 5

Timeline

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

  1. First posted28 Jun 2013 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2014
  3. Primary completionNov 2035 (estimated)
  4. Study completionNov 2035 (estimated)

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
814 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01888601
Sponsor's protocol ID
UCL/12/0279
Acronym
TRACERx
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
17 Jun 2013
Last updated
4 May 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Bernatz S, Prudente V, Pai S, Attermann AK, Di Federico A, Rowan A, Veeriah S, Dyrskjot L, Nurnberg L, Alessi JV, Ott PA, Sharon E, Hackshaw A, McGranahan N, Abbosh C, Mak RH, Bitterman D, Awad M, Ricciuti B, Swanton C, Jamal-Hanjani M, Birkbak NJ, Aerts HJWL. Thymic health and immunotherapy outcomes in patients with cancer. Nature. 2026 Apr;652(8111):995-1003. doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10243-x. Epub 2026 Mar 18.

    PubMed 41851467

  • Black JRM, Bartha G, Abbott CW, Boyle SM, Karasaki T, Li B, Chen R, Harris J, Veeriah S, Colopi M, Bakir MA, Liu WK, Lyle J, Navarro FCP, Northcott J, Pyke RM, Hill MS, Thol K, Huebner A, Bailey C, Colliver EC, Martinez-Ruiz C, Grigoriadis K, Pawlik P, Moore DA, Marinelli D, Shutkever OG, Murphy C, Sivakumar M; TRACERx consortium; Shaw JA, Hackshaw A, McGranahan N, Jamal-Hanjani M, Frankell AM, Chen RO, Swanton C. Ultrasensitive ctDNA detection for preoperative disease stratification in early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. Nat Med. 2025 Jan;31(1):70-76. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03216-y. Epub 2025 Jan 13.

    PubMed 39806071

  • Biswas D, Liu YH, Herrero J, Wu Y, Moore DA, Karasaki T, Grigoriadis K, Lu WT, Veeriah S, Naceur-Lombardelli C, Magno N, Ward S, Frankell AM, Hill MS, Colliver E, de Carne Trecesson S, East P, Malhi A, Snell DM, O'Neill O, Leonce D, Mattsson J, Lindberg A, Micke P, Moldvay J, Megyesfalvi Z, Dome B, Fillinger J, Nicod J, Downward J, Szallasi Z; TRACERx Consortium; Hackshaw A, Jamal-Hanjani M, Kanu N, Birkbak NJ, Swanton C. Prospective validation of ORACLE, a clonal expression biomarker associated with survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Nat Cancer. 2025 Jan;6(1):86-101. doi: 10.1038/s43018-024-00883-1. Epub 2025 Jan 9.

    PubMed 39789179

  • Pan X, AbdulJabbar K, Coelho-Lima J, Grapa AI, Zhang H, Cheung AHK, Baena J, Karasaki T, Wilson CR, Sereno M, Veeriah S, Aitken SJ, Hackshaw A, Nicholson AG, Jamal-Hanjani M; TRACERx Consortium; Swanton C, Yuan Y, Le Quesne J, Moore DA. The artificial intelligence-based model ANORAK improves histopathological grading of lung adenocarcinoma. Nat Cancer. 2024 Feb;5(2):347-363. doi: 10.1038/s43018-023-00694-w. Epub 2024 Jan 10.

    PubMed 38200244

  • Abbosh C, Frankell AM, Harrison T, Kisistok J, Garnett A, Johnson L, Veeriah S, Moreau M, Chesh A, Chaunzwa TL, Weiss J, Schroeder MR, Ward S, Grigoriadis K, Shahpurwalla A, Litchfield K, Puttick C, Biswas D, Karasaki T, Black JRM, Martinez-Ruiz C, Bakir MA, Pich O, Watkins TBK, Lim EL, Huebner A, Moore DA, Godin-Heymann N, L'Hernault A, Bye H, Odell A, Kalavakur P, Gomes F, Patel AJ, Manzano E, Hiley CT, Carey N, Riley J, Cook DE, Hodgson D, Stetson D, Barrett JC, Kortlever RM, Evan GI, Hackshaw A, Daber RD, Shaw JA, Aerts HJWL, Licon A, Stahl J, Jamal-Hanjani M; TRACERx Consortium; Birkbak NJ, McGranahan N, Swanton C. Tracking early lung cancer metastatic dissemination in TRACERx using ctDNA. Nature. 2023 Apr;616(7957):553-562. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05776-4. Epub 2023 Apr 13.

    PubMed 37055640

  • Frankell AM, Dietzen M, Al Bakir M, Lim EL, Karasaki T, Ward S, Veeriah S, Colliver E, Huebner A, Bunkum A, Hill MS, Grigoriadis K, Moore DA, Black JRM, Liu WK, Thol K, Pich O, Watkins TBK, Naceur-Lombardelli C, Cook DE, Salgado R, Wilson GA, Bailey C, Angelova M, Bentham R, Martinez-Ruiz C, Abbosh C, Nicholson AG, Le Quesne J, Biswas D, Rosenthal R, Puttick C, Hessey S, Lee C, Prymas P, Toncheva A, Smith J, Xing W, Nicod J, Price G, Kerr KM, Naidu B, Middleton G, Blyth KG, Fennell DA, Forster MD, Lee SM, Falzon M, Hewish M, Shackcloth MJ, Lim E, Benafif S, Russell P, Boleti E, Krebs MG, Lester JF, Papadatos-Pastos D, Ahmad T, Thakrar RM, Lawrence D, Navani N, Janes SM, Dive C, Blackhall FH, Summers Y, Cave J, Marafioti T, Herrero J, Quezada SA, Peggs KS, Schwarz RF, Van Loo P, Miedema DM, Birkbak NJ, Hiley CT, Hackshaw A, Zaccaria S; TRACERx Consortium; Jamal-Hanjani M, McGranahan N, Swanton C. The evolution of lung cancer and impact of subclonal selection in TRACERx. Nature. 2023 Apr;616(7957):525-533. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05783-5. Epub 2023 Apr 12.

    PubMed 37046096

  • Al Bakir M, Huebner A, Martinez-Ruiz C, Grigoriadis K, Watkins TBK, Pich O, Moore DA, Veeriah S, Ward S, Laycock J, Johnson D, Rowan A, Razaq M, Akther M, Naceur-Lombardelli C, Prymas P, Toncheva A, Hessey S, Dietzen M, Colliver E, Frankell AM, Bunkum A, Lim EL, Karasaki T, Abbosh C, Hiley CT, Hill MS, Cook DE, Wilson GA, Salgado R, Nye E, Stone RK, Fennell DA, Price G, Kerr KM, Naidu B, Middleton G, Summers Y, Lindsay CR, Blackhall FH, Cave J, Blyth KG, Nair A, Ahmed A, Taylor MN, Procter AJ, Falzon M, Lawrence D, Navani N, Thakrar RM, Janes SM, Papadatos-Pastos D, Forster MD, Lee SM, Ahmad T, Quezada SA, Peggs KS, Van Loo P, Dive C, Hackshaw A, Birkbak NJ, Zaccaria S; TRACERx Consortium; Jamal-Hanjani M, McGranahan N, Swanton C. The evolution of non-small cell lung cancer metastases in TRACERx. Nature. 2023 Apr;616(7957):534-542. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05729-x. Epub 2023 Apr 12.

    PubMed 37046095

  • Ng KW, Boumelha J, Enfield KSS, Almagro J, Cha H, Pich O, Karasaki T, Moore DA, Salgado R, Sivakumar M, Young G, Molina-Arcas M, de Carne Trecesson S, Anastasiou P, Fendler A, Au L, Shepherd STC, Martinez-Ruiz C, Puttick C, Black JRM, Watkins TBK, Kim H, Shim S, Faulkner N, Attig J, Veeriah S, Magno N, Ward S, Frankell AM, Al Bakir M, Lim EL, Hill MS, Wilson GA, Cook DE, Birkbak NJ, Behrens A, Yousaf N, Popat S, Hackshaw A; TRACERx Consortium; CAPTURE Consortium; Hiley CT, Litchfield K, McGranahan N, Jamal-Hanjani M, Larkin J, Lee SH, Turajlic S, Swanton C, Downward J, Kassiotis G. Antibodies against endogenous retroviruses promote lung cancer immunotherapy. Nature. 2023 Apr;616(7957):563-573. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05771-9. Epub 2023 Apr 12.

    PubMed 37046094

  • Martinez-Ruiz C, Black JRM, Puttick C, Hill MS, Demeulemeester J, Larose Cadieux E, Thol K, Jones TP, Veeriah S, Naceur-Lombardelli C, Toncheva A, Prymas P, Rowan A, Ward S, Cubitt L, Athanasopoulou F, Pich O, Karasaki T, Moore DA, Salgado R, Colliver E, Castignani C, Dietzen M, Huebner A, Al Bakir M, Tanic M, Watkins TBK, Lim EL, Al-Rashed AM, Lang D, Clements J, Cook DE, Rosenthal R, Wilson GA, Frankell AM, de Carne Trecesson S, East P, Kanu N, Litchfield K, Birkbak NJ, Hackshaw A, Beck S, Van Loo P, Jamal-Hanjani M; TRACERx Consortium; Swanton C, McGranahan N. Genomic-transcriptomic evolution in lung cancer and metastasis. Nature. 2023 Apr;616(7957):543-552. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05706-4. Epub 2023 Apr 12.

    PubMed 37046093

  • AbdulJabbar K, Raza SEA, Rosenthal R, Jamal-Hanjani M, Veeriah S, Akarca A, Lund T, Moore DA, Salgado R, Al Bakir M, Zapata L, Hiley CT, Officer L, Sereno M, Smith CR, Loi S, Hackshaw A, Marafioti T, Quezada SA, McGranahan N, Le Quesne J; TRACERx Consortium; Swanton C, Yuan Y. Geospatial immune variability illuminates differential evolution of lung adenocarcinoma. Nat Med. 2020 Jul;26(7):1054-1062. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0900-x. Epub 2020 May 27.

    PubMed 32461698

  • Hynds RE, Ben Aissa A, Gowers KHC, Watkins TBK, Bosshard-Carter L, Rowan AJ, Veeriah S, Wilson GA, Quezada SA, Swanton C; TRACERx Consortium; Janes SM. Expansion of airway basal epithelial cells from primary human non-small cell lung cancer tumors. Int J Cancer. 2018 Jul 1;143(1):160-166. doi: 10.1002/ijc.31383. Epub 2018 Apr 6.

    PubMed 29569246

  • Jamal-Hanjani M, Wilson GA, McGranahan N, Birkbak NJ, Watkins TBK, Veeriah S, Shafi S, Johnson DH, Mitter R, Rosenthal R, Salm M, Horswell S, Escudero M, Matthews N, Rowan A, Chambers T, Moore DA, Turajlic S, Xu H, Lee SM, Forster MD, Ahmad T, Hiley CT, Abbosh C, Falzon M, Borg E, Marafioti T, Lawrence D, Hayward M, Kolvekar S, Panagiotopoulos N, Janes SM, Thakrar R, Ahmed A, Blackhall F, Summers Y, Shah R, Joseph L, Quinn AM, Crosbie PA, Naidu B, Middleton G, Langman G, Trotter S, Nicolson M, Remmen H, Kerr K, Chetty M, Gomersall L, Fennell DA, Nakas A, Rathinam S, Anand G, Khan S, Russell P, Ezhil V, Ismail B, Irvin-Sellers M, Prakash V, Lester JF, Kornaszewska M, Attanoos R, Adams H, Davies H, Dentro S, Taniere P, O'Sullivan B, Lowe HL, Hartley JA, Iles N, Bell H, Ngai Y, Shaw JA, Herrero J, Szallasi Z, Schwarz RF, Stewart A, Quezada SA, Le Quesne J, Van Loo P, Dive C, Hackshaw A, Swanton C; TRACERx Consortium. Tracking the Evolution of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2017 Jun 1;376(22):2109-2121. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1616288. Epub 2017 Apr 26.

    PubMed 28445112

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer, run by University College, London at 18 sites in United Kingdom.

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 7 inclusion and 9 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 18 sites in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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?

Intratumour heterogeneity (time frame: Year 5). 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 NCT01888601, which also lists 12 linked publications.

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 4 May 2026.

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