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This is an multicenter study that will test the diagnostic accuracy of a blood test (i.e., a liquid biopsy) for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC), advanced adenomas (AAs), as well as Lynch-syndrome associated cancers. Additionally, a pre-planned analysis will evaluate the use of this liquid biopsy as a tool for molecular residual disease monitoring purposes.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant public health burden as the third-most commonly diagnosed and second-deadliest malignancy. While CRC is potentially preventable through the removal of precursor lesions known as advanced adenomas (AAs), current screening modalities have limitations. The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) exhibits reduced sensitivity for early-stage CRC and AAs, primarily lowering mortality rather than incidence. Colonoscopy, while effective, is invasive, costly, and suffers from suboptimal adherence. Additionally, individuals with Lynch syndrome (LS), who carry a pathogenic germline variant in mismatch repair (MMR) genes, lack effective and reliable methods for early-stage detection of non-CRC tumors associated with the syndrome.
The rationale of this study, BEACON/2026, is to develop and validate two blood-based tests to address these clinical gaps. The first is a screening test sensitive to both CRC and AAs to complement existing screening options; the second is a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test tailored to the LS spectrum. The central hypothesis is that a liquid biopsy approach combining cell-free microRNAs (cf-miRNAs, which are sensitive) and exosome-bound microRNAs (exo-miRNAs, which are specific) can effectively distinguish patients with AAs, CRC, and LS-associated cancers from controls.
This study follows the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) recommendations for biomarker development, including biomarker discovery, prioritization, training, and independent validation (Phases I through III). The experimental design complies with PROBE recommendations for prospectively collected biospecimens that are blindly evaluated. The procedure involves the collection of peripheral blood to isolate RNA from plasma or serum for reverse transcription, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis and machine-learning modeling . This non-invasive approach aims to provide a cost-effective, patient-friendly alternative to improve screening participation and disease monitoring
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynch syndrome, without Lynch-syndrome associated cancers | Individuals with Lynch syndrome, who are free of Lynch-syndrome associated cancers at the time of blood drawing |
| |
| Lynch syndrome, with Lynch-syndrome associated cancers | Individuals with Lynch syndrome, who have one (or more) Lynch-syndrome associated cancer(s) at the time of blood drawing |
| |
| Colorectal cancer | Individuals with sporadic biopsy-proven colorectal cancer, as identified during routine colonoscopy and diagnosed via pathological review |
| |
| Advanced adenoma | Individuals with sporadic advanced adenomas, defined as (i) more than 3 colorectal polyps, (ii) presence of high-grade dysplasia in one or more polyp, or (iii) polyp(s) >10 mm |
| |
| Colonoscopy-negative controls | Individuals whose colonoscopy was negative for colorectal cancer and for advanced colorectal adenomas |
| |
| Pre-treatment samples |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEACON | Diagnostic Test | A panel of circulating microRNA, whose expression level is tested in cell-free and exosome-derived samples |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | True positive rate: the probability of a positive test result, conditioned on the individual truly being positive | Through study completion, an average of 1 year |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Specificity | True negative rate: the probability of a negative test result, conditioned on the individual truly being negative | Through study completion, an average of 1 year |
| Proportion of correct predictions (true positives and true negatives) among the total number of cases (i.e., accuracy) |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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Seven independent cohorts of individuals who belong to one of the following seven:
| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giulia Martina Cavestro, MD, PhD | Contact | 0226437217 | cavestro.giuliamartina@hsr.it | |
| Giulia Martina Cavestro | Contact | 0226437217 | cavestro.giuliamartina@hsr.it |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Giulia Martina Cavestro, MD, PhD | IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gastronterology and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital | Not yet recruiting | Milan | Lombardy | 20132 | Italy |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18838724 | Background | Ahlquist DA, Sargent DJ, Loprinzi CL, Levin TR, Rex DK, Ahnen DJ, Knigge K, Lance MP, Burgart LJ, Hamilton SR, Allison JE, Lawson MJ, Devens ME, Harrington JJ, Hillman SL. Stool DNA and occult blood testing for screen detection of colorectal neoplasia. Ann Intern Med. 2008 Oct 7;149(7):441-50, W81. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-149-7-200810070-00004. | |
| 37971743 |
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Data collected for the study will be made available to others, including de-identified participant data, at publication, via a signed data access agreement and at the discretion of the investigators' approval of the proposed use of such data
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Plasma and serum samples
Individuals with (i) colorectal cancer, or (ii) advanced adenomas, or (iii) Lynch syndrome associated cancer(s) will have the possibility to participate to a sub-analysis of this study, where their circulating plasma levels of biomarkers will be evaluated prior to resection (treatment-naive) and post-resection (to measure the molecular persistence of the disease after the resection) |
|
| Post-treatment samples | Individuals with (i) colorectal cancer, or (ii) advanced adenomas, or (iii) Lynch syndrome associated cancer(s) will have the possibility to participate to a sub-analysis of this study, where their circulating plasma levels of biomarkers will be evaluated prior to resection (treatment-naive) and post-resection (to measure the molecular persistence of the disease after the resection) |
|
A measure of trueness: proportion of correct predictions (both true positives and true negatives) among the total number of cases examined |
| Through study completion, an average of 1 year |
| Prof Giulia Martina Cavestro, MD PhD | Not yet recruiting | Milan | Lombardy | 20132 | Italy |
|
| San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit | Recruiting | Milan | Lombardy | 20132 | Italy |
|
| Dipartimento di Chirurgia Oncologica e Dipartimento di Oncologia Sperimentale Istituto Nazionale Tumori | Not yet recruiting | Milan | MI | Italy |
|
| Aziz Z, Wagner S, Agyekum A, Pumpalova YS, Prest M, Lim F, Rustgi S, Kastrinos F, Grady WM, Hur C. Cost-Effectiveness of Liquid Biopsy for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Patients Who Are Unscreened. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Nov 1;6(11):e2343392. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.43392. |
| 31154021 | Background | Barnell EK, Kang Y, Wurtzler EM, Griffith M, Chaudhuri AA, Griffith OL; Geneoscopy Scientists. Noninvasive Detection of High-Risk Adenomas Using Stool-Derived Eukaryotic RNA Sequences as Biomarkers. Gastroenterology. 2019 Sep;157(3):884-887.e3. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.05.058. Epub 2019 May 30. No abstract available. |
| 37870871 | Background | Barnell EK, Wurtzler EM, La Rocca J, Fitzgerald T, Petrone J, Hao Y, Kang Y, Holmes FL, Lieberman DA. Multitarget Stool RNA Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening. JAMA. 2023 Nov 14;330(18):1760-1768. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.22231. |
| 24553385 | Background | Bettegowda C, Sausen M, Leary RJ, Kinde I, Wang Y, Agrawal N, Bartlett BR, Wang H, Luber B, Alani RM, Antonarakis ES, Azad NS, Bardelli A, Brem H, Cameron JL, Lee CC, Fecher LA, Gallia GL, Gibbs P, Le D, Giuntoli RL, Goggins M, Hogarty MD, Holdhoff M, Hong SM, Jiao Y, Juhl HH, Kim JJ, Siravegna G, Laheru DA, Lauricella C, Lim M, Lipson EJ, Marie SK, Netto GJ, Oliner KS, Olivi A, Olsson L, Riggins GJ, Sartore-Bianchi A, Schmidt K, Shih lM, Oba-Shinjo SM, Siena S, Theodorescu D, Tie J, Harkins TT, Veronese S, Wang TL, Weingart JD, Wolfgang CL, Wood LD, Xing D, Hruban RH, Wu J, Allen PJ, Schmidt CM, Choti MA, Velculescu VE, Kinzler KW, Vogelstein B, Papadopoulos N, Diaz LA Jr. Detection of circulating tumor DNA in early- and late-stage human malignancies. Sci Transl Med. 2014 Feb 19;6(224):224ra24. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3007094. |
| 36800187 | Background | Carethers JM. Stool-Based Screening Tests for Colorectal Cancer. JAMA. 2023 Mar 14;329(10):839-840. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.0547. |
| 38477985 | Background | Chung DC, Gray DM 2nd, Singh H, Issaka RB, Raymond VM, Eagle C, Hu S, Chudova DI, Talasaz A, Greenson JK, Sinicrope FA, Gupta S, Grady WM. A Cell-free DNA Blood-Based Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening. N Engl J Med. 2024 Mar 14;390(11):973-983. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2304714. |
| 38477986 | Background | Imperiale TF, Porter K, Zella J, Gagrat ZD, Olson MC, Statz S, Garces J, Lavin PT, Aguilar H, Brinberg D, Berkelhammer C, Kisiel JB, Limburg PJ; BLUE-C Study Investigators. Next-Generation Multitarget Stool DNA Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening. N Engl J Med. 2024 Mar 14;390(11):984-993. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2310336. |
| 41364052 | Background | Mannucci A, Balaguer F, Yamada Y, Nagasaka T, Toiyama Y, Okugawa Y, Marti-Gallostra M, Jimenez-Toscano M, Vidal-Tocino R, Jimenez F, Perea J, Quintero E, Boland CR, Cavestro GM, Goel A; SECOC-ENCODER Collaborators. An Exosome-Based Liquid Biopsy for the Detection of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: The ENCODER Multicenter Study. Gastroenterology. 2026 Feb;170(2):330-343. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2025.08.013. Epub 2025 Dec 9. |
| 41060624 | Background | Mannucci A, Goel A. Circulating Tumor DNA-Based Blood Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening. JAMA. 2025 Nov 11;334(18):1680-1681. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.14109. No abstract available. |
| 40544180 | Background | Mannucci A, Hernandez G, Uetake H, Yamada Y, Balaguer F, Baba H, Chen T, Chen J, Boland CR, Cavestro GM, Quintero E, Goel A. Prediction of long-term recurrence-free and overall survival in early-onset colorectal cancer: the ENCORE multi-centre study. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2025 Jun 21;9(1):202. doi: 10.1038/s41698-025-00978-7. |
| 39882759 | Background | Negro S, Perissinotto E, Mammi I, Crivellari G, Schiavi F, Cappello F, Spolverato G, Ferrari D, Rausa E, Vitellaro M, Fassan M, Cavestro GM, Mannucci A, Lonardi S, Bergamo F, Urso EDL. Emerging therapeutic strategies in Lynch syndrome-associated colorectal cancer and the role of MMR testing. Tumori. 2025 Jan 30:3008916241310706. doi: 10.1177/03008916241310706. Online ahead of print. |
| 39820673 | Background | Xu C, Mannucci A, Esposito F, Oliveres H, Alonso-Orduna V, Yubero A, Fernandez-Martos C, Salud A, Gallego J, Martin-Richard M, Fernandez-Plana J, Guillot M, Aparicio J, Fakih M, Kopetz S, Feliu J, Maurel J, Goel A. An Exosome-Based Liquid Biopsy Predicts Depth of Response and Survival Outcomes to Cetuximab and Panitumumab in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: The EXONERATE Study. Clin Cancer Res. 2025 Mar 17;31(6):1002-1015. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-24-1934. |
| 39558327 | Background | Mannucci A, Goel A. Stool and blood biomarkers for colorectal cancer management: an update on screening and disease monitoring. Mol Cancer. 2024 Nov 19;23(1):259. doi: 10.1186/s12943-024-02174-w. |
| 38899710 | Background | Mannucci A, Goel A. Stool and Blood DNA Tests for Colorectal Cancer Screening. N Engl J Med. 2024 Jun 20;390(23):2224. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2404924. No abstract available. |
| 38133210 | Background | Shiu PKT, DiStefano JK, Alahari SK, Enguita FJ, Feinberg MW, Sideris N, Bayraktar S, Castellano L, Buitrago DL, Caporali A, Mannucci A, Goel A. The Non-Coding RNA Journal Club: Highlights on Recent Papers-13. Noncoding RNA. 2023 Dec 14;9(6):76. doi: 10.3390/ncrna9060076. |
| 36549470 | Background | Cavestro GM, Mannucci A, Balaguer F, Hampel H, Kupfer SS, Repici A, Sartore-Bianchi A, Seppala TT, Valentini V, Boland CR, Brand RE, Buffart TE, Burke CA, Caccialanza R, Cannizzaro R, Cascinu S, Cercek A, Crosbie EJ, Danese S, Dekker E, Daca-Alvarez M, Deni F, Dominguez-Valentin M, Eng C, Goel A, Guillem JG, Houwen BBSL, Kahi C, Kalady MF, Kastrinos F, Kuhn F, Laghi L, Latchford A, Liska D, Lynch P, Malesci A, Mauri G, Meldolesi E, Moller P, Monahan KJ, Moslein G, Murphy CC, Nass K, Ng K, Oliani C, Papaleo E, Patel SG, Puzzono M, Remo A, Ricciardiello L, Ripamonti CI, Siena S, Singh SK, Stadler ZK, Stanich PP, Syngal S, Turi S, Urso ED, Valle L, Vanni VS, Vilar E, Vitellaro M, You YN, Yurgelun MB, Zuppardo RA, Stoffel EM; Associazione Italiana Familiarita Ereditarieta Tumori; Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer; European Hereditary Tumour Group, and the International Society for Gastrointestinal Hereditary Tumours. Delphi Initiative for Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer (DIRECt) International Management Guidelines. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023 Mar;21(3):581-603.e33. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2022.12.006. Epub 2022 Dec 20. |
| 35468603 | Background | Russo M, Barchi A, Mannucci A, Puzzono M, Zuppardo RA, Biamonte P, Bencardino S, Leandro G, Cannizzaro R, Monica F, Zagari RM, Pasquale L, Goni E, Di Leo M, Ricciardiello L, Cavestro GM; Italian Society of Gastroenterology (AIGO), Italian Society of Digestive Endoscopy (SIED) and Italian Society of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy (SIGE). Increased Number of Colorectal Interval Cancers in Lynch Syndrome after the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: A Survey-Based Study. Dig Dis. 2023;41(2):227-232. doi: 10.1159/000524393. Epub 2022 Apr 25. |
| 35086089 | Background | Puzzono M, Mannucci A, Di Leo M, Zuppardo RA, Russo M, Ditonno I, Goni E, Notaristefano C, Azzolini F, Fanti L, Viale E, Elmore U, Pantaleo G, Cascinu S, Rosati R, Cavestro GM. Diet and Lifestyle Habits in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: A Pilot Case-Control Study. Dig Dis. 2022;40(6):710-718. doi: 10.1159/000521932. Epub 2022 Jan 27. |
| 31851094 | Background | Mannucci A, Zuppardo RA, Crippa S, Carrera P, Patricelli MG, Russo Raucci A, Calabrese F, Lazarevic D, Giannese F, Tonon G, Ferrari M, Testoni PA, Cavestro GM. MSH6 gene pathogenic variant identified in familial pancreatic cancer in the absence of colon cancer. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 Mar;32(3):345-349. doi: 10.1097/MEG.0000000000001617. |
| 31105046 | Background | Cavestro GM, Zuppardo RA, Mannucci A. Early-onset colorectal cancer: trends and challenges. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019 Jul;4(7):491-492. doi: 10.1016/S2468-1253(19)30146-3. Epub 2019 May 16. No abstract available. |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D015179 | Colorectal Neoplasms |
| D003110 | Colonic Neoplasms |
| D003108 | Colonic Diseases |
| D003123 | Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis |
| D055847 | Lynch Syndrome II |
| C537261 | Lynch syndrome I (site-specific colonic cancer) |
| C536928 | Turcot syndrome |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D007414 | Intestinal Neoplasms |
| D005770 | Gastrointestinal Neoplasms |
| D004067 | Digestive System Neoplasms |
| D009371 | Neoplasms by Site |
| D009369 | Neoplasms |
| D004066 | Digestive System Diseases |
| D005767 | Gastrointestinal Diseases |
| D007410 | Intestinal Diseases |
| D012002 | Rectal Diseases |
| D009386 | Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary |
| D030342 | Genetic Diseases, Inborn |
| D009358 | Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities |
| D049914 | DNA Repair-Deficiency Disorders |
| D008659 | Metabolic Diseases |
| D009750 | Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases |
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