European Polyp Surveillance Trial (EPoS)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02319928 |
Recruitment Status :
Active, not recruiting
First Posted : December 18, 2014
Last Update Posted : January 12, 2021
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This protocol describes the epos (ancient greek (Επος) for "story") of a group of related clinical trials aiming at addressing one of the most important unsolved challenges in the prevention of colorectal cancer (one of our major cancer killers); the surveillance of patients with premalignant polyps in the large bowel.
This project is timely because large scale colorectal cancer screening programmes are currently rolled out in most Western countries. These programmes are diagnosing large numbers of individuals with premalignant polyps (adenomas and serrated polyps). This creates both a diagnostic and resource dilemma, because the optimal surveillance strategy for these individuals to reduce future cancer risk is currently unknown..
The EPoS trials will randomize or register more than 20,000 individuals in different European countries to different surveillance colonoscopy intervals to disentangle the most effective and cost-effective surveillance strategy for the population. Subjects will be randomized according to their presenting polyp chracteristics The EPoS I trial randomizes patients with low-risk adenomas into 5 or 10-year surveillance; ; EPoS II randomizes patients with high-risk adenomas into 3 or 5-yearly surveillance ; EPoS III will include patients with serrated polyps in a one-arm study with surveillance after 5 and 10 years. The primary endpoint for all three trials is incidence of colorectal cancer after 10 years of follow-up.
This EPoS trials are the largest in polyp surveillance ever conducted. They address a clinical problem affecting hundreds of thousand individuals in Europe and the US each year, it has a large size, and should thus provide definitive results.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Colorectal Neoplasms | Procedure: Colonoscopy | Not Applicable |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 20000 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Single (Investigator) |
Primary Purpose: | Prevention |
Official Title: | Randomized Controlled Trial of Comparison Between Surveillance Intervals After Excision of Colonic Adenomas |
Study Start Date : | June 2015 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | December 2028 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | December 2028 |
Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Active Comparator: Short-term surveillance
Short-term surveillance. Colonoscopy at 5+10 years in low-risk adenomas or 3+5 years in high-risk adenomas.
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Procedure: Colonoscopy |
Experimental: Long-term surveillance
Long-term surveillance. Colonoscopy at 10 years in low-risk adenomas or 5 years in high-risk adenomas.
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Procedure: Colonoscopy |
- Colorectal cancer incidence [ Time Frame: 10 years ]development of new colorectal cancer cases in the different arms of the trial

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 40 Years to 74 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Cecal intubation (preferably documented by images/videoof the apendiceal orifice and the ileocecal valve; but not required).
- Adequate colonic cleansing, with Boston Bowel Cleansing Score equal or higher than 2 points in all colonic segments.
- Complete excision of all polyps at baseline colonoscopy findings (as judged by the trial endoscopists).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Lack of consent
- History of CRC or adenomas
- History of serrated polyps ≥ 10 mm in diameter at any colorectal location or ≥ 5 mm if located proximal to the splenic flexure
- Incomplete colonoscopy
- Incomplete endoscopic excision of polyps
- Genetic cancer syndrome (adenomatous or serrated polyposis syndrome; Lynch or Lynch-like syndrome)
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- History of surgical colon resection for any reason
- Severe co-morbidity with reduced life expectancy (NYHA 3-4)
- On-going cytotoxic treatment or radiotherapy for malignant disease
- Long-lasting attention and nursing services (somatic or psychosocial, mental retardation).

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02319928
Spain | |
Hospital General Universitario de Alicante | |
Alicante, Spain, 03010 |
Principal Investigator: | Rodrigo Jover, MD | Hospital General Universitario de Alicante | |
Principal Investigator: | Michael Bretthauer, MD | University of Oslo |
Responsible Party: | Asociación Española de Gastroenterología |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT02319928 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
AEG-EPOS-1 |
First Posted: | December 18, 2014 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | January 12, 2021 |
Last Verified: | January 2021 |
Colorectal Neoplasms Intestinal Neoplasms Gastrointestinal Neoplasms Digestive System Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Neoplasms |
Digestive System Diseases Gastrointestinal Diseases Colonic Diseases Intestinal Diseases Rectal Diseases |