Map the pathway
From initial presentation and pathology reporting to staging, multidisciplinary discussion, definitive treatment and follow-up.
Appendiceal goblet cell adenocarcinoma
Rare disease.
Shared evidence.
GCA-GLOBE is an international multicentre study mapping real-world treatment pathways and long-term outcomes for patients with appendiceal goblet cell adenocarcinoma.
Why GCA-GLOBE
One uncommon diagnosis, evolving evidence.
Goblet cell adenocarcinoma is often discovered incidentally after appendectomy. Guidelines provide a framework for management, but its rarity, evolving terminology and heterogeneous reporting leave important questions about patient selection, treatment pathways and outcomes.
Understand variation
Describe how diagnostic and treatment strategies differ between centres, countries, patient groups and terminology eras.
Measure outcomes
Study recurrence, disease-free survival, overall survival and mature five- and ten-year outcomes where available.
Protocol-led questions
Beyond a simple treatment comparison.
The study separates what the multidisciplinary team recommended from what treatment the patient actually received, allowing us to examine both decision-making and outcomes.
1
Completion surgery or surveillance?Explore the roles of age, frailty, comorbidity, WHO grade and terminology era.
2
What does completion surgery actually find?Quantify how often right hemicolectomy identifies previously unrecognised positive regional lymph nodes, residual tumour or another management-changing finding.
3
Do guidance, MDT advice and treatment align?Measure concordance and describe appropriate individualisation or barriers when pathways differ.
4
Which pathways lead to better outcomes?Characterise treatment patterns, recurrence and long-term survival while carefully addressing confounding.
Optional substudies · our side quests
Looking beyond treatment and survival.
Feasibility-driven substudies may explore questions that matter across the wider care pathway, without delaying or increasing the burden of the core cohort.
From appendicitis to living beyond a rare-cancer diagnosis.
A consent-based study may explore communication, shared decision-making, long-term symptoms, recurrence anxiety, quality of life and follow-up coordination.
What does postdiagnosis colonoscopy add?
A focused analysis may quantify concomitant polyps or colorectal cancers, subsequent interventions and whether colonoscopy changed management.
Could the underlying neoplasm and its risk profile have been detected earlier?
A pragmatic reader study and exploratory quantitative analysis may test whether acute-phase CT distinguishes GCA from ordinary appendicitis and whether imaging features correlate with WHO grade and adverse pathology.
What is the burden of additional care in localised low-grade disease?
An exploratory analysis may describe additional consultations, investigations, surgery, hospital encounters, surveillance and recovery time without initially claiming a full cost-effectiveness analysis.
In development
Study launch to be announced.
The protocol, governance structure and international collaboration framework are currently being developed. Further information about study participation and timelines will be shared after formal approval.
Current phaseProtocol development and steering-group formation
Next phaseInternational feasibility assessment and governance approvals
ParticipationInterested centres may contact interested@gca-europe.org
1
Develop the common protocol
Define the study questions, core dataset and international governance approach.
2
Establish the collaboration
Form the steering group and assess international centre feasibility.
3
Open the study
Participation information will be published once approvals and infrastructure are in place.
Study documents
Explore the developing study.
These working documents support steering-group review and early centre feasibility discussions. Formal study opening remains subject to governance approval.
PDF · Short overview
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Study summary
A concise overview of the rationale, study design and planned analyses.
PDF · For centres
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Participation guide
What a participating centre needs to do, including optional modules.
PDF · Full protocol
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Full study protocol
The complete developing protocol for detailed review.
Study investigators
Building an international collaboration.
Centre interestinterested@gca-europe.org
Kim BoterberghGeneral, Abdominal and Oncological Surgery
Sint-Elisabeth Hospital Zottegem, Belgiumkim.boterbergh@sezz.be
Sint-Elisabeth Hospital Zottegem, Belgiumkim.boterbergh@sezz.be
Tommaso ViolanteSurgery of the Alimentary Tract
IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, ItalyTommaso.violante@unibo.it
IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, ItalyTommaso.violante@unibo.it
Jan ColpaertColorectal Surgery
AZORG Hospital, Aalst, Belgiumjan.colpaert@azorg.be
AZORG Hospital, Aalst, Belgiumjan.colpaert@azorg.be
Stijn De SutterGeneral, Abdominal and Oncological Surgery
Sint-Elisabeth Hospital Zottegem, Belgiumstijn.desutter@sezz.be
Sint-Elisabeth Hospital Zottegem, Belgiumstijn.desutter@sezz.be
Isabelle De KockRadiology and CT Texture-Analysis Lead
UZ Gent, Ghent, Belgium
UZ Gent, Ghent, Belgium