European Union · Phase III · Metastatic colorectal cancer
EU Phase III mCRC: biomarker-defined trials, sites, PIs and CROs
Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron and Istituto Oncologico Veneto each contribute to 17 Phase III mCRC trials, while Gunnar Folprecht leads investigator experience with 14. Across 32 Phase III metastatic colorectal cancer trials, 668 distinct listed sites and 913 named investigators form the European network. RAS/KRAS/NRAS and MSI/MMR each shape protocol-defined selection or stratification in 18 trials, while 15 trials use first-line populations and five explicitly target RAS-mutated disease.
Top 5 sites · All 32 Phase III mCRC trials
Vall d’Hebron and Istituto Oncologico Veneto lead with 17 trials each
Pisa University Hospital and Hospital 12 de Octubre follow with 16 trials each. AP-HP contributes to 15.
Targeted populations
First-line15 trialsIstituto Oncologico Veneto leads with 11 trials, followed by Pisa with 10. AP-HP and Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón contribute to nine each.
RAS-mutated5 trialsAP-HP, Pisa and Charité each contribute to four trials. Azienda USL IRCCS di Reggio Emilia and CHU Bordeaux follow with three.
Trial participation describes documented Phase III mCRC experience, not recruitment performance or current capacity.
Top 5 principal investigators · All 32 Phase III mCRC trials
Gunnar Folprecht leads with 14 trials
Chiara Cremolini follows with 13 trial participations and Filippo Pietrantonio with 12. Denis Smith and Dirk Arnold each contribute to 11.
Targeted populations
First-line15 trialsChiara Cremolini and Gunnar Folprecht lead with eight trials each. Dirk Arnold, Filippo Pietrantonio and Lorenzo Antonuzzo follow with seven.
RAS-mutated5 trialsAlessandro Pastorino, Chiara Cremolini, Denis Smith, Filippo Pietrantonio and Lucjan Wyrwicz each contribute to three trials.
Top 5 CROs · All 32 Phase III mCRC trials
IQVIA has the broadest documented clinical-operations footprint
IQVIA is named for clinical-operational responsibilities in four trials, followed by Fortrea in three and ICON in two. Excelya and OPIS each appear in one.
Targeted populations
First-line15 trialsIQVIA is named in two first-line trials. Excelya, OPIS, Parexel, PPD and Syneos Health each appear in one.
RAS-mutated5 trialsICON, Excelya and PRA each appear in one RAS-mutated trial. No CRO appears across more than one of the five targeted programs.
The CRO ranking requires an explicitly named clinical-operational role such as monitoring, regulatory support, project management, data management, safety or study start-up. Laboratory-only and technology-only roles are excluded.
Top 5 countries · All 32 Phase III mCRC trials
Spain has the broadest trial footprint with 22 studies
Italy follows with 21 trials, France with 20 and Germany with 19. The Netherlands completes the leading five with 16.
Targeted populations
First-line15 trialsItaly leads with 12 trials. Spain and Poland each contribute to 10, followed by Germany and France with nine each.
RAS-mutated5 trialsItaly participates in all five RAS-mutated trials. Germany, Spain and France each participate in four, followed by Greece with three.
A multinational trial can contribute to more than one country count.
Top 5 biomarkers · All 32 Phase III mCRC trials
RAS and MSI/MMR each shape 18 Phase III mCRC trial designs
RAS/KRAS/NRAS and MSI/MMR are the most frequently specified molecular markers, followed by BRAF in 12 trials. HER2 and PD-L1 each feature in four.
A trial can count in more than one biomarker category. Counts include markers used to define eligibility, exclusions, stratification or treatment assignment, and exclude biomarkers appearing only as exploratory assays.
Source: CTIS trial profiles, site and investigator records, named third-party organisations, and protocol-defined biomarker criteria in TrialAgents, reviewed 20 September 2026. The cohort contains 32 distinct Phase III trials enrolling advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer populations. Site and investigator rankings count distinct trial participation.