Phase II/III Randomized Multicentre Study Comparing Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Consolidation Chemotherapy to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Alone in Non-metastatic Rectal Cancer Patients.
Overview
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Intervention
- Chemotherapy
- Conditions
- Rectal Cancer
- Sponsor
- King Abdullah Medical City
- Enrollment
- 338
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Pathologic complete response rate (pCR).
- Status
- Recruiting
- Last Updated
- 4 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
This is a Phase II/III randomized study involving non-metastatic rectal cancer patients who are candidates for neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Eligible patients will be randomized between two treatment arms:
Experimental arm: Long course CRT is followed by 4 cycles of combination chemotherapy of modified FOLFOX6 or 3 cycles of XELOX and then surgery. After surgery, patients with pT0-2 N0 will not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with higher pathological stage will receive adjuvant chemotherapy (4 cycles of modified FOLFOX6 or 3 cycles of XELOX).
Standard arm: Long course CRT will be followed by surgery 10-12 weeks after the end of CRT. After surgery, patients with pT0-2 N0 will not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with higher pathological stage will receive adjuvant chemotherapy (8 cycles of modified FOLFOX6 or 6 cycles of XELOX).
The study aims to assess the efficacy of consolidation chemotherapy given in the interval between the end of CRT and surgery to allow for early initiation of systemic therapy aiming to decrease distant relapse rate and enhancing pathological response.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Age ≥ 18 years at diagnosis
- •Histopathological diagnosis of rectal adenocarcinoma
- •ECOG Performance Status (PS): 0- 2
- •Clinical Stage: T2 N1-2, T3N0-2, T4 N0-2 based on pelvic MRI. Lymph node will be considered radiologically positive if: - size (short axis≥ 1cm) and/or - Morphological changes: irregular outlines/ abnormal signal intensity, positive enhancement.
- •The standard treatment recommendation of included patients in the absence of a clinical trial would be combined modality neoadjuvant CRT followed by curative intent surgical resection.
- •Primary surgeon is planning to perform Total Mesorectal Excision (TME).
- •The following laboratory values must be obtained ≤ 28 days prior to registration:
- •Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1500/mm3
- •Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm3
- •Hemoglobin \> 8.0 g/dl (transfusion permitted)
Exclusion Criteria
- •Extensive growth into the sacrum or the lumbosacral nerve roots indicating that surgery will never be possible even if substantial tumour down-sizing is seen.
- •Presence of metastatic disease or recurrent rectal tumor.
- •Familial Adenomatosis Polyposis coli (FAP), Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC), active Crohn's disease or active ulcerative Colitis.
- •Concomitant malignancies, except for adequately treated basal cell carcinoma of the skin or in situ carcinoma of the cervix uteri. Subjects with prior malignancies must be disease-free for at least 5 years.
- •Known dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency.
- •Any contraindications to MRI (e.g. patients with pacemakers)
- •Medical or psychiatric conditions that compromise the patient's ability to give informed consent.
- •Clinically significant (i.e. active) cardiac disease (e.g. congestive heart failure, symptomatic coronary artery disease and cardiac dysrhythmia, e.g. atrial fibrillation, even if controlled with medication) or myocardial infarction within the past 12 months.
- •Patients with known malabsorption syndromes or a lack of physical integrity of the upper gastrointestinal tract.
- •Co-morbid illnesses or other concurrent disease which, in the judgment of the clinician obtaining informed consent, would make the patient inappropriate for entry into this study or interfere significantly with the proper assessment of safety and toxicity of the prescribed regimens.
Arms & Interventions
Experimental arm
Long course CRT is followed by 4 cycles of combination chemotherapy of modified FOLFOX6 or 3 cycles of XELOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) and surgery. Consolidation chemotherapy will start 2-4 weeks after the end of CRT. Surgery will be performed 2-4 weeks after the last chemotherapy cycle. After surgery, patients with pT0-2 N0 will not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with higher pathological stage will receive adjuvant chemotherapy (4 cycles of modified FOLFOX6 or 3 cycles of XELOX).
Intervention: Chemotherapy
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Pathologic complete response rate (pCR).
Time Frame: 3 years
pCR will be defined as the absence of viable tumor cells in the primary tumor and in the lymph nodes (ypT0N0) by histopathological assessment of the surgical specimen at the time of definitive rectal surgery.
3-year disease free survival (DFS) rate.
Time Frame: 3 years
3-year DFS will be defined as the percentage of patients alive without recurrence of disease at 3 years measured from the date of randomization
Secondary Outcomes
- Overall survival (OS)(5 years)
- Radiological response by MRI imaging before surgery.(3 years)
- Short and long-term toxicity.(3 - 5 years)
- Surgical complications.(3 years)