Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy Before Surgery Followed by Capecitabine With or Without Oxaliplatin in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 1969-12-31

Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as capecitabine and oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving radiation therapy that uses a 3-dimensional image of the tumor to help focus thin beams of radiation directly on the tumor may kill more tumor cells and have fewer side effects. Giving chemotherapy together with radiation therapy before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving chemotherapy after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. It is not yet known whether capecitabine is more effective with or without oxaliplatin in treating patients with rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying giving chemotherapy together with radiation therapy before surgery followed by capecitabine with or without oxaliplatin to see how well it works in treating patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

• Phase: Phase 3

Details

• Lead Sponsor: European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer - EORTC
• Treatments: Capecitabine; Oxaliplatin