Neoadjuvant FOLFOX Plus Bevacizumab Chemotherapy in Patients With Locally Advanced Colon Cancer
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2011-01-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The purpose of this study is to see if giving chemo-therapy for colon cancer before surgery
can shrink the cancer and lead to a higher rate of cure than operating first and then giving
chemotherapy. Standard treatment for colon cancer is to first operate, and then, if the tumor
is advanced, give chemotherapy for about 6 months. However, surgery delays the time until
chemotherapy can start, since the body needs time to heal from the operation. During this
time any cancer cells that remain in the body that were not removed by the operation may be
allowed to grow. Giving chemotherapy first could attack the cancer cells right from the
start, not only at the tumor site that we know of, but also at the site of any cancer cells
that may have spread to other parts of the body. Another possible reason why giving chemo
therapy first might work better is that the blood vessels that feed the cancer cells are
intact before surgery and thus chemotherapy can travel directly to the cancer.
This study will also use the drug bevacizumab, in addition to the standard chemotherapy.
Bevacizumab has been on the market since 2004 for colon cancer that has spread to other
organs, but its use in earlier stage colon cancer, as planned in this trial, is still under
study.