Radiation Therapy With or Without Chemotherapy Before Surgery in Treating Patients With Stage II or Stage III Rectal Cancer
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2008-08-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in
chemotherapy, such as fluorouracil and leucovorin, work in different ways to stop the growth
of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving
radiation therapy and chemotherapy 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 radiation therapy is
more effective with or without chemotherapy when given before surgery for rectal cancer.
PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy given together with
fluorouracil and leucovorin to see how well they work compared to giving radiation therapy
alone before surgery in treating patients with stage II or stage III rectal cancer.