Active clinical trials for "Colorectal Neoplasms"

RATIONALE: Rectal reconstruction after surgery to treat rectal cancer may help patients keep some of their bowel function. It is not yet known which method of rectal reconstruction is most effective after surgery. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying three different methods of rectal reconstruction to compare how well they work in treating patients who are undergoing surgery for rectal cancer.

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. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Cetuximab may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether giving capecitabine and oxaliplatin together with cetuximab is more effective than capecitabine and oxaliplatin in treating colorectal cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well giving capecitabine and oxaliplatin together with cetuximab works compared to capecitabine and oxaliplatin in treating patients with metastatic colorectal cancer that cannot be removed by surgery.

This phase II study will evaluate the effect of bevacizumab, capecitabine and oxaliplatin with radiation on rectal cancer. Researchers will also evaluate the tolerability (how it makes the patient feel) and safety of this combination by watching for harmful side-effects.It is hoped that by adding bevacizumab to the capecitabine/oxaliplatin treatment in combination with radiation before surgery will improve response rate.

CT-2106, a camptothecin (CPT) conjugate, is a new generation of topoisomerase I inhibitors designed to deliver higher, more effective chemotherapy to tumor tissue with less toxicity to normal tissues. The objective of this study is to determine the dose limiting toxicities, safety profile and antitumor activity of CT-2016 in combination with 5-FU and folic acid for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

- Assess the safety and tolerance of a weekly MEDI522 regimen in patients with irinotecan-refractory advanced CRC or other solid tumors refractory to standard therapy.

The purpose of this study is to determine time to disease progression of combination therapy with capecitabine and oxaliplatin (XELOX) vs. oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil in continous infusion (5-FU CI) as first line treatment in advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer

Randomized, open label, multicentre phase II trial followed by phase III comparing overall survival after having selected the best experimental arm.

This study is for people with solid tumors cancer for which the standard chemotherapy drugs have not worked. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the side effects of Xeloda (also called capecitabine) in combination with a new anticancer agent called Gleevec (also called imatinib mesylate). Xeloda is an anticancer drug, and can be taken by mouth. The active ingredient is a well-studied cancer drug called 5-FU. Xeloda is approved by the FDA for the treatment of colon cancer. Gleevec is approved in the US for the treatment of patients with a leukemia called CML (increase of white blood cells) after failure of standard therapy. It is also approved by the FDA for patients with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (a rare tumor in the digestive tract). This study will test how much Gleevec we can safely give with Xeloda. Xeloda will be given at the recommended dose for colorectal cancer and Gleevec will be given in increasing amounts.

To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of oral UFT/LV comparing 5-FU/l-LV as adjuvant therapy for stage III colorectal cancer.

Colorectal carcinoma is the third most common cause of death from cancer. Approximately, 30% of colorectal carcinomas involve the rectum. Optimizing local control in the pelvis while reducing treatment toxicity remains one of the principal goals of therapy for patients with locally advanced rectal carcinoma. Treatment strategies that achieve this goal will have a significant impact on our society.C linical trials have shown that this type of cancer is less likely to come back if chemotherapy and radiotherapy are added to surgery. A combination of all three types of therapy is now standard. Celecoxib (Celebrex®) is a drug that lessens the action of an enzyme called cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) also known as a "COX-2 inhibitor". It is an anti-inflammatory capsule (drug that reduces irritation) that is commonly used to treat arthritis. It is not a chemotherapy drug. Laboratory experiments have shown that such COX-2 inhibitors may increase the anti-cancer effect of radiotherapy, without increasing radiation side effects. This has not yet been confirmed in humans.The main purpose of this study is to confirm that celecoxib does not increase the side effects when given with radiotherapy and chemotherapy for rectal cancer. We shall also be looking at how effective the combination of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and celecoxib is in shrinking rectal cancer.