Active clinical trials for "Rectal Neoplasms"

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.

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. Oxaliplatin may make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Giving capecitabine and oxaliplatin together with radiation therapy before surgery may shrink the tumor so it can be removed. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving capecitabine and oxaliplatin together with radiation therapy works in treating patients who are undergoing surgery for stage I rectal cancer.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid when given together with fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin in treating patients with progressive metastatic or unresectable colorectal cancer or solid tumor. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid may also stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells.

Primary objective: Pathological complete response (ypT0N0) rate Secondary objectives: Histopathological R0 resection rate Pathological downstaging (ypT0-T2N0) rate One month surgical complication rate Predictive value of pre-operative MRI for surgical, pathological and clinical outcomes Safety Local and distant recurrence rates Progression-free survival Overall survival

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of bevacizumab when given together with fluorouracil and external-beam radiation therapy in treating patients with stage II or stage III rectal cancer. Monoclonal antibodies, such as bevacizumab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others find cancer cells and help kill them or deliver cancer-killing substances to them. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining monoclonal antibody therapy with chemotherapy and radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug and giving them in different ways may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of melphalan given as an isolated hepatic perfusion followed by chemotherapy infused into the liver in patients who have unresectable colorectal cancer that is metastatic to the liver.

Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of fluorouracil given by infusion with that of fluorouracil plus eniluracil given by mouth in treating patients who have metastatic, recurrent, or residual advanced colorectal cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known if fluorouracil is more effective with or without eniluracil for advanced colorectal cancer

Background Recent novel surgical techniques for resection of low rectal cancer have been introduced and these approaches have the potential to overcome anatomical limitations like obesity, narrow male pelvis and bulky and low tumours. Two of these procedures are robotic low anterior resection (RLAR) and transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME). Both approaches have distinct advantages and limitations however there have been no head to head trial comparing RLAR and TaTME for patients with mid to low rectal cancer undergoing surgery by experienced surgeons. Previous studies looking at the oncological outcomes of either TaTME or robotic TME included many centres where the surgeons were on a learning curve and hence the true oncological outcomes and clinical benefits cannot be measured accurately. The primary objective of this pilot study is to conduct a multicentre prospective trial to investigate clinical outcomes, in particular disease free survival (DFS) in patients undergoing RLAR and TaTME. The additional goal is to investigate other efficacy measures, complications rates, recruitment feasibility and protocol refinement. Method This pilot study will be a prospective, observational, case-matched, two -cohort, multicentre designed to investigate the oncological and clinical outcomes of patients with mid-to-low, non-metastatic rectal cancer undergoing low anterior resection (LAR) using robot-assisted surgery ( RLAR), or transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME). The inclusion criteria consist of experienced surgeons defined as 60 prior procedures with RLAR or TaTME to meet the enrolment criteria for the RLAR and TaTME arm, respectively. Successful oncological and clinical outcomes are defined as circumferential resection margin (CRM) ≥1 mm with minimal postoperative morbidity (absence of Clavien-Dindo grade III-IV complications within 30 days after surgery). Local and distal recurrence rates with DFS over 3 years will be measured as primary outcome. Secondary and exploratory endpoints will include length of hospital stay, intraoperative time, intraoperative blood loss, harvested lymph nodes, distal resection margin, incompleteness of mesorectum, CRM involvement, unplanned conversion rates, 30-days postoperative complications and overall recurrence rate. The Quality of life assessment questionnaires will be performed preoperatively, 6 months and 12 months after reversal of ileostomy. Propensity score matching will be used to minimize bias from the nonrandomized treatment assignment. The RLAR and TaTME cohorts will be matched by propensity scores accounting for factors significantly associated with either undergoing robotic surgery or TaTME occurrence on logistic regression analysis. Ethics and Dissemination The medical ethical committees of all the participating countries will be involved in approving the study protocol. Results of the primary and secondary end points will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

A study to investigate if pelvic side wall lymph nodes that remain after neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy can be identified intraoperatively using dual radioisotope and fluorescence guidance.

The use of chemoradiotherapy (CRT), in combination with surgery is the standard of care in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer. However some patients don't respond well to radiation. More advanced radiotherapy techniques, that result in fewer toxicities, means that we are now able to combine new anti-cancer agents into standard treatment. Targeting the tumour early in this way has the potential to improve response rates. Enadenotucirev is a specific type of anti-cancer virus that only targets cancer cells. It acts in the same way as any virus and can only survive by replicating inside cancer cells and not normal, non-cancerous cells. This means that it can selectively target and destroy tumours, without directly affecting normal cells. It also has the ability to attract cells from the body's immune system to help fight the cancer. The addition of enadenotucirev to standard chemoradiotherapy treatment may have a combined effect on the cancer cells with potentially few, additional side effects. This trial aims to determine the optimal dose and frequency of the virus to give by gradually increasing the number of doses each successive patient receives, and then increasing the dose of the virus itself. Each patient will receive a minimum of 3 doses, up to a maximum of 6, spread over the course of their 5 week standard chemoradiotherapy treatment. Patients will be closely monitored at all times to ensure that with each dosing group, there aren't excessive side effects. Patients will then undergo surgery as part of their standard of care and be followed up for up to 4-6 weeks post-surgery. This trial aims to determine the optimal dose and frequency that can then be used in future studies with the possibility of exploring the addition of Enadenotucirev to other chemoradiotherapy treatments.