Radiation Therapy, Chemotherapy, and Cetuximab Followed by Surgery, Chemotherapy, and Cetuximab in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Rectal Cancer That Can Be Removed by Surgery

Overview

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as capecitabine, oxaliplatin, 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. 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. Giving radiation therapy together with combination chemotherapy and cetuximab before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. Giving chemotherapy and cetuximab after surgery may kill any tumor cells that remain after surgery. PURPOSE: This phase II clinical trial is studying how well giving radiation therapy together with chemotherapy and cetuximab followed by surgery, chemotherapy, and cetuximab works in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic rectal cancer that can be removed by surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine the complete remission rate at 6 months after neoadjuvant radiotherapy, capecitabine, and oxaliplatin (XELOX), and cetuximab followed by surgery, adjuvant FOLFOX 4, and cetuximab in patients with synchronous locally advanced or metastatic cancer of the rectum with resectable metastases (T3-4 Nx or T2 N+ M1). Secondary * Determine progression-free survival. * Determine overall survival. * Assess toxicities. * Evaluate objective response in patients with measurable metastases. * Determine the rate of local recurrence. * Evaluate the downstaging and downsizing of patients with operable disease. * Evaluate surgical complications in patients with operable disease. * Evaluate biological markers predictive of response to cetuximab. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. * Neoadjuvant therapy: Patients undergo radiotherapy for 5 weeks and receive concurrent oral capecitabine twice daily on days 1-5 of each week and oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours on day 1 of each week (XELOX). Patients also receive cetuximab IV on day 1 of the first week and on days 1-7 of weeks 2-5. * Surgery: At 6 weeks after completing chemoradiotherapy, patients with resectable disease undergo surgery comprising total mesorectal excision. Patients with progressive disease, nonresectable tumor, or who require R2 surgery are removed from the study. * Adjuvant therapy: Patients who undergo surgery, with or without removal of metastases, receive FOLFOX 4, comprising oxaliplatin IV over 2 hours, fluorouracil IV over 46 hours, and leucovorin calcium IV on day 1, and cetuximab IV. Treatment repeats every 2 weeks for up to 6 courses (approximately 3 months). Patients who have not undergone prior surgical resection of metastases may have surgery to remove metastases after completing this second regimen of chemotherapy. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed periodically for up to 5 years.