The current standard of care for rectal cancer has diminished local recurrence and enhanced survival. Quality of life, however, remains poor for many patients and the probability of distant recurrence is high. In this study, we will attempt to reduce the distant recurrence rate and improve quality of life by making changes in the timing and administration of chemotherapy and radiation and doing less invasive rectal surgery when indicated.
The purpose of the study is to determine if neo-adjuvant FOLFOX therapy and lengthening the time interval between neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and transanal local excision will increase the percentage of patients with pathologic complete remission. This is a prospective pilot study to examine the impact of two variables: 1) addition of neo-adjuvant FOLFOX chemotherapy, and 2) increasing the time interval between completion of chemo-radiotherapy and subsequent surgery, on the rate of achieving pathologic complete remission with avoidance of radical resection while maintaining an excellent local control with improvement of quality of life. All procedures in this study are standard of care, the study question relates to the use of neo-adjuvant FOLFOX and the timing between the end of radiation and surgery.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
15
All treatments (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery) are standard of care; however, the timing of the procedures is altered to allow for the possibility of local excision instead of more extensive surgery.
Ascension St. John Hospital
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Complete remission
Percent of patients who achieve complete remission
Time frame: 18 months
Partial remission
Percent of patients who achieve partial remission
Time frame: 18 months
Disease progression
Percent of patients with disease progression
Time frame: 18 months
Local resection
Percent of patients who require local resection only
Time frame: 18 months
Patient quality of life
Quality of life score on questionnaire
Time frame: 18 months
Patient health status
Patient self-reported health status
Time frame: 18 months
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.